When I was a kid, my father made the observation that my generation was “instant everything.” How little he would know about what the Millennial’s would be like. I am heartened by this series of articles. Though I’m “an old fogey” in the digital world (37) I am more similar to a Digital Native than a Digital Immigrant. I remember hearing of a third name called a Digital Pioneer, the group of people who grew up with the technology as it was being invented. Let me explain. I have been a user of video games since my father bought my brother and myself an Odyssey2 video gaming system. It had rudimentary programming capabilities, and we used them exclusively. I programmed on a Commodore 64 and an Apple 2e computer, used BBSes in the late 80s and Fidonet to communicate across country. When the WWW came about, I was an early adopter. Now, I multi-task constantly, with exposé going on my Mac, I’m able to switch between windows and programs with ease, listen to music in iTunes and search on Wikipedia. I believe that my mind is trained in much the same way that these kids who grew up with the technology as it’s “fully formed.” I can lose myself on Wikipedia if I allow myself to, and I have an inability to “turn off.” If I don’t have some kind of stimulation, be it electronic or verbal, I feel uncomfortable.
When I was a student, I didn’t find myself frustrated by “rage” as is described in the third article, but tech was on it’s way in, and I was frustrated by a lack of possibility. I knew that it could be done better, eventually. Our high school tech consisted of 16 mm film projectors, overhead projectors, and later, VHS tape machines and TVs on rolling carts. Over my college career, the styles of teaching were slower in keeping up with the advance of the technology. The modern Internet was created during my college career (1990-1997). We started using display technologies like digital projectors in college, but the Internet was not yet incorporated into classes. Now that I’m in school again after more than a decade, I find that my dreams from high school and frustration with information retrieval have finally been largely solved, as my information retrieval and way of working are vindicated. I wouldn’t say that technology impacted my education much because it was a little used tool.
I would like to call attention to several sentences in the first article. “Digital Immigrants don’t believe their students can learn successfully while watching TV or listening to music, because they (the Immigrants) can’t.” (Prensky) I believe that I, as a Digital Pioneer, am in the position to act as a bridge between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. I understand them both. Let me provide an example. As I am writing this, I am watching television, checking my e-mail every few minutes, and IM’ing my father. I believe that I actually CAN understand where these kids are coming from, and if my brain were examined under an FMRI, I would have a similar structure, despite being a pioneer.
Prensky Continues “…Of course not – they didn’t practice this skill constantly for all of their formative years. Digital Immigrants think learning can’t (or shouldn’t) be fun. Why should they – they didn’t spend their formative years learning with Sesame Street.” (Prensky, 2001) I did spend my formative years watching Sesame Street, and I think I remember being bored in school. Now, was that because I wasn’t stimulated? I can’t say.
I’ve read some criticism of Sesame Street, including this: “My second objection is that "Sesame Street" insidiously teaches short attention. The quick-changing format (ever so clever technically), moving from one idea to another every few minutes, actually boomerangs. The program's long-range goals are to stimulate a child's creativity, sociability, and desire to read. But the fast, quick-change pace, with its over-stimulation, actually cancels any hope for fostering in a child these long-range goals.” (Boerman, 1986) This is interesting. It’s just the criticism that Prensky has when he asks what we’ve lost. Do natives have time for reflection, time to process? It would appear that this isn’t a new concern with new media.
Prensky, M. (2001). On the Horizon. MCB University Press.
Boerman, V. (1986, October 20). Catapult Magazine Potholes on Sesame Street. Retrieved July 13, 2009, from Catapult Magazine: http://www.catapultmagazine.com/saturday-morning/article/potholes-on-sesame
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