Digital Natives: Navigating Literate Worlds

Chapter 7: “ In addition, it is important to stress that digital literacy is related to situational embedding, that is, the use of technology within life situations” (Thomas, p.106).

You have to really look at how young people use digital technologies across contexts. We really need to see how students are reading and writing with the development of digital technologies. In school, to be digital literate people need to be able to download information correctly, know how to create the best search for new information, navigate through the Internet, and etc. There are a lot of different aspects that come with being digital literate for younger people today. How people use digital technologies tells us how digital literate they are.  This can be done outside of school as well.  People use digital media in their everyday lives. People go online all of the time to communicate with others, get on YouTube, check their emails, go on news websites, etc.

Chapter 8: “Despite, and in a way because of these findings, most commentators and researchers would support the notion that the rise of the Internet has brought about major changes in many aspects of culture and society” (Thomas, p.122).

I completely agree with this quote from the text. You can do almost everything on the Internet now days.  You can email and communicate with people all around the world via social media. You can create your own videos and websites. You have the option of paying bills online and not have to go into the business and use a check or debit card. You can shop online and not have to worry about leaving your home. You can read books and news articles online and even catch up with the online newspaper. There are so many things that people can do online now that it is crazy. The Internet has changed the way we communicate with others and go about our daily lives.

Chapter 9: “Older citizens tend to feel more obliged to participate in elections and government-centered activities whereas young citizens tend to favor more personally expressive or self-actualizing politics” (Thomas, p.139).

I completely agree with this quote from Chapter 9. I think that if you were to look at and compare the older generation to the younger generation, you would see a gap in online participation in civic and political activities. The older generation wants to vote and take part in everything that is about the government while the younger generation wants to look at creating blogs and taking part that way instead. The older generation is getting more involved with party politics compared to the younger generation who wants to look at more specific issues or topics such as global warming.  The younger generation wants to use more of the Web 2.0 tools such as wikis and blogs to share their expressions. I can see that gap when looking at my students and how the older teachers talk.

I think that it is our job as educators to develop digital literacies. I think that we need to keep up with digital technologies and try and implement them into our classrooms for our students to become successful for the future.  This goes along with the quote that I chose from Chapter 7. Students are gaining knowledge with reading and writing when using digital technologies and they are also gaining more skills while doing it. They are finding articles and blogs to read on their own and by responding to them they are working on their writing skills as well. By creating their own websites they are strengthening their research skills and writing skills to have a strong page for their audience. When I become the librarian next year, I want to teach my students the correct way to use Internet to become successful in school. I want to show them to correct way to search for information and tips that they can remember to help them in the future.

I chose this Meme, because it shows a teacher displaying information on the board for students to see. I think that teachers need to help students gain information seeking skills to help them become successful as students and people in the 21st century. A lot of people just go to ask.com for answers and that does not help them gain information seeking skills rather just gives them the answers. People need to know how to navigate through the internet and find reliable resources and tools that they can use in the future. 

The Civic, Social, and Multi Modal Lives of Digital Natives

Chapter 4:  “This model is generally consonant with a range of beliefs about young people, either as inherently tech-savvy, as content creators, or as interested more in fun and entertainment than in policies and politics” (Thomas, p.61).

I think that this quote is putting the “digital natives” into a category. Either they are tech-savvy people that are more into fun and entertainment or they like policies and politics. It doesn’t seem like they can be both. I think the younger generation doesn’t really want to be into politics and I know that that doesn’t stand for all of them. This chapter talks about the younger generation not being involved with online politics and civic organizations as much as they should. They only go to the pages that they are familiar with and know a lot about. People want to be heard, but that’s what they use Facebook and Twitter for. 

Chapter 5: “The term embodies a powerful conception of young people as being the hope for the future, and has become a buzzword among government bodies, industry, academia, and the population in general” (Thomas, p.69).

This quote really stood out to me, because it was based on a utopian world with our youth. In this chapter it is looking at Japan and how they look up to the younger generation to help their country and make it more tech-savvy. They wanted their businesses, government, schools, and people to use it. This quote could show how powerful the Internet is and how much it has to offer everyone in a perfect world. This shows how the Internet and all of the web sources could change the world in a perfect world. 

Chapter 6: “As Bylin says, no two digital natives are the created equal and each of them have varying degrees of access to digital technologies, literacy skills, and participation within their peer culture” (2009, p.1).

