The youngest digital immigrant that I can think of that I know is one of my old best friends, a girl who lived across the road from me, who is now 19 years old. Although she fits into the age group of a "digital native" as she has grown up with new technological advances surrounding her, she doesnt seem to possess the same level of internet/computer/digital knowledge as people her her. To me, her lack of involvement and capabilities categorise her as a "digital immgrant".
I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it is probably to do with the fact that her parents were in the 40's when they had her, and she was their first child. As older parents, they didn'y have the knowledge themselves of technology, and I can remember its only been in the past couple years when she started college that they got broadband internet and a new computer for her. The lack of tecnhnology surrounding her directly when she grew up obviously had an impact on her laer life, as now she seems to be slightly behind everyone else in terms of what she knows and how to do certain things, and is learning at a much later stage of life.
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I think this is very insightful. If your parents can make such a difference -what does that imply for Prensky's notion that it's how old you are that is the major variable -not your cultural resources.
ReplyDelete(I've never played a computer game since 'pong' was introduced. But I used my first video synthesiser in 1984.) Some days I feel decidedly like an immigrant, others like a native -aren't all of us a bit like that?