Today’s topic is not only very close to my heart, but also allows me to introduce one of the leading academic voices in eLearning. My unfettered enthusiasm (not to be confused with expertise!) for educational technologies often means that I am cast as interpreter between the technology itself and those who are baffled by it. While I can usually resolve the problems – eventually – my success with leading newbies to digital self-reliance has been chequered.
Marc Prensky coined the eloquent terms “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” to describe the contrast between a new generation that is intuitively “fluent” in technology, and those who have not gained such proficiency. Prensky explores digital natives in his articles and books, including "Don't Bother Me Mom, I'm Learning" and "Digital Game-Based Learning". Naturally, this proficiency is not simply generational, but largely based on the cumulative experience one has had with technology from a young age. Those born with a joystick in one hand and a remote control in the other quite simply have an edge over those who find an abacus high-tech.
Digital fluency is not necessarily proportionate to intelligence or skill: it is a mere consequence of being immersed in technology, as Prensky’s metaphor illustrates. Immigrant parents seldom adapt to a new language to the extent that their children do, and our bold migration to a brave new world of technology is no different. While my parents and grandparents are intelligent and capable individuals, and have even mastered several functions of their computers, mobile phones, satellite television receivers and other gadgetry, any step out of their routine is a step into the wilderness.
I am sure they are not alone in this… and worst of all, when they call tech support, they are often unable to make use of the technobabble they are offered as help.
A large part of the problem is that low-tech alternatives are becoming so rare. Manufacturers may find it hard to fathom, but there are still people who would like to use their mobile phone simply as a mobile phone, or a wide-screen LCD TV screen simply to watch a few free-to-air-channels, or a computer simply for word-processing and email. OK, I find this hard to fathom, too, but for many people, especially older people, this is a valid concern. Why should every appliance they buy come preset with hundreds of fancy bells and whistles that simply make it impossible for them to use? They only have interest in a few of these functions.
And aye, there’s the rub. As it turns out, there is a master key that unlocks the potential of technology for young and old, digital native and digital immigrant alike. Because my maternal grandfather has no trouble sending email to the newspaper. My paternal grandmother effortlessly glides across the TV channels to find the nature documentaries she adores. My mother has started a blog about her area of interest. The killer app on my father’s mobile phone is the radio function; I have no idea how to make my phone’s radio work. The master key is passion, and these digital immigrants have each gained fluency in the aspect of technology where their interests lie. This proves that it is possible, provided the learner has the passion.
In the next instalment, we look at leading digital immigrants to self-reliance, and further explore the relationship between learning technology and learning a language, with special attention to motivation and fossilization.
