10.26.09 Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants

As we watch our students effortlessly exchange one hand held electronic device for another while simultaneously watching TV, chatting online and doing homework, we have to begin to wonder what land did these tech-savvy little people come from? And how do we learn to speak their language? As it turns out, they are the natives of this new technological landscape, and we are the immigrants, struggling to learn the “language” of bits, bytes, texting and emoticons that they speak effortlessly. How can we bridge this digital divide between us and our students, and what does this all mean for the future of education? You can find some of the answers in these thoughtful articles by leading educational professionals, which I have used with my graduate library students to help explain the customs of this new land they are crossing into when they begin working with middle school students. Please take a look, and think about the ways you can begin learning how to speak digital! (Want a hint? Your best teacher is probably playing the Wii in the next room:)

“Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” by Mark Prensky. (open the .pdf from Mark’s website under heading “The Classics”)

“Excuse Me. Do You Speak Digital? Harvard’s John Palfrey Explores What it’s Like to be a Digital Native” by Christopher Harris

I’ll see you in the library,

Jennifer Hubert Swan, Middle School Librarian