Digital Natives Vs Digital Immigrants

Digital Natives Vs Digital Immigrants

According to Prensky, a digital native is one that has grown up into a world of technology such as cell phones, internet, social networking and can happily use other technological advancements such as ipods and tablet notebooks such as the Playbook and ipad. He states

"They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age. Today‟s average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games (not to mention 20,000 hours watching TV). Computer games, email, the Internet, cell phones and instant messaging are integral parts of their lives."

In effect, the new generations, as well as our own, have become native speakers of the new found digital language of computers, the internet, videogames, text messaging and social networking.

On the other hand, a digital immigrant is something similar, but also in a way totally different. Whereas you and I (those born in the late 80's and 90's) have grown up with developing technology around us, we have been drawn towards it through advertising and peer pressure, our parents and older family members did not have this and a lot of this technology would have appeared alien to them. Those whom have adopted this wave of technology into their lives are known as DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS.

Digital Immigrants learn much in the same way as all immigrants. They learn to adapt to new environments, but always retain a part of their past, particularly their "accent". The “digital immigrant
accent” can be seen in such things as turning to the Internet for information second rather
than first, or in reading the manual for a program rather than assuming that the program
itself will teach us to use it. Today's older folk were "socialized" differently from their
children, and are now in the process of learning a new language. And a language learned later
in life, scientists tell us, goes into a different part of the brain.