Digital
Native or Digital Immigrant, Which Language Do You Speak?
Brad
Cunningham
There
is no question that the students have changed over the past decade.
Every generation uses different slang and has new fashions, but
the differences in today’s students go deeper. Today’s students
explore their world in an entirely new way as they interact with
new technologies. With these new technologies, they speak an entirely
different language, one they expect us to understand. In his article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Marc Prensky (2001)
presents two new terms that can be used to describe both ourselves
and the students we advise.
The
first concept Prensky describes is that of the Digital
Native. The current generation of college students is
the first to grow up immersed in technology. They have always
had the Internet, laptops, cell phones with text messaging,AIM, Facebook™ or MySpace™, PlayStations™, digital cameras,DVDplayers, blogs, and any other
number of digital technologies that allow them to instantly capture
or communicate with their world. They use these tools as extensions
of their bodies and minds, fluidly incorporating them into their
daily routines (Prensky, 2005). They have learned the language
of technology as they communicate instantly with their peers.
These students, like all Natives, adapt quickly to changes in
their environment and look for new ways to incorporate the latest
technology into their fast-paced lives.
On
the other hand is the Digital Immigrant. The
Digital Immigrant is the latecomer in the technology revolution
and as with any immigrant, there is a certain “accent” that is
readily apparent to the native speakers. Examples of this “accent”
are things like calling and asking someone if a recipient received
the email that was just sent, typing out text messages with full
words rather than the standard abbreviations (OMGur my bff!), or going to the
library before searching the Internet. Digital Immigrants still
try and work around or second guess technology, while the Digital
Natives know no other way. It is important to understand the differences
between ourselves as the Immigrants and our students as the Natives.
When we teach and advise our students using a language different
than our own, we should not wonder that they aren’t listening!
One
major difference between Natives and Immigrants is the way we
process information. Natives retrieve information and communicate
with their peers very quickly (Prensky, 2001). Text messaging
has become a primary form of communication because messages can
be sent and received quickly in situations where a phone call
cannot be taken. Whether the student is in lecture, at work, or
out with friends, a text message can be sent with little disruption.
A professor would certainly get upset with a student who took
a phone call in the middle of lecture, but probably doesn’t even
notice the student sending a text message. Through texting, Facebook, and use of the Internet as a search tool, students access
information right now, sift through what they need, and ignore
the rest. Why should students go to the library when they can
Google™ their topic and have a thousand different articles at
their fingertips? Why call friends when their Facebook pages will tell me where they are and what they are planning to
do tonight? Just a few seconds and I know everything I need to
about my social network.
Our
students have honed their skills in retrieving and analyzing information
rapidly, so why don’t we advise and teach in the same way? Should
we wonder why students are bored during lectures that supply information
one topic at a time and move at a snail’s pace? While Immigrants
grew up learning one topic at a time, everything in order, following
a linear and logical progression, but Natives do not think that
way. They are adept at jumping from idea to idea as they think
of things; they explore their world as burst thinkers. Natives
can study with the TV on and their iPod blasting in one ear; they
have been practicing these multitasking skills their entire lives.
Immigrants often believe that students can not learn in that sort
of environment. It’s another example of the “accent” that Immigrants
carry with them.
Another
major difference between Immigrants and Natives is a sense of
identity (DigitalNative.org, 2007). To Digital Immigrants, cell phones, emails, and the Internet are
just tools that can be used to reach someone or set up a “real”
face-to-face meeting. Natives look at the same technologies and
see an extension of who they are. Each method of communication
allows Natives to harness a different set of capabilities and
skills when communicating with others. Texting may be better for
communicating one idea, while Facebook might be better for the
next thing. Regardless of which medium is used, they are part
of who the Native is, not just a separate tool that can be used
to create a “real” meeting. Digital
communication is just as real to Natives as face-to-face meetings
are to Immigrants.
Our
students look to us to incorporate these new technologies into
our advising practice. Students increasingly want to contact us
via email, text messaging, and instant messaging rather than meet
with us in our offices. We may not think that the same level of
interaction and connection can be achieved in digital advising,
but that is our “accent” showing. We must remember that students
feel that a digital meeting is just as real as an office meeting,
and they take away the same meaning and feeling as from an office
meeting. If we only offer services in ways in which we are comfortable,
then students may never feel that we are meeting them at their
level. How can we practice developmental advising if we will not
expand our comfort zones?Are
we helping students when we force them to meet us in the same
manner? Or, are we holding them back?
How
do we bridge the gap between Natives and Immigrants? There are
strategies we can employ that will help us reach our Native students.
First, we should step out of our comfort zones and meet our students
where they are. We should realize that Natives are many steps
ahead of us when it comes to technology and they know it. We should
be willing to laugh at our “accents” and move on. Listen to what
students tell us about how technology can be beneficial to how
we conduct our lives, work with them, and value their knowledge.
Place
more importance onhowwe communicate overwhatwe communicate. Immigrants think in a straight line,
presenting information one topic at a time. Today’s students engage
in multiple thoughts, ideas, and programs at the same time. In
addition to following a Power Point lecture, they search for a
topic online while actively discussing the topic with their peers,
all with music playing in the background. Students need to actively
multi-task to hold their interest in the material that we present.
As one student said “there‘s so much difference between how teachers
think and how students think” (Prensky, 2007).
Along
with that idea is the fact that this generation is far more comfortable
sharing and teaching each other than any previous generation (Prensky,
2007). These students often post intimate details and pictures
online for anyone to peruse. A quick look through Facebook will
find any number of drunken party pictures, images of sadness and
loneliness, and thoughts that we would be mortified to release
to even our closest friends. Most Immigrants cannot handle that
level of openness and lack of privacy. We need to be aware that
students are certainly willing to talk and share what they know
with us. They know we are often unwilling to share, but they do
ask that we listen. They want to teach and learn from each other,
but often aren’t given the chance to do so because Immigrants
view themselves as the “expert.” We can no longer decideforour students, but instead we must decidewiththem (Prensky, 2005). Students today have a whole new
set of needs, and require an entirely new approach in terms of
advising. We need to work with them so we can learn their language
and help them make sound decisions.
Many
Immigrants consider education as the process that forces as much
information into students’ heads as possible so they can regurgitate
a laundry list of facts at a moment’s notice. Natives donotconsider this an education. To Natives, education involves
anything that prepares them for their future (Prensky, July 2007).
Natives do not see the need to memorize information as much as
the need to know where information can be found and how to retrieve
it. This definition is supported by the many instant gratification
avenues such as YouTube™, IM, chat rooms, social networking sites,
and WiFi hand-held PDA’s with instant Internet access. Why should
students memorize when they can browse? Why learn math tables
when everyone has access to a calculator? Immigrants should be
willing to teach Natives how to find important information and
put less emphasis on forcing the students to learn exact information.
Finally
Natives know that we are not as comfortable or familiar with technology
as they are. They may spend time researching the next big Facebook
program, the next iPod revolution, and the next big step in cell
phones, but they don’t expect this of us. They do expect us to
at least know what they are referring to and be willing to incorporate
some of the new technologies in our advising. They want to share
the volumes of information that they have about technology and
programming with us, if we will just listen to them. They know
they may have to speak slowly, but they are learning our “accent”
as we are learning theirs.
Brad
Cunningham
Academic
Advisor
KansasStateUniversity
CollegeofBusiness
Administration
References
Digital
Natives (November, 2006) In Digital Natives Wiki. Retrievedfrom
http://www.digitalnative.org/Main_Page