I hear the term "digital natives" tossed around frequently.
It is being used to refer to Millennials and Gen Z. The idea is that people from these generations are brought up with technology at a young age. However, this term has somehow become manipulated to also indicate that these generations are born better at technology than previous generations. It almost appears that somehow these generations have evolved as fast as technology. The thought that "digital natives", in particular students in K-12 and higher education, are any better at technology than their parents or predecessors is wrong. They are not better at it - they are just more accustomed to using it in their everyday lives. "Digital Natives" have to be taught technology skills just like every other person born before them. I was lucky to have been born in the late 80's and learned technology as it was quickly evolving. I remember my family's first home computer and the MS DOS operating system. I can still recall turning on the computer and seeing the green block flashing at me, waiting for me to type in a command and tell it what to do. I was taught basic computer skills. While computers have become more advanced since then, I understand the basic components of how they operate. When babies and toddlers are given tablets and figure out how to play games, they aren't learning crucial skills. They are learning how to push buttons until they get the response they desire. The amount of 18 year old students I have encountered the past few years who don't know how to attach a file to an e-mail, or even what a flash drive is astounds me. We are doing a disservice to our students when we don't teach them basic technology skills. We cannot forget that they aren't born with this knowledge. We learned it at one point and so must they.
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AuthorI have worked in Education my entire life moving from K-12, to a community college, to my current position at a four year. I am fascinated by weird things and information in general. Archives
November 2017
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