I found both Boyd’s and Prensky’s
articles interesting since their viewpoints were so conflicting. I agree with
both authors that society should acknowledge the fact that different
generations have different experiences, and overall, the generations of
students k-12 have more experience living with technology then previous generations.
However, I found myself agreeing more with Boyd’s opinion of Prensky’s
terminology.
I understand why Boyd challenged
Prensky’s coined terms of “digital natives” and “digital immigrants.” From a
historical perspective, these terms have political roots and hold negative connotations, “throughout
history, powerful immigrants have betrayed native populations while destroying
their spiritual spaces and asserting power over them. . . The notion of the
digital native, whether constructed positively or negatively, has serious
unintended consequences (Boyd, 2014, p. 179). In my opinion, the word
“immigrant” today can also have a negative connotation that is politically
rooted.
Overall, I do think that there is a distinct
difference between the technologies our youth uses today versus previous
generations. I also believe that this needs to be recognized in the world of
education today. However, I think there could be better words used to label
this phenomenon. This could help acknowledge the differences between
generations without pinning them against each other and creating the “other”
factor. Words are important and should be selected carefully.
Good evening,
ReplyDeleteI agree the word immigrant has a negative connotation. Especially in todays age with all the negative attention around the newly arrived undocumented immigrants.
A better term could be used to the describe the generation born into technology. Also with the advancements in technology, what will they label the next generation?
In the text that the terms are used, I can definitely identify as a digital immigrant. Dena,only time will tell how we will identify/label the next generation. At the rate that digital language changes, i wonder how many new labels I will see in my lifetime!?
ReplyDeleteCarina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the negative connotations of the terms being used in the Pensky's article. I am wondering if you have any suggestions/thoughts on other terms that we could use to best describe both ends of the technology spectrum? I'm also curious if you agree with the meaning behind the terms being used and how they're being used to describe different levels of technology savviness.