Issues in Educational Technology - Digital Natives

The term “digital native” I think is extremely relevant in today’s society. Basically, a “digital native” is someone who has grown up with the digital technology that is taking over our world. Immigrants are people who have not grown up with this technology, but who are introduced to this technology as time progresses. I believe my generation is digital natives, although it is like the beginning stage of evolution – future generations will all contain more knowledge than the previous generation, and thus they will be more sophisticated digital natives. I believe our parent’s generation and generations past them are all immigrants. Some immigrants, though, are more intelligent than some digital natives (like myself), which leads me to believe that digital natives aren’t always the most tech-savvy when it comes to new digital technology. Also, this term must refer to those in 1^st and (some) 2^nd world countries only. Many simple types of digital technology have entered the 3^rd world, such as cell phones and computers, although extreme new technology has not (i.e. medical technology). So obviously, not everyone who is a digital native is able to navigate and operate every form of technology that our generation is influenced by. Also, the ability to learn new digital technologies is also influenced by how interested someone is in learning it. This applies to both immigrants and digital natives. Obviously, an immigrant who is really interested in learning how to use an iPhone will do better at learning its uses compared to a digital native who could care less. I would fall into the digital native who could probably care less about some of these technologies. But I’m learning.