The term digital native describes a person who has grown up in the information age. The term "digital native" was coined by Marc Prensky, an American writer, speaker and technologist who wrote several articles referencing this subject. [1] This term specifically applied to the generation that grew up in the "digital age," predominantly regarding individuals born after the year 1980, [1] [2] namely Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha. Individuals from these demographic cohorts can quickly and comfortably locate, consume and send digital information through electronic devices and platforms such as computers, mobile phones, and social media.
Digital natives are distinguished from digital immigrants, people who grew up in a world dominated by print and television, because they were born before the advent of the Internet. [3] The digital generation grew up with increased confidence in the technology that they were encircled and engulfed in. [1] This was thanks in part to their predecessors growing interest into a subject that was previously an unknown. Due to their upbringing, this digital generation of youth became fixated on their technologies as it became an ingrained, integral and essential way of life. [1] Prensky concluded that due to the volume of daily interactions with technology, the digital native generation had developed a completely different way of thinking. [2] Though the brains may not have changed physically, pathways and thinking patterns had evolved, and brains had changed to be physiologically different than those of the bygone era. [4] Repeated exposure had helped grow and stimulate certain regions of the brain, while other unused parts of the brain were reduced in size. [3] The terms digital native and digital immigrant are often used to describe the digital generation gap in terms of the ability of technological use among people born after 1980 and those born before. [5] The term digital native is a highly contested concept, being considered by many education researchers as a persistent myth not founded on empirical evidence, [6] [7] and many argue for a more nuanced approach in understanding the relationship between digital media, learning and youth.
Native–immigrant analogy terms, referring to age groups' relationships with and understanding of the Internet, were used as early as 1995 by John Perry Barlow in an interview, [8] and used again in 1996 as part of the Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace . [9]
The specific terms digital native and digital immigrant were popularized by education consultant Marc Prensky in his 2001 article entitled Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, in which he relates the contemporary decline in American education to educators' failure to understand the needs of modern students. [4] His article posited that "the arrival and rapid dissemination of digital technology in the last decade of the 20th century" had changed the way students think and process information, making it difficult for them to excel academically using the outdated teaching methods of the day. In other words, children raised in a digital, media-saturated world, require a media-rich learning environment to hold their attention, and Prensky dubbed these children "digital natives". He also goes on to say that Digital Natives have "spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers and videogames, digital music players, videocams, cell phones and all other toys and tools of the digital age". [10] [3]
Globally, 30 percent of the population born between 1988 and 1998 had used the Internet for over five years as of 2013. [11]
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Marc Prensky defines the term "digital native" and applies it to a new group of students enrolling in educational establishments referring to the young generation as "native speakers" of the digital language of computers, videos, video games, social media and other sites on the internet. Contextually, his ideas were introduced after a decade of worry over increased diagnosis of children with ADD and ADHD, [12] which itself[ clarification needed ] turned out to be largely overblown. [13] Prensky did not strictly define the digital native in his 2001 article, but it was later, arbitrarily, applied to children born after 1980, because computer bulletin board systems and Usenet were already in use at the time.
