In Marc Prensky's research, he talks about the idea that youth are growing up as digital natives. They were born with technology. Because of this youth have particular characteristics when using technology, like they work at twitch speed, process multiple things parallel to each other, are used to random access on websites, look at graphics first and are socially connected online. This is in contrast to digital immigrants who did not grow up with technology as it is now, but were exposed to it at some point, and use it. They work at a conventional speed, process things linearly, look step by step, and stand alone.
In Dana Boyd's "It's Complicated", she talks about digital natives being not accurate. Teens may know how to use the latest devises, but do not necessarily know how to make the most of their online experiences. They may not know how to critically examine what they consume. They may not know how to recognize bias, and what news is accurate. Youth have to be taught to engage with technology effectively and meaningfully. She talks about the fear of the generational divide, that the youth might get technology more that adults, which can scare older generations. The digital native also ignores the inequality that exists with technology. Lower income students do not have the technology access that middle/upper class students have.
In looking at both Prensky and Boyd's positions I find myself aligning more with Boyd's. Growing up in the 90's I don't really feel like I fit in either the native or immigrant boxes. The internet came out in the mid 90's and social media with Myspace in the early high school years all brought me in technology. Boyd talked about how teens don't know how to critically examine what they see online, and I can see that. When doing research students will go for the first thing that comes up. Also they see a video/or article and take its word for it. I also see the inequality. In the pandemic there were a number of students who lacked Wi-Fi/internet access at home. We didn't send home chromebooks until that time. I have noticed other districts in higher income areas have sent devices home before covid. Many kids didn't automatically know how to navigate google classroom/zoom/slides etc. Experiencing and being taught media literacy skills needs to be taught in schools so students can be lifelong learners.
Melissa, I strongly agree with your statement that media literacy needs to be taught. These students are not experts because they can play video games, surf the web, or know how to work a smartphone. They need guidance and support with research, analyzing what information is reliable, and not depending on the first search they find. The question I have is who is the best candidate to teach these media literacy skills? I feel that both the Media Library teacher and classroom teacher should share the responsibility. The Media Library teacher can instruct most of the lesson, while the classroom teacher can connect it to classroom lessons and projects.
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