For my Curricular Planning class this past spring, I created a wiki for a resource unit plan on Immigration to the United States. When I hear the word immigrant, I usually think of a person or group of people moving from one area to another. After reading the article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" by Marc Prensky, I now understand the term immigrant in another way. Mr Prensky discusses the differences between the students of today, who have grown up surrounded by technology, and the rest "of us who were not born into the digital world". He refers to today's students, K through college, as Digital Natives; and those of us who have adopted technology into our lives are referred to as Digital Immigrants.
After reading his article, I am comfortable in being referred to as a Digital Immigrant. Being an immigrant is not bad. It means you were willing to take a risk by becoming a part of this other culture. I enjoy learning about new technologies, particularly as they pertain to education, and in turn sharing this new information with others.
Not only as a future educator do I believe it is important to learn and understand the technologies available, but I also feel it is important as a parent of Digital Natives. To ensure the safety of my children, I must stay aware of the technologies they are using, why they are using them, and how they are using them. It is my duty as an educator and parent to ensure that ethics, etiquette, and responsibility are present when my students and children use the technologies available to them, while productively engaging them in the content.
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