Why you struggle with technology and your kids don’t
Last week I asked the rhetorical question, do kids need to be taught how to use a computer?. I say it is rhetorical because I already know the answer.
The answer is no. They don't need to be taught. Sure you may point them in the right direction here or there but odds are they would have figured it out on their own anyway.
That's because kids are digital natives. You are a digital immigrant.
I mention this frequently during my presentations and then go on to explain what it means. But it didn't occur to me until today that I have never actually posted the reference to the white paper I so often refer to.
So as a service to my readers, I present to you Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky.
It's only 6 pages long but it will put everything in perspective. I hope you enjoy it.
Note: You will need Adobe Reader installed to view the Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants document. If you do not have it installed, you can download it for free here.
2 comments for this blog post so far...
July 07, 2010 at 10:28 am
Barbara Puckett
This is a REALLY great explaination of why we do not understand our very own grandchildren who are now 19, 17, and 14 and why they function as they do. What are we in for with the 2- and 3-year old ones just now learning, almost a generation after the older ones?!
July 07, 2010 at 10:42 am
Patric Welch
Barbara, great question! The answer is nobody knows. I saw a statistic recently that said something like 7 out of 10 kids going to school now are preparing for jobs that don’t yet exist!
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