The idea became popular among educators and parents whose children fell within Prensky's definition of a digital native, and has since been embraced as an effective marketing tool. [14] It is important to note that Prensky's original paper was not a scientific one, and that no empirical data exists to support his claims. However, the concept has been widely addressed in the academic literature since, mainly in education research, [15] [16] but also in health research. [17] A review published in 2024 found nearly 1,900 academic articles to have used the term digital native since the mid-2000s, noting how the meaning of the term had evolved to cover everything from businesses and start-ups to new generations of "AI natives". [18]
Prensky has since abandoned his digital native metaphor in favor of "digital wisdom". [19] The Digital Visitor and Resident idea has been proposed as one alternative to understanding the various ways individuals engage with digital technology. It is also argued that digital native and digital immigrant are labels that oversimplify the classification scheme and that there are categories that can be considered "undetermined" based from the framework of the previous assignations. [20]
The critique of Prensky's conceptualization has resulted in further refinement of the terms. [5] For instance, digital natives have been further classified into three types: the avoiders, minimalists, and enthusiastic participants. The avoiders are those who do not depend on technological devices and use technology minimally while the minimalists make use of the trends, although not as often as the enthusiastic participants. [5]
People who were "born digital" first appeared in a series of presentations by Josh Spear beginning in May 2007. [21] [22] A Digital Native research project [23] is being run jointly by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School and the Research Center for Information Law at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. A collaborative research project [24] is being run by Hivos, Netherlands and the Bangalore-based Centre for Internet and Society. The Net Generation Encountering eLearning at University Project [25] funded by the UK research councils was completed in March 2010. More recently the Museum of Social Media, launched in 2012, has included an exhibition about "Digital Natives & Friends". [26]
The generational changes between digital natives, and their predecessors, the digital immigrant, have been astronomical. According to a study conducted by Tapscott, after interviewing and studying 11,000 young digital natives, he was able to determine eight different social norms between digital natives and the digital immigrants before them. [2] Digital natives were offered the freedom, creativity to customize and ability to scrutinize, unlike their predecessors.[ vague ] For this generation, digital natives prioritized corporate integrity and openness when it was time for them to choose a career. These digital natives also began to seek entertaining and innovating career choices. Corporate integrity and openness also applied to consumer products, with digital natives more likely to choose products recommended by their friends. With playful mentalities, this new generation also brought with them a "need for speed". [2] The eight social norms differentiated these digital natives, as well as the development of the need for approval from their peer groups. [2]
Because many digital immigrants are used to a life without digital technology or may be hesitant to adapt to it, [27] they can sometimes be at variance with digital natives in their view of it. [27] The everyday regimen of work-life is becoming more technologically dependent with advancements such as computers in offices, improved telecommunication, and more complex machinery in industry. [28] This can make it difficult for digital immigrants to keep pace, which has the potential to create conflict between older supervisors and managers and an increasingly younger workforce. [28] Similarly, parents of digital natives clash with their children at home over gaming, texting, YouTube, Facebook and other Internet technology issues. Much of the world's Millennials and Generation Z members are digital natives. [29] According to law professor and educator John Palfrey, there may be substantial differences between digital natives and non digital natives, in terms of how people see relationships and institutions and how they access information. [30] In spite of this, the timetable for training young and old on new technology is about the same. [31]
Prensky states that education is the single largest problem facing the digital world as digital immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language. Digital natives have had an increased exposure to technology, which has changed the way they interact and respond to digital devices. [32] In order to meet the unique learning needs of digital natives, teachers need to move away from traditional teaching methods that are disconnected with the way students now learn. [32] For the last 20 years,[ when? ] technology training for teachers has been at the forefront of policy. [33] However, immigrants suffer complications in teaching natives how to understand an environment which is "native" to them and foreign to immigrants. Teachers not only struggle with proficiency levels and their abilities to integrate technology into the classroom, but also, display resistance towards the integration of digital tools. [34] Since technology can be frustrating and complicated at times, some teachers worry about maintaining their level or professionalism within the classroom. [34] Teachers worry about appearing "unprofessional" in front of their students. [34] Although technology presents challenges in the classroom, it is still very important for teachers to understand how natural and useful these digital tools are for students. [34]
To meet the unique learning needs of digital natives, Forzani and Leu suggest that digital tools are able to respond immediately to the natural, exploratory, and interactive learning style of students today. Learning how to use these digital tools not only provides unique learning opportunities for digital natives, but they also provide necessary skills that will define their future success in the digital age. One preference to this problem is to invent computer games to teach digital natives the lessons they need to learn, no matter how serious. This ideology has already been introduced to a number of serious practicalities. For example, piloting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the army consists of someone sitting in front of a computer screen issuing commands to the UAV via a hand-held controller which resembles, in detail, the model of controllers that are used to play games on an Xbox 360 game console. (Jodie C Spreadbury, Army Recruiting and Training Division). [35]
Gamification as a teaching tool has sparked interest in education, and Gee suggests this is because games have special properties that books cannot offer for digital natives. [36] For instance, gamification provides an interactive environment for students to engage and practice 21st century skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and digital literacy. Gee presents four reasons why gamification provides a distinct way of learning to promote 21st century skills. First, games are based on problem solving and not on ones ability to memorize content knowledge. Second, gamification promotes creativity in digital natives where they are encouraged to think like a designer or modify to redesign games. Third, digital natives are beginning to co-author their games through the choices they make to solve problems and face challenges. Therefore, students' thinking is stimulated to promote metacognition since they have to think about their choices and how they will alter the course and outcome of the game. Lastly, through online gaming, digital natives are able to collaborate and learn in a more social environment. [36] Positive effects from gaming have been seen, one effect is expanding social relationships either preexisting or forming new social bonds. [37] Based on the literature, one can see the potential and unique benefits digital tools have. For example, online games help digital natives meet their unique learning needs. Furthermore, online gaming seems to provide an interactive and engaging environment that promotes the necessary skills digital natives will need to be successful in their future.
