Digital generation means that “someone has grown up in a world where they were surrounded by technology and are familiar with its integration into their lives”. We can define more precisely, Generation Z or post-millennial, who was born from 1997 onward.
I assume that students we meet every day in our classroom are in short, the Digital generation. I notice daily that many in the young generation experience digital technology as fun stuff instead of something difficult they should explore or study. It means that they adapt very quickly to the new digital environment. In that regard, how to learn using digital tools is becoming increasingly natural for the younger generation. So it is perhaps no longer a new idea to mention that the younger generation is called “Digital natives.”
However, I agree that using digital tools is not a sufficient way to be digital natives. As David White at Oxford university mentioned in a video clip on Youtube, the essential factor to being a digital native is not just age.
“In recent years, even Prensky himself has grown wary of the digital natives and immigrants idea as it has become ever more clear that age is not the predominant factor in the successful engagement with digital technology and the web.
Now I propose an alternative model to understand our relationship with the web.
It’s one that’s not based on age or technical skill, but on our motivation to engage: Visitors and Residents.”
-jiscnetskills, Visitors and Residents
We should consider that when we teach the younger generation with our designed course.
