Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

 According to Marc Prensky in “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” (2001) a completely new generation has born, whose members clearly differentiate from older generations not only in slang and cloth, but also in the way  these persons think and process information. “A really big discontinuity has taken place”, affirms the author. The main reason for this radical change lies in the kind of experiences these so called “Digital Natives” go through. They represent the first generations to grow up surrounded by and using technology.  And as Prensky (2001) says: “they are all “native speakers” of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet”.  “Digital Immigrants”, on the other hand, are those who weren’t born in the digital world, but have learnt how to adapt to this changeable technological environment. An important distinction between “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants” is that the latter one “always retain, to some degree, their "accent," that is, their foot in the past”, Marc Prensky (2001).

An important issue to highlight is how this generational gap is perceived inside today’s schools. The majority of “Digital Immigrants” educators tend to “teach – slowly, step-by-step, one thing at a time, individually, and above all, seriously”, Prensky (2001). The way these people deals with information is completely different from how the students of the digital era do. “Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite. They prefer random access (like hypertext). They function best when networked. They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards. They prefer games to “serious” work”, Prensky (2001).

This point calls my attention the most as it suggests that teachers of the “old country” methodologies and contents should be reconsidered. An excellent way to shrink distances is by adapting materials to the language of Digital Natives. Making the learning into a video game, for example, will be not only more appealing and interesting, but it will also make the learning more enjoyable and pleasurable. 

If you would like to read the entire Marc Prensky's article, you can click here  

Net generation at work

Digital Natives' interaction