I strongly agree with what Bylin says about “Digital Natives”. Every person is different no matter if you were born in the same year or not. People live different lives and have different opportunities for themselves. Not every person has access to digital technology and can become a “Digital Native” with it. I have some students that don’t own a computer or don't have Internet access at home. Every person is born around different things in life. For example, in the first few chapters of this book it compared what the “Digital Natives” were exposed to versus what the “Digital Immigrants” were exposed to. Everyone uses technology is different ways. Some become digital geniuses while others use it for personal use only.

I chose to create this Meme, because I think that this represents the true meaning of what a “Digital Native” really is. They are the ones who utilize the new media and technologies that are offered to them. They take advantage of the resources that they have been given and become successful. The find and create new ways to communicate with others around the world and participate in different things as well. 

Digital Natives: Reflecting on the Myth

Forward: "Growing up with a technology may well imply a different orientation towards it than coming to it later in life -- but it is certainly debatable how lasting that kind of difference it is" (Buckingham, p.x).
I strongly agree with the first part of this quote from the Forward chapter. When people are growing up around something they are more comfortable when using it and become more familiar compared to someone just learning about it. For example look at sports, children that take up a sport at a younger age usually become better at it than people who join in high school. Technology could be looked at in the same way. People that are growing up around using the web and a cellphone will have shortcuts and different ways of operating those tools compared to those who just become familiar with using the web or get a cell phone. I think that your environment and what you grow up with has a big impact on what you can do. I don't think the difference can be surpassed when looking at different generations and technology. I think that people can start becoming better at using it but usually not as good compared to people who have been around it all of their lives.

Chapter 1: "This discourse takes a number of forms in different contexts but is popularly based on three main assumptions in which young people --those typically born after 1980--are said to:
1. constitute a largely homogeneous generation and speak a different language vis-a-vis digital technologies, as opposed to their parents, the "Digital Immigrants"; 2. learn differently from preceding generations of students; 3. demand a new way of teaching and learning involving technology" (Thomas, 2011, p.4).
I think that looking at people that are only born before 1980 means that they are "Digital Natives" is a little bizarre, because not everyone is the same. I do agree with the three things that people that are born after 1980 share. When comparing how my parents speak and how they utilize technology with how I speak and use technology there is definitely a gap between us. I like using the internet and always try new things to get more acquainted with what it has to offer, but my parents are always asking for help and won't try to figure anything out on their own in case if they make a mistake. I know that I learn differently compared to others born before me, but I think that it varies as well. No one has the same learning styles and I have seen that in my classroom. Every students learns in a different way, whether it be visually, or writing something down a number of times until you remember it. As a teacher, I try and implement technology more and more everyday. I want my students to feel comfortable in my classroom and share ideas on how to complete an assignment using technology. When I was in school, some of my teachers didn't want to use technology and had no desire to learn how to use it for us.

Chapter 2: "Technology alone will not replace intuition, good judgement, problem-solving abilities, and a clear moral compass. But in an unimaginably complex future, the digitally unenhanced person, however wise, will not be able to access the tools  of wisdom that will be available to even the least wise digitally enhanced human" (Prensky, p. 18).
I strongly agree with this quote, because I think that technology works hand-in-hand with other skills that we use throughout the day. I think that to become successful in the 21st century, a person must have good judgment, great abilities to problem solve, and know how to use technology and the resources and tools that it has to offer. By having all of these abilities and skills then you can be untouchable as an employee. Having great technology skills is coming in handy when it comes to finding a good job in this day and age, but you also need to be able to work without technology as well.

Chapter 3: " Each generation is exposed to a unique set of events that defines their place in history and shapes their outlook" (Tapscott, 2009, p. 16).
This quote goes back to the first quote that I picked. I think the person that we become (Digital Native or Digital Immigrant) depends on how we grew up. What events took place when we were growing up, what types of skills did we learn, and how did we utilize new technology that was coming into play. How we grow up and how our environment was shapes how we live and think for the rest of our lives. For example, a person that grew up in poverty and never had any luck with anything usually has a negative outlook on life for the rest of their life. Now there are people that change their outlook as they go through life depending on what they have been through and how they let it phase them. Growing up with technology has helped me become familiar and comfortable with using the resources and tools that it has to offer and try and learn new skills as well.

I think that technology has a positive impact on young people today. They are learning new ways to communicate (blogging, instant messaging, etc.), think, and learn. By using technology they are using skills that are helping them learn how to find answers to questions that they are searching. By using the web people have to think about how to find that answer. While using technology they are learning and thinking in a different way. They are reading and writing in a different way as well. I think that technology really does have a positive impact on todays learners as long as they use their skills in a positive way.

