Digital Natives: Navigating Literate Worlds

Chapter 7

"Not all young people are digitally competent, nor are they interested in every aspect of the new media." (Thomas quoted from Livingstone, 2009).

I related to this quote because I found this out in my own teaching. Not only were some of my students not masters of new digital media, but I also had students that were not interested in the new types of media I tried to use, no matter how much fun I thought they would be. Sometimes, it was disheartening that I put effort into using new technology in my class, but the students would rather do the same old things when it came to technology.

Chapter 8

"How students, who are so clearly familiar and apparently adept with Internet tools, are at times so poor at using the Internet academically." (Thomas)

As a Library Media Specialist, this is the hardest concept to get students to grasp when doing research. Students want to type whole questions into Google, but when they can't find appropriate results, they get upset. I do an entire section of my research unit on things like Boolean Operators, the use of quotation marks and parentheses, but they have a hard time adapting these lessons to their own searching. I think technology like Siri on the iPhone has not helped this problem. This is a major responsibility of teachers, teaching appropriate research skills.

Chapter 9

"The importance of believing that one's opinions will be heard is one of the points defining participatory culture." (Thomas, quoted from Jenkins, 2009).

I think this quote rings true, not only online, but also in the classroom. Students will only participate in class, especially discussions, when they think their opinions are heard and taken seriously. It is important to give each student the opportunity to participate in class because participation is a skill that they will need for the rest of their lives.

• The role of schooling takes a definite charge in enhancing digital literacy. First, we must reorient what we think "being literate" means, according to chapter 7. This is necessary because, to summarize the text, students move between worlds both on and offline, and they are finding new ways of accessing, or reading, information, as well as new ways of producing, or writing, information. Another step we as educators must take to enhance digital literacy is implement different frameworks to enhance digital competence. Another responsibility we have is to teach our students how to correctly search for information digitally so they have the best chance of getting the best results.

The Civic, Social and Multi Modal Lives of Digital Natives

Chapter 4

"Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite. They prefer random access (like hypertext). They function best when networked. They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards. They prefer games to "serious" work." (Thomas; quoted form Prensky 2001a, p.2)

As I was reading this, I instantly connected it to my students from last year. I frequently had them use the site, WONDEROPOLIS, which is an informational site where students can read articles about thousands of wonders, or questions. I always gave the students a series of questions to answer after reading the article, and they almost always tried to answer them without reading. Each article includes a video, and this is what the students instantly flock to, but usually this video was more for fun than information. Having students do an assignment like this would cause the usual grumbles, but as soon as I would mention COOLMATH, their reward when their assignment was completed correctly, their tunes changed.

Chapter 5

"Digital media are becoming increasingly embedded in young people's everyday lives, producing new time-sapces for their self-expression, connectivity, and self-creation" (Thomas; quoted from Takahashi, 2003, 2009, 2010).

This quote by Takahashi could not be more correct. Digital Media is such a force in young people's lives, today. Whether they are texting, snap chatting, or "liking something" with their peers, posting their newest selfie, or posting their newest meme, digital media consumes their thoughts.

Chapter 6

"However, we need to be careful with terms such as "Digital Natives" that lead to an understanding of a whole generation as a homogeneous group."

This quote just affirms the idea that we cannot assume that all young people born in the digital age have the same set of digital skills. It is exactly the same concept we all apply in our teaching, not every student has the same set of skills or knowledge or even abilities. We must do what we can to let students create with the skills they do have.

I used this meme because it is a very popular one that I see shared around all over Facebook. Using a popular image like this, one that students would be familiar with, shows how we can implement the technologies our students know into our teaching.

Digital Natives: Reflecting on the Myth

Forward

"The problem here is not with the natives themselves, but rather with the rest of us, the "Digital Immigrants" who remain obstinately tied to older media, and who are failing to catch up with the times." (Buckingham)

You would think, at twenty-six years old, that I am extremely savvy with new technologies, but, alas, I am not. I grew up in the Xanga and Myspace age. When I got to high school, I began using Facebook. Now, I continue to use Facebook, today, and some other technologies I use on a daily basis are Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Words With Friends. The reason this quote struck a reaction in me is because I have a hard time following my MIDDLE SCHOOL students when they start talking about Snapchat, Tumblr, and whatever else they are using. I cling to my Facebook and Pinterest, and I refuse to go further into these new social medias than Instagram.

Chapter 1

"The current generation of young people will reinvent the workplace, and the society they live in. They will do it along the progressive lines that are built into the technology they use everyday--of networds, collaboration, co-production and participation." (Thomas; quoted from Green & Hannon, 2007, n.p.)

I agree strongly with this quote. I feel that our future will be filled with new technologies and leaders that will implement these new technologies in careers and other aspects of life. Technology is a nonstop train, and the only people that are going to be successful using and implementing technology are the ones that grow along with it. Older generations are beginning to realize the importance of new technologies, which is why you see ads for Computer Basics classes, introduction classes to social networking, etc., and the majority of people who attend these courses are your older generations of people who grew up in a time period when these technologies did not exist.

Chapter 2

"But the worst part, in my view, were those who thought I was making the absurd claim (or who themselves made the patently absurd assumption) that if someone was born after a certain date, and was therefore included as a Digital Native, that person automatically knew everything there was to know about digital technology." (Thomas)

I myself am proof that this is an absurd assumption, considering as I mentioned before, I am very behind the times with a lot of new technologies. Also, what I have found teaching middle school is that some students are incredibly up to date and knowledgeable of new digital technologies, while some students barely know how to run on a computer.

