Digital Natives: Myth or Fact?

This author brought up a lot of valid points about digital natives.  Educators also contended that the millennial generation’s engagement with technology tended to be shallow, consisting mostly of quick dips in the digital pool like checking email and Facebook. Selwyn called millennials’ use of technology “passive, solitary, sporadic and unspectacular”
I agree with this statement. When children use the internet, I also feel that they aren't really making a major contribution to society. I won't say the same for myself, but the fact is that not all digital natives use the internet strictly for learning or gathering information. I also feel that the term 'digital native' should be used for one who really knows what they're doing. How to use a computer, how to troubleshoot a device when problems arrive, and knowing what the parts of the computer actually do sounds to me like the description of a digital native.

I myself feel like a digital native. Around the home, I'm usually the one my parents call when there's a problem with something technology related. If there's a problem with the router, I can solve it. I've gained experience with technology through trial and error. My parents were always afraid of messing with something in case it would be irreversible and cause damage to hardware. I shared the same mentality as a child and as I aged, I began to take risks with technology, in the right way, and educate myself.


P: The purpose of this writing is to analyze the article, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,” by Mark Prensky. Nathan Bierma shows us the opinions of other writers about Mark Prensky's article.

T: Though Mark Prensky's article opened our eyes to kids these days and their interaction with technology, there seemed to be little research to back up their technology literacy.

I: Are all children of this generation considered 'digital natives?' What does it really mean to be a digital native?

C: A study had shown that after a week of being trained how to use the internet, a digital immigrant's brain activity can match the brain activity of a digital native. People that are new to the digital era can be trained and reach digital fluency.

Out of Your Experience Here

Coming to BYU-Idaho is the biggest decision I've made besides going on my mission. In, "Out of Your Experience Here", President Hinckley gives great advice to students in order to make their education at BYU make a positive, lasting impact   on our lives. The experience President Hinckley shared earlier about the student who was not accepted really put the blessing of attending this institution in perspective. On behalf of those who applied, but were turned away, I will be sure to not let my studies go to waste.

P: Gordon B. Hinckley's purpose in his devotional is to show us what a great opportunity and privilege it is to attend here at an LDS college.

T: Some students are unable to attend LDS colleges because of their grades not meeting requirements or because of the sheer amount of applicants. President Hinckley urges current students to give it their all in order to grow at BYU.

I: There are some students that need to take their studies more seriously. Tithing funds are being used to subsidize tuition costs. Students need to remember this as they study at BYU.

C: What we put into our studying here at BYU is what we will take out. This is the greatest opportunity of our educational career as students.

The Chase

The author did an excellent job of portraying an event from her childhood. I didn't want to stop reading once the driver of the black Buick got out of his car and began chasing the kids. It's amazing the amount of detail Annie Dillard put into the chase scene of the essay. She really made it sound like they ran across the entire town.

There are a few questions I would have like to have answered in the reading. Who was the child that hit the Buick on the windshield with the snowball? What did the man say to the children when he caught up to them? Why had the man exerted himself so much in order to have a word with children who were throwing snowballs? How on Earth did he find his way back to his car?

Aside from the questions, this was a great essay which portrayed the emotions of a child running from danger, which in this case was an angered driver of a black Buick.

P: The purpose of the author's writing is to illustrate a life experience from the view of a child, or more specifically, an event from the author's childhood.

T: The topic of the essay is about a girl at the age of seven who hung out with boys older than her. They did things that boys would typically do: play football, baseball, and throw snowballs.

I: They had been hitting the windshields of cars with snowballs until they hit the windshield of a black Buick. The driver had enough time on his hands to get out of his car and begin pursuing the children. No matter where Annie ran, the driver was close behind.

C: The daring escape the author made from this driver was the hardest thing she had ever done. She was exasperated from all the running she had done and feared the worst from the angry driver. To her surprise, all the driver wanted was to have a few words with her.

Understanding Our Digital Kids

As a 'digital kid' myself, I am very thankful for the internet. Although I don't remember receiving much counsel on how to use the internet, I do remember the warnings from my parents about the evils of pornography. Even with the use of an internet filter, there are some sites that are able to slip through and expose a child to something vile.

I do agree with the author on the subject of cyber bullying. It is ridiculous how much bullying there is forums, online games, and chat rooms. Parents need to make sure their children go to appropriate websites and keep their personal information safe.

P: The purpose of the author's writing is to give parents and teachers instructions on how to monitor children who use the internet.

T: The author states that the internet can be a scary place for those who do not know how to navigate it. The internet can be a good or a bad thing based on how it is used.

I: The author states that there must be the correct levels of encouragement and caution to children who use the internet. Parents must protect their children as well as give them enough room to figure things out on their own.

C: The impact the internet is having on 'digital kids' is good and bad. While copyright laws are being broken, children are also learning how to gather information effectively based on web searches.

Can you hear me now?

I have experienced the same feeling the author described; the situation of two friends talking and one receiving a phone call. I always think my friend believes the text message he just received on his phone is more deserving of his attention than I am. It often gets to the point of me getting frustrated because I have to repeat what I'm saying after he finishes responding to a text.

I am guilty myself of checking my emails during classes and letting my technology get the best of me. Technology today is amazing, but sometimes it's hard to remember that face-to-face communication is still the best form of networking.


P: The purpose of the author's writing is to show us how technology can be a blessing  and a curse. We are becoming more connected and more alienated at the same time.

