8/14/2019 The Myth of the Digital Native : Why Generational
Stereotyping Wont Improve Student Learning
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Here there is a point well taken in Pren-skys argument: blocking
social media inthe classroom cuts our students off fromsome of the
most powerful of these publi-
cation opportunities. As technology usingeducators and
administrators, we must findways to comply with our
responsibilitiesto secure networks and meet legal
filteringrequirements that nevertheless do not cripplestudents
access to robust interactive andcollaborative environments.
We must also acknowledge and confrontthe curmudgeons in our
ranks, providing richstaff development opportunities and ongo-ing
follow-up interventions to enable thosecolleagues who may be
reluctant to embracecreative technologies. When teachers acceptthat
their students may have superior skilllevels to theirs in some
areas of manipulating
and navigating digital tools, it can help thestudents to
acknowledge, in turn, that thereare critical and analytic skills
they need tolearn from the teachers. Ive had studentsangrily
denounce me: Theres no advertising
in movies! When I ask them to notice theway actors always seem
to hold their sodacans with the labels towards the camera,and
reflect if they take such pains to show
their friends what brand theyre drinking,their perceptions begin
to shift. The mostimportant technological skill is judgment.
Teaching students how to evaluate theveracity and reliability of
the Internet andother digital resources is another key skill.From
reading Alan Novembers classicanalysis of a holocaust denial Web
site(November, 1998) to acquiring a basicunderstanding of top-level
domains, stu-dents need to know how the Web is builtand whats
behind the text and images onthe screen.
Always asking ourselves about contextand background helps us
with another key
information age skill, negotiation. Whocontrols this space Im
entering? What are itsnorms? What will happen to the informationI
share here? The importance of asking thesequestions and knowing how
to find their
answers is not generation specific.Finally, making good use of
technology
requires what I like to call tapping thewell. Ultimately,
creative processes are
all forms of narrative, and if students areunable to connect to
and trust their ownimaginations, there are no stories to
tell.Sherry Turkle, a clinical psychologist and thedirector of the
M.I.T. Initiative on Technol-ogy and Self, says schools also need
to allowstudents to experience stillness, because therest of their
lives is not making it easy forthem to find stillness (Turkle,
2009). Dialogin social media about the books we read cancreate rich
interaction, but we still have tobe able to sit still long enough
to read thebook in the first place.
Fred Mindlin is Associate Director for
Technology Integration with the CentralCalifornia Writing
Project (CCWP). Visitwww.thedigitalstoryteller.com.
REFERENCES
Bennett, S., Maton, K. & Kervin, L. 2008. The digitalnatives
debate: A critical review of the evidence.British Journal of
Educational Technology. Accessedin draft form at
http://www.cheeps.com/karlmaton/pdf/bjet.pdf
McKenzie, Jaime. 2007. Digital Nativism, DigitalDelusions, and
Digital Deprivation. From Now On,the educational technology
journal, Vol 17, No 2,November 2007. Accessed at
http://fno.org/nov07/nativism.html#GenerationM
http://www.educause.edu/blog/gbayne/EDUCAUSE-Now19ImplicationsofSoc/179382
November, Alan. 2009. Teaching Zack to think.Originally
published 1998. Accessed at ht
tp://novem-berlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/teaching-zack-to-think.pdf
Prenksy, Marc. (2001a). Digital Natives, Digital Immi-grants. On
the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
Prenksy, Mark. (2001b). Digital Natives, Digital Immi-grants,
Part II. Do they really think differently? On theHorizon, 9(6),
1-6.
Siemens, George. 2007. Digital natives and immi-grants: A
concept beyond its best before date.
http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=97
Turkle, Sherry. 2009. Saving Stillness. Video at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/learning/concentration/saving-stillness.html?play
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