Digital natives vary in demographic based on their region's technological and media landscapes. Not everyone agrees with the language and underlying connotations of the digital native. The term, by definition, makes the assumption that all digital natives have the same base familiarity with technology. Similarly, the term digital immigrants implies that this entire age group struggles with technological advancements. For instance, those on the disadvantaged side of the digital divide lack access to technology. In its application, the concept of the digital native preferences those who grow up with technology as having a special status, ignoring the significant difference between familiarity and creative application. [7]
Digital Natives are determined based on their educational and cultural backgrounds as well as their access to technology. [38] As the adoption of digital technology hasn't been a unified phenomenon worldwide, digital natives are not all in the same age group. Self-perception also plays a role: individuals who do not feel confident in their use of technology will not be considered a native regardless of the formally mentioned factors. [38]
Referring to some generations using terminologies such as "Digital Natives" is made because these groups can create their own culture and characteristics. Here are some of the cultures and characteristics of "Digital Natives" (according to self-description):
Prensky states that as digital natives grew up in the age of technology, they embraced new ways to gather information and communicate. This can be through social media, or through different computer programs. [40] Digital natives have become comfortable with the use of technology, often possessing different levels of digital literacy. This does not mean all digital natives possess the same skill level or know how to use proper digital literacy. [41] Digital natives developed these skills through the use of computers, phones, social media, research, etc. outside of formal education. [40]
Technology being a part of and introduced to classrooms meets the needs of digital natives. Educational technology in schools does not mean removing human relationships, as teacher-student relationships are essential to learning. [42] Digital natives tend to be "masters" of multitasking; the ability to access and process large amounts of information at a time can allow digital natives to jump from one task to another or in parallel. There is a noted preference for visual and graphic learning rather than plain text. [42] Concentration and attentiveness differs among digital natives compared to their predecessors; use of technology in the classroom increases student interactivity, and visuals such as slide shows allow for educators to share information easily while increasing student attentiveness.[ citation needed ] Digital natives must be interested in what they are learning; interactivity is important to aid in engagement, application of learned material, and in learning to connect various pieces of knowledge to each other. [42] Applying skills, whether it be in a game, program, creating a blog, etc., provides digital natives with first-hand experiences of events, observations, and manipulation of natural processes.[ citation needed ] Digital natives like to be challenged in what they are learning as it is an opportunity to discover new information. Further learning is stimulated by the desire to know more and exploration of new information. [43] This type of engagement gives natives a chance to be creative, to explore, research, and increases their ability to explain, elaborate, and evaluate what they have done in a meaningful way. [40]
The popular adoption of the term "digital native" has caused concern to equality campaigners in various countries, including the United States [44] and the UK, [45] where the term has been used as a process for selection in recruitment. This has resulted in a number of successful legal claims.
In 2017, in the USA, evidence had been provided to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that a test case needed to come before the courts to consider the lawfulness of recruiting for "digital natives". [46] In January 2018, Maurice Anscombe, Lura Callahan, and the CWA filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that the Target Corporation published job ads on a social media platform in 2017 that were directed to younger workers within certain age ranges only, and not to older workers. On 17th May 2023, in a voluntary agreement announced in a press release issued by AARP, the corporation confirmed that they would not exclude applicants based on "adjectives that describe people in relation to their age (such as “millennial” or “digital native”)." [47]
On 18th January 2024, a 51-year-old in Germany brought a case in the ArbG Heilbronn 8th Chamber which ruled that the wording “digital native” in the job advertisement discriminated against them on the grounds of age and violated the prohibition set forth in Section 7 of the Equal Treatment Act (AGG), [48] Germany's law created as a result of the Equality Directive 2000.