Chapter 3

"Universities are losing their grip on higher learning as the Internet is, inexorably, becoming the dominant infrastructure for knowledge--both as a container and as a global platform for knowledge exchange between people--and as a new generation of students requires a very different model of higher education." (Thomas; quoted from Tapscott & Williams, 2010, p.18)

I am sort of torn on how I feel about this quote because, on one hand, it is clearly evident that more people are getting their information and knowledge on particular topics from the Internet. On the other hand, though, I do not feel that this could ever completely replace learning from a University. Obviously, employers do not care what you learned from your independent research online, but they do care about the degree you received from such and such university. With that being said, though, I do believe that universities need to take charge in the ever evolving technology. Policies are going to have to reflect new technologies, as well as courses offered, means of taking courses, and even assignment requirements.

• If you would walk into a bus room at a school any given morning, it would clearly be evident that the concept of Digital Natives obviously exists. You would see students of almost any age, starting at middle school, with some type of technology in their hands, cell phone, handheld gaming system, tablet, etc. These are all technologies that children these ages have grown up with, therefore they are the embodiment of Digital Natives. To show the contrast, walk into a senior center on any given morning, and I would be willing to bet it would be a very different scene, especially in the terms of digital technology.
• I did not use a photo from Photos for Class because I had this image of my now 4 year old when he was just 10 months old. My husband and I always laughed at how being able to use things like a touch screen smart phone must be embedded in the DNA of children these days. Landon (my son) has known how to turn on my iPhone and swipe the screen since before he could walk on his own. If this is not a metaphor for what it means to be a Digital Native, I do not know what it.

Caption: Let me just update my status real quick before you change my diaper.

Digital Media Effects on Conventional Reading and Writing Practices

1. Responses to readings

Quote from "Does Digital Media Make Us Bad Writers"

"According to Lunsford, the writing we produce is not getting worse. Instead, it is simply adapting to the modern world." (Karp)

I think I had a strong reaction of "Huh, I had not thought about that" when I came across this quote. I have always gone along with the groans that text-speak or digital media speak, is ruining the English language. Kids can't spell or write correctly because of text lingo. The truth is, though, that I am sure I made a lot of mistakes in my writing as a child, and I am pretty sure that I probably still do, even as an English major. Who am I to judge student writing today versus student writing before when I am only twenty-six years old, myself, and I never had to examine student writing until three years ago when I became a teacher. I had never thought of it before that writing was probably just as bad when I was a student as it is now, except that it is just bad in other ways.

Quote from "Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?"

"The simplest argument for why children should read in their leisure time is that it makes them better readers. According to federal statistics, students who say they read for fun once a day score significantly higher on reading tests than those who say they never do." (Rich)

I have a definite sense of agreement with this quote. Books are practically my life. I am an English/Library Major, a current School Librarian, I read to my children every single night, and I am always reading at least one book myself, sometimes more than one at a time. With this being said, I cannot be okay with the thought of reading books being replaced by reading online. Reading enhances so much more than some people may think. For example, my husband, who is quite intelligent but not a reader, frequently has to ask me how to spell some words or wants to know what some words mean. When he reads, he reads sports articles online, but that is the extent of his reading. Sure, there are probably some sports terms he knows the meaning of and I do not, but I would have to admit that, overall, my vocabulary, spelling, and maybe even my comprehension is better than his. I also think that reading helps me read between the lines when it comes to other things, like movies and music. He has a harder time trying to decipher hidden meanings or purpose, but I can do this easily, most of the time. these are skills that I gained from being a lifelong book reader, and they are skills I do not think one can acquire through online reading.

That is not to say that reading online is an awful thing. I read articles online all of the time. I come across all sorts of interesting articles when scrolling through Facebook, but I could never replace my book reading with just article reading.


2. Where do I stand?

I feel like I am stuck directly in the center of of Web Evangelist and Traditionalist. I feel that digital media is effecting the way we speak and write today, and I believe that, in some cases, it is effecting these negatively. I also feel that there is some stock in digital media reading. While I am an avid book advocate, I would rather see someone reading online than not reading at all. I cannot sit back and not be concerned with the decline of book reading for enjoyment. I am a firm believer, and I often stress this to my students, that there is a book out there for everyone, and I feel it is my job to find each person THAT book.

3. Evidence

Karp quotes Naomi Baron as saying, "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), and I think that this is something I agree with on the traditionalist side of my opinion because I do feel that not only kids but everyone using digital media to say something does so without thinking much about what they are saying. This is why cyber bullying is such a big issue. Children are typing hurtful things to someone, which is easier than saying them to their face, and they are putting it out there without truly thinking about the consequences of their words.

On the other hand, Rich quotes Nadia's mother Deborah Konyk as saying, "I’m just pleased that she reads something anymore" (Rich) in regards to her daughter only reading online, and I have to say, that while I have an undying love and appreciation for books, that I would rather choose for a person to simply read online than to not read anything at all, even if that means they substitute reading books for reading online articles, or something to that extent.


4. Visual Metaphor

(Photo downloaded from PhotosForClass.com)

Caption: My views are stuck in between two strong arguments that prove their points equally, and until one side falls apart, I will remain stuck.

I think the above picture could not sum up my stance between these two views any better.

Blabberize: the misconceptions behind texting

The important things that I learned from the video are that language came to be long before writing, when we speak casually we are speaking in something called "word packets", and speech is more telegraphic and less reflective than writing. but the most important thing that I learned is there are many misconceptions that texting is the downfall to the English language, when it is in fact an entirely new language that young people have created.

(Actual script used for Blabberize: "Did you know that like language was like around before writing, and like when we speak casually we like speak in word packets, and speech is like more telegraphic and less reflective than like writing. And O-M-G there are like so many misconceptions about texting being like a downfall to the English language but it is like totally not!)

I could definitely use Blabberize in my teaching as a presentation option for students to use to show their understanding of a concept, similar to what this assignment asked us to do. I could also use it to introduce new concepts by listing key words that students will need to know for the new unit.