In this week's reading we were introduced to an article titled, "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants", by Marc Prensky. To sum it up. Prensky argue that the digital immigrants are those who were not born into the digital world but have adapted or been fascinated by the aspects of new technology (Prensky 2001, p. 1-2). Throughout the article he states time and time again that the digital immigrants are having a hard time adjusting to the new technology and fostering the capabilities of the digital natives. Although I agree with the point he's making, I think my beef is with the term immigrant.
In my experience, moving from you home country to live permanently in a foreign country, you have to do more than the native of that country to assimilate and fit in. You aren't given a choice to simply do the minimum to get by. Prenksy argue that it's lazy of the digital immigrants to say they can't fit in or build the knowledge gap between them and the natives. Yet, I feel like the natives were born into the country to they naturally have a upper hand. Whereas the immigrants are working twice as hard. The term lazy here is also problematic because there are factors that play into why the digital immigrant is finding it hard to adjust. Some questions that come my mind are: are they being supported through the transition? Finally support could be them being provided the tools necessary to obtain the knowledge the natives have. Are they getting training or professional development to assist with the new technology so they can then teach? Prenky failed to touch on such support which to me leaves the argument a bit baseless.
Sorrentino also argued that Prensky way of thinking can be considered elitist due to the fact that they are are some countries and areas within the united states that aren't afford to have the new technology available to others. How do we account for home without internet access? Socio-economic factors play a HUGE role in what is available for some that aren't for others. Before an argument can be made about digital immigrants not wanting to assimilate, let's ask ourselves, is the playing field leveled? Are they being afforded the same access as the natives? Who is providing the support?
Let me know your thoughts!!!
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1
Sorrentino, P. (2018). The mystery of the digital natives' existence: Questioning the validity of the Prenskian metaphor
Great post and reflective questions! I like that you used your experience as a non native English speaker to draw a parallel with the digital world. I too am not an English native speaker thus your position resonates with me.
ReplyDeleteI would draw another connection in regard to something that is currently debated in my home country. There are currently several debates in France about the age of retirement of people. The government has just officialized a new law that requires people to work a bit longer, which makes a lot of people unhappy. This controversial is accompanied by many debates, with some older people stating that youngsters do not want to work anymore, that they are lazy. You see how my French situation sounds familiar with our present discussion?
My point here is that this debate highlights the generational gap between young and older individuals, who have different views of what work should be. Interestingly, some psychologists mentioned that a lot of young people say they look for jobs that can allow them to live a happy and comfortable life. On the other hand, older people often report that they're looking for their job to be rewarding and valued by their boss or by the global community. Which is interesting here is that psychologits explained that, between both views, the one of the young generation is healthier and makes more sense because work should not be considered as a goal but as a mean to reach your goal.
With this example in mind, I am asking myself if, in fact, presuming that digital immigrants, as Prensky calls them, are considered lazy is a misunderstanding and that their relation to the digital world might have a totally different explanation (and even several various explanations). One solution might be: why not asking them directly what they think?
Such a great comparison! The topic of young folks being lazy compared to the older generation seems to happening everywhere. it's a topic here in the US as well. Specifically the fact that young folks are okay with leaving a job that is mentally draining or doesn't present a good work-life balance (i am definitely with the young folks here, lol). I'm a bit familiar with the situation in France because my stepdad brought it up to us. Now I feel like I should do some further research, i'm intrigued.
DeleteAWESOME push-back on Prensky. I don't like any of this discourse myself, and roll my eyes whenever I hear it (which is often).
ReplyDelete