In 2024, in the UK, a 54-year-old who had been rejected from roles within the Civil Service (United Kingdom) advertising both for "digital natives" and "social media natives" began litigation in the UK courts to force the British Government to stop using the terms. [49]
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Distance education is a technology-mediated modality and has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and the Internet. Today, it usually involves online education and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning program can either be completely a remote learning, or a combination of both online learning and traditional offline classroom instruction. Other modalities include distance learning with complementary virtual environment or teaching in virtual environment (e-learning).
Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes, or which have incidental or secondary educational value. All types of games may be used in an educational environment, however educational games are games that are designed to help people learn about certain subjects, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand a historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play. Game types include board, card, and video games.
Situated learning is a theory that explains an individual's acquisition of professional skills and includes research on apprenticeship into how legitimate peripheral participation leads to membership in a community of practice. Situated learning "takes as its focus the relationship between learning and the social situation in which it occurs".
Blended learning or hybrid learning, also known as technology-mediated instruction, web-enhanced instruction, or mixed-mode instruction, is an approach to education that combines online educational materials and opportunities for interaction online with physical place-based classroom methods.
M-learning, or mobile learning, is a form of distance education or technology enhanced active learning where learners use portable devices such as mobile phones to learn anywhere and anytime. The portability that mobile devices provide allows for learning anywhere, hence the term "mobile" in "mobile learning." M-learning devices include computers, MP3 players, mobile phones, and tablets. M-learning can be an important part of informal learning.
Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech", it often refers to the industry of companies that create educational technology. In EdTech Inc.: Selling, Automating and Globalizing Higher Education in the Digital Age, Tanner Mirrlees and Shahid Alvi (2019) argue "EdTech is no exception to industry ownership and market rules" and "define the EdTech industries as all the privately owned companies currently involved in the financing, production and distribution of commercial hardware, software, cultural goods, services and platforms for the educational market with the goal of turning a profit. Many of these companies are US-based and rapidly expanding into educational markets across North America, and increasingly growing all over the world."
Technology integration is defined as the use of technology to enhance and support the educational environment. Technology integration in the classroom can also support classroom instruction by creating opportunities for students to complete assignments on the computer rather than with normal pencil and paper. In a larger sense, technology integration can also refer to the use of an integration platform and application programming interface (API) in the management of a school, to integrate disparate SaaS applications, databases, and programs used by an educational institution so that their data can be shared in real-time across all systems on campus, thus supporting students' education by improving data quality and access for faculty and staff.
"Curriculum integration with the use of technology involves the infusion of technology as a tool to enhance the learning in a content area or multidisciplinary setting... Effective technology integration is achieved when students can select technology tools to help them obtain information on time, analyze and synthesize it, and present it professionally to an authentic audience. Technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions—as accessible as all other classroom tools. The focus in each lesson or unit is the curriculum outcome, not the technology."
Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a pedagogical approach wherein learning takes place via social interaction using a computer or through the Internet. This kind of learning is characterized by the sharing and construction of knowledge among participants using technology as their primary means of communication or as a common resource. CSCL can be implemented in online and classroom learning environments and can take place synchronously or asynchronously.
Digital literacy is an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information using typing or digital media platforms. It is a combination of both technical and cognitive abilities in using information and communication technologies to create, evaluate, and share information.
English-language learner is a term used in some English-speaking countries such as the United States and Canada to describe a person who is learning the English language and has a native language that is not English. Some educational advocates, especially in the United States, classify these students as non-native English speakers or emergent bilinguals. Various other terms are also used to refer to students who are not proficient in English, such as English as a second language (ESL), English as an additional language (EAL), limited English proficient (LEP), culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), non-native English speaker, bilingual students, heritage language, emergent bilingual, and language-minority students. The legal term that is used in federal legislation is 'limited English proficient'.
Information and media literacy (IML) enables people to show and make informed judgments as users of information and media, as well as to become skillful creators and producers of information and media messages. IML is a combination of information literacy and media literacy. The transformative nature of IML includes creative works and creating new knowledge; to publish and collaborate responsibly requires ethical, cultural and social understanding.
Open education is an educational movement founded on openness, with connections to other educational movements such as critical pedagogy, and with an educational stance which favours widening participation and inclusiveness in society. Open education broadens access to the learning and training traditionally offered through formal education systems and is typically offered through online and distance education. The qualifier "open" refers to the elimination of barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for participation in institution-based learning. One aspect of openness or "opening up" education is the development and adoption of open educational resources in support of open educational practices.
