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.