T: Smart phones, laptops, tablets, etc. have become an integrated part of our daily lives. No matter where we go, we always have to be 'connected.'

I: The author states that we have become so obsessed with our machines, that we sometimes pay little attention to the people around us.

C: What kind of people will we become in the near future as we develop intimate relationships with our machines?

This I Believe

I believe in my father.

Out of all the members of my family, my father is the main one I look up to. He has always been the pillar of my home and the guardian of my family.

I did not know my father during his younger years due to my being the youngest member of the family. The earliest history of my father I experienced was when he made the decision, along with my mother, to move to Oregon for work.

My father's work history consisted of working at Sequent, then IBM, then Tektronix, and finally, Pacificorp. The interesting part of his story isn't his work history, but rather his battle with serious illness and his dedication to family.

Back in the Winter of 2004, my father asked his boss if he could take off early for work the day of. This was the first time he had ever done this without giving his boss prior notice. On his way home, my father had developed double vision and was barely able to park his car in the driveway. He took a nap, woke up, and asked my mother where he was.

After I came home from school, my mother told me what had happened and what the doctors had told her at the hospital. My father had developed hydrocephalus. Somewhere in his brain, there was blockage and fluid was building up to the point where it caused sharp pain and double vision.

The doctor, who was also my stake president, told my mother and father that there was a treatment for hydrocephalus, but there was a ten percent chance that my father's double vision would not go away.

After much prayer and fasting, the day of the surgery came and the results were miraculous. It took several months, but my father had made a full recovery.

Four years later, in the summer of 2008, my father had another surgery on one of his vital organs, his heart. The surgery was another miracle and Dad was able to make a full recovery. Thanks to these surgeries, my Mom had a hard time finding a company that would provide health insurance to my father. We always joke that his lungs or liver will be the next thing to go and will require another extensive surgery.

The thing that amazes me is how these surgeries had done nothing to limit my Dad's physical ability. Every opportunity he gets, he takes us on an outing. If he can't get the entire family, he would usually take me. These were the best bonding experiences I had with my Dad. We could talk about anything and there wouldn't be anyone or anything to detract from our conversation.

My Dad was divinely protected through his intensive surgeries and he knows this as well. He has never and will never stop caring for his family.

This I believe.

Governing Values

The author's example with the 120 foot I beam was a real eye opener. (Let’s imagine that you’re on one building, I’m on the other, the wind’s blowing about forty miles per hour, and I shout through the mist and the wind and say, “Listen, if you’ll walk—not crawl—across this I beam and get here in two minutes, I’ll give you one hundred dollars.” Would you come now?) I answered no. (Now, let’s change the scenario again. I’m not a nice guy anymore. You have a two-year-old
daughter, but I’ve kidnapped her and I’m holding her by the hair over the edge on my side, and I say, “Listen, if you don’t get across that I beam right now, I’ll drop your daughter.” Would you come now?) I answered yes. Even if it meant I would fall to my death, there's no way I would sit idly and watch my child die.

I was surprised by the example of the mother with the down-syndrome child and her answer to crossing the I beam for that child. It's hard to understand her values if we don't put ourselves in her situation.


P: The purpose of this writing is to make us readers take a deeper look at our own personal values. The author wants to make us re-evaluate our morals

T: Hyrum Smith tells readers that every one of us lives our lives according to our own morality. Each of us have set our own governing values that determine how we act.

I: The author held seminars to determine people's governing values and had several experiences where some values differed greatly from others. Does everyone value something enough to risk their own life for?

C: No matter who we are or where we live or what our culture might be, we have governing values that direct our lives. Sometimes people's values will differ, but there is always something that someone will be willing to uphold.

Learning to Love Learning

As a freshman here at BYU-I, I feel this excerpt given by Elder Bednar is directed specifically towards me. The church and its apostles urge us time and time again to study and get an education. We cannot know the Gospel of Jesus Christ without learning about it first and we cannot get along in this world without learning. This talk really nailed the importance of loving to learn on the head

P: The purpose of Elder Bednar's talk is to teach us that learning is needed to live in this world both temporally and spiritually. It is a commandment from our Heavenly Father and a requirement of the world.

T: Elder Bednar said there are important things for us to learn and sometimes we may not be able to understand or learn something fully in a short amount of time.

I: Elder Bednar poses the question: how will we learn what we need to learn?

C: Just as in Elder Bednar's quote about Nephi, who had never seen the ocean or a land vessel, we will be able to learn things that are difficult through the Holy Ghost.

Everybody is Ignorant

I really enjoyed how Butler viewed an educated person. "The vigor and effectiveness of one’s mental activity and learning today tell much more concerning whether that person is educated than does the record of matters learned last year." I had always shared the common view of an educated person, someone who has taken a lot of classes or someone who is taking more credit hours than average. While this may somewhat be true, Butler made clear to me that a truly educated person is someone who strives to learn, someone who actively seeks knowledge.



P: To convince everyone to become less ignorant by being actively engaged in getting an education. We should not discontinue our education even after college.

T: The author is writing about how people are afraid to study outside of their own profession or major because they fear of appearing ignorant in front of others.

I: Students need to study outside their major in order to broaden their understanding of everything.

C: The more educated we become, the more we realize our ignorance. Whenever we learn something about a subject, we are able to broaden our view and see how ignorant we are on that subject. There is so much we do not know.