Are digital natives all tech-savvy? This is an interesting question, considering how many diverse technologies have been available and more than two decades have passed since Prensky first coined the term "digital native." Prensky(2001) referred to one's familiarity with technology as "accent" and "language." It is explained that the new generations think differently, raising the need to teach them differently.
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| Illustration by Vanda Kovacs |
As a former elementary school teacher, I did face some noticeable differences regarding this matter with the students I taught. I remember back in 2020, when I asked my 6th-grade students to search specific terms using the smart pads provided, most of them immediately started searching on YouTube. This was a surprise for me. I assumed that they would go to Google or Naver, a popular search engine in Korea. I remember asking them why they would use YouTube to search for things, and they said that because somebody explains it to them with video and audio, it is easier to understand. After that, I started to realize that some gaps do exist. Young generations these days are relatively more familiar with short video forms, creating and sharing them. They selectively use social media to share their life and to connect with others.
However, it can cause some problems when making such generalizations that all digital natives will be tech-savvy. Below are two news articles I found interesting - stating that students may not be as tech-savvy as teachers or professors presume.
Universities must stop presuming that all students are tech-savvy_TimesHigherEducation
Students Say They Are Not as Tech Savvy as Educators Assume_EdSurge
So what are the implications for teachers, then? Teachers should take into consideration that there can be a possible digital divide in the classroom and provide appropriate support. Assuming that students will have or lack existing knowledge or skills just because they fall into specific generations can be dangerous. This can be connected with the topic of digital literacy. What is digital literacy, and how can it be defined? What consists of digital literacy and are there different standards applied for different generations? What should be taught to enhance students' digital literacy and ease of use? I plan to dig deeper into it and look forward to discussing it with my peers!
References
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
Hi Jen. This is so true! I feel like because there's too much information out there, students tend to loosely reach out to them without thinking critically. I think this is why we need appropriate digital literacy/technology education.
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