Marc Prensky is an American writer and speaker on education. He is best known as the creator of the terms "digital native" and "digital immigrant" which he described in a 2001 article in On the Horizon.
Social media language learning is a method of language acquisition that uses socially constructed Web 2.0 platforms such as wikis, blogs, and social networks to facilitate learning of the target language. Social media is used by language educators and individual learners that wish to communicate in the target language in a natural environment that allows multimodal communication, ease of sharing, and possibilities for feedback from peers and educators.
The gamification of learning is an educational approach that seeks to motivate students by using video game design and game elements in learning environments. The goal is to maximize enjoyment and engagement by capturing the interest of learners and inspiring them to continue learning. Gamification, broadly defined, is the process of defining the elements which comprise games, make those games fun, and motivate players to continue playing, then using those same elements in a non-game context to influence behavior. In other words, gamification is the introduction of game elements into a traditionally non-game situation.
Games and learning is a field of education research that studies what is learned by playing video games, and how the design principles, data and communities of video game play can be used to develop new learning environments. Video games create new social and cultural worlds – worlds that help people learn by integrating thinking, social interaction, and technology, all in service of doing things they care about. Computers and other technologies have already changed the way students learn. Integrating games into education has the potential to create new and more powerful ways to learn in schools, communities and workplaces. Games and learning researchers study how the social and collaborative aspects of video gameplay can create new kinds of learning communities. Researchers also study how the data generated by gameplay can be used to design the next generation of learning assessments.
The Digital Visitor and Resident (V&R) model provides a framework to depict how user preference and habit motivates engagement with technology and the web. V&R is commonly described as a continuum, with two modes of online engagement at either end, making a separation between different approaches to engagement. People operating in Visitor mode have a defined goal or task, and select an appropriate online tool to meet their needs as they arise. For example, using a smartphone to search the internet for directions to a local bookstore, thus finding a particular piece of information online and then going offline to complete the task. There will be little in terms of social visibility or trace when online in Visitor mode. People operating in Resident mode are online to connect to, or to be with, other people. For example, posting to the wall in Facebook, tweeting, blogging, or posting comments on blogs. The web supports the projection of their identity and facilitates relationships. In other words, Residents live a percentage of their lives online. Unlike the Visitor mode, there will be online visibility and presence when in Resident mode. It is very common for individuals to engage online in a mixture of Visitor and Resident modes depending on what they are trying to achieve.
Social media in education is the use of social media to enhance education. Social media are "a group of Internet-based applications...that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content". It is also known as the read/write web. As time went on and technology evolved, social media has been an integral part of people's lives, including students, scholars, and teachers. However, social media are controversial because, in addition to providing new means of connection, critics claim that they damage self-esteem, shortens attention spans, and increase mental health issues.
Online learning involves courses offered by primary institutions that are 100% virtual. Online learning, or virtual classes offered over the internet, is contrasted with traditional courses taken in a brick-and-mortar school building. It is a development in distance education that expanded in the 1990s with the spread of the commercial Internet and the World Wide Web. The learner experience is typically asynchronous but may also incorporate synchronous elements. The vast majority of institutions utilize a learning management system for the administration of online courses. As theories of distance education evolve, digital technologies to support learning and pedagogy continue to transform as well.
The relationship between education and technology has emerged as a pivotal aspect of contemporary development, propelled by rapid expansion. internet connectivity and mobile penetration. Our world is now interconnected, with approximately 40% of the global population using the internet, a figure that continues to rise at an astonishing pace. While internet connectivity varies across countries and regions, the prevalence of households with internet access global South has surpassed that in the global North. Additionally, over 70% of mobile telephone subscriptions worldwide are now found in the global South. It is projected that within the next twenty years, five billion people will transition from having no connectivity to enjoying full access.
Barlow: 'I would say that, generally speaking, at this stage, if you're over 25, you're an immigrant. If you're under 25 you're closer to being a native, in terms of understanding what it is and having a real basic sense of it.'
You are terrified of your own children, since they are natives in a world where you will always be immigrants
Palfrey: ... people who were born today... may well see relationships differently, they may see institutions differently, ...
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)