CURR 501 Blog 1.2: Digital Immigrants vs Digital Natives

 After watching The Pensky Slide Deck and reading Chapter 7 of It's Complicated, I felt a personal connection with both assignments. As someone who would be considered as a "Digital Native" I definitely agree with the points Pensky made to a certain degree when discussing Digital Natives and how they contrast to Digital Immigrants. I type with one hand,  I don't know why it's just the way that I kind of picked up on typing butttttt I type pretty fast regardless so I'm 50/50 with the "twitch speed concept". For a 25 year old typing with one hand is definitely a strange concept and whenever people hear that they automatically compare me with their grandparents so at times I often feel like an immigrant in those situations no matter how fast I type. I also associate with "parallel processing" as I'm able to pickup on things as I go while I'm on screen. I'm visual girl so random accessing is me all the way!! And I'm also able lot o connect the real world with technology to a certain degree, I still feel as though face to face conversations are better than virtual conversations and even phone calls but I'm still able to build a connection regardless of how I'm speaking to a person. 

 When reading It's Complicated I definitely agreed with the points Boyd was making. I am nowhere near a digital expert even though I grew up in a time where technology was everywhere! I grew up in a low income household so the only time that I was around a computer was during the school day when I got to go to the library for an hour as an elective. As a kid I didn't have a Myspace or Aim account because I didn't have access to a computer outside of school and the library computers would make sure to block those websites! I'll never forget how embarrassed I was when I was in the 4th grade and a kid asked me what was my Myspace and I thought he literally meant my space as in distance from me to my locker!!

Junior year of high school to my undergrad years in college was definitely  where I truly started to get a hang on technology and actually owned a smartphone and computer of my own to practice typing, texting, and making my own social media accounts, which at the time was the early stages of Facebook and Instagram. So as my peers were becoming real Digital Natives at 9 and 10 years old, I was starting to really get the hang of things at 16! How embarrassing! Now as an adult in this field it amazes me whenever I see children as young as 3 years old having their own Ipad to use and  really  knowing how to use it! 

I believe it's important to not assume that all millennials are Digital Natives and all older adults are Digital Immigrants since adults are the ones who create and update these digital platforms year after year, young people are just able to get a faster grasp on it! As someone who works in the afterschool field, I try to not always assume that every youth that I encounter has a TikTok, smartphone, and/or an email account because not every youth does. Not every youth is "tech savy" and not every older adult needs a "Digital 101" course in order to Facetime their loved ones! It's important as educators that we learn and understand our students individually since they are not all the same physically, mentally, or digitally!





Comments

  1. Jeanette's Blog 2021June 29, 2021 at 5:28 AM

    Hi Tammy. Like you I grew up without many forms of technology that were available at the time. My family never owned a computer. I utilized what was available at school. In college I used the computer lab to write my papers. Even with todays youth they do not all have the same access. Assuming that age means that students understand technology sets a false narrative, as does the belief that just because students have Smartphones, computers and Ipads means they understand it as well.

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  2. Claire HowardJune 29, 2021 at 5:38 AM

    Hi Tamera! I enjoyed your reflection on these works! I really relate to the idea that you have some aspects of a digital native and some aspects of a digital immigrant -- I feel like they should really make an in between category, but I have not idea what to call it haha. Also, I appreciate that in your work with PASA you bring in this understanding that not all kids have a deep understanding of technology, and that you can guide them through this learning. Great reflection :)

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  3. LesleyJune 30, 2021 at 8:09 AM

    These personal connections are great. Thanks, Tamera.

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  4. AnonymousJune 30, 2021 at 10:37 AM

    You made some really great points Tammy G! I remember being the last of my friend group to get a cell phone. Most people had a Sidekick phone at the time and I really wanted one but my mom couldn't afford it, so she got me a Comeback phone! It looked similar but was much different. I remember being so happy that I finally had a phone but slightly embarrassed that it was a knock off. All of the cool kids had a MySpace and my mom was not having it! LOL I do remember spending lots of time on AIM. Thank you for this post it definitely gave me some nostalgia!

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