Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

“Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” Students today will receive jobs that are not even around today. So how can we prepare our students for their jobs when we have no idea what the jobs will entail?
While reading this article I really struggled to determine which category I fit into; Digital Immigrant or Digital Native. I do not feel that I fit into either one. I do not consider myself a Digital Immigrant because I am pretty savvy with computers, videogames, cell phones and I-pods. While I do not consider myself an expert, I am definitely knowledgeable enough to benefit from these gadgets. After being in the company of my students and younger family members, I feel I am not a Digital Native. Digital Natives are more hands-on and process information much differently then the average person.
I find it vey interesting that when you learn something later in life, scientists tell us, it goes to a different part of the brain. So digital natives will be learning technology as their “first language” and will be able to "talk the talk" much better than digital immigrants. Digital Immigrants will always struggle with this foreign language.
I agree that students need fast response and gratification but I do not agree that students do not learn “slowly, step-by-step, one thing at a time”. I feel no matter who is learning, when they are learning something new, he or she needs to go slowly and step-by-step for them to retain and really understand what they are learning.
Prensky says, “Digital Immigrants don’t believe their students can learn successfully while watching TV or listening to music, because they can’t.” I feel this depends on the student. Some students cannot concentrate with any noise in the background, while other students work their best listening to music. I think this depends on the type of learner.
I agree with Prensky that Digital Natives cannot go backward to learn the old ways. So that leaves only one option and that is for the Immigrants to learn the new language of technology. Pretty soon our teachers will be Digital Natives, born being experts in technology. It will only take time for this evolution to take place.
There needs to be a balance between “legacy” and “future”. While I feel the ethics and politics are important, one cannot forget the basics of our educational system. Before a student can learn the “future” they need to learn reading, writing, arithmetic and logic. A great teacher is someone who can find the balance and teach the students both the “legacy” and the “future.”