Week 4

The Immigrant/Native Divide

 In 2001, he identified what appeared to be a clear pattern: young people were naturally adapting to new technology while older generations struggled. He framed it in terms we still hear today - "digital natives" vs "digital immigrants."

The data tells a different story. Recent research, particularly from Kirschner and De Bruyckere, plus a comprehensive ECDL study, effectively dismantles this framework. Being born after 1984 doesn't automatically make someone tech-savvy - the relationship between age and digital competence is far more nuanced.

What's concerning is how this misconception impacts organizations. We're seeing older workers dismissed as technologically incompetent while younger staff get pigeonholed as technical support rather than leadership material. The research shows that executives who understand technology the least tend to lean hardest into this "digital native" narrative.

The business impact is significant. Instead of fostering cross-generational collaboration and knowledge sharing, this flawed concept creates artificial barriers. The evidence points to digital competency being tied to education, exposure, and interest - not age. This has clear implications for how we should approach digital literacy training and technology integration.

Consider Prensky's original quote: "Parents and teachers around the world were surprised and often dismayed to see that their children and students could often learn and master these new technologies much more easily." While this observation seems compelling, the research reveals it as fundamentally superficial. Moving past these outdated assumptions is essential for building truly effective digital workplaces.

Source: Visionary Marketing

https://visionarymarketing.com/en/2023/01/30/digital-natives-do-not-exist/

True Digital Literacy

When Kirschner and De Bruyckere challenge the digital native myth, they make a crucial distinction between comfort with technology and true digital literacy. Their research shows that while students born after 1984 may be frequent users of digital technology, this doesn't automatically translate into competence. (Kirschner, 2017)

The authors cite several studies demonstrating that many so-called digital natives possess quite limited technological skills. They note that most young people's digital expertise is often restricted to "basic office suite skills, emailing, text messaging, Facebook, and surfing the Internet." These students might be prolific consumers of digital content, but they often struggle with more complex digital tasks that require critical thinking or sophisticated understanding.  

Their citation of the EU Kids Online report placed "digital native" at the top of their list of the biggest myths about young people and technology. The research shows that while social networking and content consumption come naturally to these students, they often lack crucial skills in areas like information retrieval, evaluation of online sources, and strategic use of technology for learning.

This disconnect highlights a broader issue in education: we've mistaken students' casual familiarity with technology for genuine digital literacy. Just as growing up surrounded by books doesn't automatically make someone a scholar, growing up with smartphones and tablets doesn't inherently create technological expertise. This realization has significant implications for how we approach digital skills education in schools.

References

Kirschner, P. A., & De Bruyckere, P. (2017). The myths of the digital native and the multitasker. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 135-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001

Prensky, M. (2012). Digital natives, digital immigrants (Parts I and II). In From digital natives to digital wisdom: Hopeful essays for 21st century learning (pp. 67-85). Corwin Press.