Technology then and now. We need to embrace the changes.

I chose this metaphor to show that technology is not the only thing that has changed throughout the years. Being "Digital Native" means that we use what we are given and adapt to everything new that comes to us. We embrace the changes with technology and learn new skills while doing it. We need to continue to utilize and take advantage of the resources and tools that it has to offer. I also think this could show "Digital Immigration" vs. "Digital Native" because both were born with different things around them.

Digital Media Effects on Conventional Reading and Writing Practices

“Yet, the quality of what someone puts down on paper, posts online or types into a Blackberry cannot necessarily be held to a single standard of good versus bad writing.  Instead, it depends on an old concept: audience.  According to Baron, there is a difference between a grammatically suspect, poorly spelled email to your writing professor and an email sent to a friend.  In one case the quality of writing absolutely matters. In the other, it may not (Karp, 2010).”

I chose this quote because I strongly agree with what the author is saying. People write differently when they are writing an essay compared to writing a letter to a friend or even sending an email. Depending on who the audience is depends on how the writing and wording is going to be. People are not sending texts in paragraph form and indenting for each paragraph. Punctuation isn’t being scrutinized on a text message compared to that of sending in an assignment to an English teacher. So maybe I only see the work of students who are not trying to impress me and just want to complete a simple explanation in math class. My students don’t see writing in math class a big deal compared to when they are writing in English class. That is something that we should consider when we look at students writing and see who they are writing to.  The Internet today is helping people build onto their reading and writing skills.

“But others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading, one that schools and society should not discount. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write (Rich, 2008).”

I have a love hate relationship with the Internet and that is why I chose this quote.  I love a good book and being able to hold it in my hands while I am reading.  As a new librarian, I want my students to utilize our books and enjoy reading them as much as I do. I know there are some students that I will never see in the library and that is something that I am just going to have to face.  The Internet is a great source for people to use for information and to find new articles and pages to read from. The Internet has a wide variety of tools for students to take advantage of. I think that the Internet has made a new type of reading and writing available for people to use.  A lot of my students talk about being on the Internet for hours at a time and that’s okay to a certain extent. I think that the web really does inspire people to become their own person and creatively make their own pages or blogs that they can share their stories on or even read others that they can relate to. Being on the web is stimulating their brain and it is better than sitting in front of a television or playing video games all day.

“But, digital tools do bear responsibility for “flooding the scriptorium,” a phenomenon Baron likens to the way we behave at an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Essentially, the huge opportunities and options for creating text (email, tweets, blogs) cause us to write (or type) more than we ordinarily would.  The result is that we are less careful with our words (Karp, 2010).”

“But others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading, one that schools and society should not discount. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write (Rich, 2008).”

I think that both of these quotes show that I stand for Web Evangelist. I think that Digital Media is helping our students in the way that they read and write. People today have so many resources that they can use to become successful in school and out of school. Students today need to know how to use the Internet in the correct way and see what it offers them. Digital Media today is just building on what everyone already knows and it offers us so much more.  Next year, I am going to be our schools new Digital Media Specialist and I am anxious to show my students what the web has to offer them and how they become successful students using those resources and our book collection.

I chose this image because when people are using the Internet, you are doing more than clicking on icons and scrolling through pages. When you are going through the web you are building new skills and sharing new things that can help others as well. You can create your own pages and express your own individuality.

Resources:

Karp, J. (2010, January 26). Does Digital Media Make Us Bad Writers? Retrieved June 6, 2015.

Rich, M. (2008, July 27). Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? Retrieved June 6, 2015.

Texting an Multi-modal Texts

The important things that I learned from the video are that there is a difference between speech and writing, texting is writing when you talk, and that there has always been an issue with writing and grammar through the years (not just now). But the most important thing I learned is that texting is not really hurting literacy today. In fact, texting is evidence that people can balance different things and that it is a linguistic miracle.





I would use blabberize in my classroom when students are needing to give examples of vocabulary words or different steps to take in a math problem. Students can make blabberize their own by creating different pictures to put on and using their own ideas on what to say. I think this is a creative way to introduce something new in the classroom. My math students could use this to make up their own scenario for the class to solve. This app allows students to become creative and to show their likes and what they have to say without recording themselves (which high school students don't like). Students could use this when they are running for office or trying to broadcast something for their school. They could use this outside of school as well. I love this because they can make it their own and have fun with it.