Digital+Native,+Digital+Immigrant

= Digital Native, Digital Immigrant =

Small Group Summary:
Working both the legacy and future into lessons is important Depending on the class or technology - how much to put into legacy

"Singularity" - the arrival and rapid dissemination of digital technology. The great divide between the "Digital Natives and the Digital Immigrants" is of great concern. Shall the two sides meet in the middle or does one side need to move closer to the other? This article suggests clearly that the Digital Immigrants (teachers) need to "Just to it!" and meet the Digital Natives (students) where they are at with their learning needs. The learning needs of the Digital Natives are different than the way our Digital Immigrants are ready to learn.

Each Digital Immigrant has an "accent" that includes examples such as teachers who ask someone if they have received an email that they sent. These "accents" make information challenging to receive from the students perspective. The presentation of information is key and the Digital Immigrants need to come closer to the divide and meet the Digital Natives where they learn best.

Pull Quote:

 * //So what should happen? Should the Digital Native students learn the old ways, or should their Digital Immigrant educators learn the new? Unfortunately, no matter how much the Immigrants may wish it, it is highly unlikely the Digital Natives will go backwards. In the first place, it may be impossible - their brains may already be different. It also flies in the face of everything we know about cultural migration. Kids born into any new culture learn the new language easily, and forcefully resist using the old. Smart adult immigrants accept that they don’t know about their new world and take advantage of their kids to help them learn and integrate. Not-so-smart (or not-so-flexible) immigrants spend most of their time grousing about how good things were in the "old country."//**