Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

"We are students, but also future teachers"

When we start to reflect upon our role at school today, we think that we are in a special period in which teachers know less about technology than their students. Some time before, teachers didn't have to worry about those things because they didn't even exist. Later on some computers started to appear, but students only used them to do practical works on "Word". But what happens today? There are not only new devices and programs, but also a lot of new applications and "Digital Immigrants" feel that they will never be up-to-date.

Who are the "Digital Immigrants"?

According to Marc Prensky (2001), "Digital Immigrants learn to adapt to their environment, they always retain, to some degree, their "accent", that is, their foot in the past. That's way they need to print out a document written on the computer in order to edit it (rather than just editing on the screen) or bringing people physically into your office to see an interenting web site (rather than just sending them the URL)."

            On the other hand, we have "Digital Natives":

• They are used to receiving information really fast.

• They like to parallel process and multi-task.

• They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite.

• They prefer random access (like hypertext).

• They function best when networked.

• They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards.

• They prefer games to "serious" work.

So, we can say that we need to be prepared to teach to this new generation because we cannot consider ourselves "Digital Natives" as they are.

Are we "Digital Immigrants or Digital Natives"?

In fact, we think that we are in the middle, because we share some characteristics of both. For example, if we compare ourselves with our parents, we realize that we use the technology devices much better than they do (even we have to teach them how to use them). We sometimes read books on the computer, and know how to use a lot of programms and devices; like telephones and tablets. But if we compare ourselves with "Digital Natives", we realize that they know a lot of things as regard technology that we don't.

So, as future teachers we have to carry on working with technology, take advantage of all programs and devices we are used to using, and also let the new generations teach us some things. 

To take into account:

We as future teachers consider that the age of the person is not the only condition to take into account when we talk about a "Digital Native" or a "Digital Immigrant".

We should bear in mind and recognize that there are lots of students who don't have a computer or another technological device, or maybe they don't have internet access. In fact, there are lots of children who don't even have electricity in their houses. 

Source: Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky. From On the Horizon (MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001)