Digital+Native+and+Digital+Immigrant+Theory

 Overview
**Prensky's Digital Native and Digital Immigrant Theory: Technological Generational Divides and Its Impact on the Educational System** The theory that we are living in a society with two distinct groups divided by their introduction and interaction with technology was pioneered by [|Marc Prensky] in a piece he wrote in 2001 titled //[|Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants]//. I would like to offer a brief summation of his argument. Though I’ll admit is has it’s flaws (for example it’s pretty hard to divide all the world into two distinct groups), it is an interesting point to open to discussion. In his piece Prensky argues that there is a large generational divide between those of us who have grown up with the internet, e-mail, video games, tv, etc, and he defines this group as “digital natives.” Prensky continues, arguing those of us who have grown up without these things and need to adapt to them as aspects of society and life today as “digital immigrants.”

Prensky relates this argument to the educational system (and this plays off John’s wiki post about // The Internet and our Brains // ) stating that we as digital natives learn in a very different way, and that the way a digital immigrant may believe we should be taught is incredibly ineffective way to teach a digital native. Though he does not go so far as to argue that our brains are physically changing, he recognizes that this may be the case, and at minimum that native brains are ‘wired’ differently. He does however believe that we as digital natives are programmed to interact differently and want more immediate gratification, are better at multi-tasking, and learn better in fast moving, information filled environments. Prensky believes that the slow methodological progressions in which most technological immigrants were taught, and therefore believe to be the correct teaching method are rendered ineffective when applied to the mind of a digital native. Prensky suggests that both educational methodology and content must change to better address the instructional needs of digital natives.

I believe that the overarching message we can take from this piece, though it certainly is a disputable point, is that we as a culture are changing and that there may be a larger generational divide between our generation and our parents than there was between out parents and grandparents. Prensky would like to write this off as caused by the onslaught of digitalization and technology in our daily lives. He also argues that our educational system must now also change with these new technologies, effectively rendering old teaching methods obsolete. He would like to see technology play a larger role in education and feels that tradition teaching methodology is no longer effective. What do you think?

The second part of Prensky's paper can be found [|here], in which he discusses evidence supporting his claims.

Here are a couple links offering counter arguments to, and which dispute Prensky’s theory: []

[]

[]

**History**
(There is no text here yet.)

**Opinion**
(There is no text here yet.)

**Future Trends?**
(There is no text here yet.)