"Much of young people's use of digital technology is mundane rather than spectacular: it is characterized not by dramatic manifestations of innovation and creativity, but by relatively routine forms of communication and information retrieval."
-David Buckingham
(Thomas, 2011, p. X)
I agree with this quote; however, I do not think it only applies to young people. The older generation of internet users may also only use it to communicate and retrieve information. If I were not taking on-line courses to further my education, I would only use the internet for these two purposes.
Chapter 1
"Though numerous arguments have established a connection between digital natives and their ability to use Web 2.0 technologies, only a limited number have familiarity with the most commonly cited emerging technologies, and even fewer use them frequently."
-Michael Thomas
(Thomas, 2011, p. 7)
This quote correlates with the quote I chose from the Forward section of the book. To me, the term "Digital Native" means someone who is from the technology era. I, myself, fall under this category; however, I am not familiar with the latest apps or emerging technologies. I am even limited in my use of Web 2.0 technologies.
Chapter 2
"The point is that while the need for wise people to discuss, define, compare, and evaluate perspectives is not changing, the means by which they do so and the quality of their efforts are growing more sophisticated because of digital technology.
-Marc Prensky
(Thomas, 2011, p. 21)
I could not agree more with this quote! We will always need wise people to discuss, define, compare, and evaluate perspectives. Now, technology has made it easier to communicate. Not only can we value the opinions of those located near us, we can also learn and discuss perspectives from all over the world.
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 learning."
(Tapscott & Williams, 2010, p. 18)
as cited in (Thomas, 2011, p. 33)
as cited in (Thomas, 2011, p. 33)
I agree and disagree with this quote. While I do feel like the Internet is becoming the dominant infrastructure for knowledge, I do not feel like Universities are losing their grip on higher learning. Utilizing the Internet is not a substitute for a college education. Employers are seeking college graduates, not self proclaimed Internet experts.
My Thoughts
I have always thought that technology has had an effect on peoples' abilities to think, learn, and socialize. Some of those effects are positive and some are negative. The way we socialize for example; digital natives are "dragging" digital immigrants into the 21st Century by making the digital transition easier. A negative effect is cyber bullying. Hiding behind a computer screen and bullying others is all to easy thanks to the anonymity of the Internet. Regardless, technology is here to stay.
Digital Native: The Beginning
This picture represents my thoughts on what it means to be a Digital Native. Children are being introduced to technology at a younger and younger age. A 5 year old today has more knowledge about technology than I did when I was twice their age, even though we are both considered Digital Natives. The earlier a child is exposed to new technologies, the more likely they are to adapt to the ever-changing world of technology.
I love your first quote because I only go online for 2 menial reasons, other than my online classes: Facebook (usually on my phone) and looking for a quick answer on Google. The Internet is wasted on people like me who have no desire to delve into site after site of information.
ReplyDeleteYour quote from chapter 3 makes me laugh because I have a few friends that my husband insists got their degree from Google U. He says this because they jump on an opinion, and they only research one side of the opinion, theirs. They than proclaim why all other opinions are wrong.
We chose the same quote for chapter three. Like you I do agree that the internet is becoming the main source for knowledge, but I do think that higher education has and is drastically changing because of the new generations coming in. They have to change to be more compatible with technology and the students. higher education is way different today than 20 years ago.
ReplyDelete"A 5 year old today has more knowledge about technology than I did when I was twice their age, even though we are both considered Digital Natives"
ReplyDeleteKristi,
When you said this, it made me think of my students. They do all have different levels of technology ability, even though they've been surrounded by tech all their lives. Some of the kids end up teaching me new things, and some know next to nothing about how to use the computer. I sometimes wonder how that's possible when they are supposed to have had at least 3 years of computer before they get to me in 7th grade. I actually had one student from Japan this year who didn't know how to use any word processing or presentation programs at all, because they didn't use computers in her school in Japan. She learned fast, though! She was completely unintimidated.
The first quote you choose was something that I touched upon in my post as well, the idea that people’s use of technology is often mundane rather than spectacular. I’m not trying to be snarky, but I’m not sure what they expect from people; most people don’t spend each day doing innovative and creative things, with or without technology. I think that once we had the capability to tote technology around in our pockets, it became even more mundane. In some aspects it wasn’t something actually new, but rather a replacement. It replaced having to wear a watch or carry a pocket planner or address book. The technology that becomes mundane reflects the largest impacts on our society; because it’s the technology that we’ve folded into our lives completely, to the point where we really don’t recognize its significance.
ReplyDeleteKristi,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog! Very insightful. Your thoughts about chapters two and three especially resonated with me. The internet is such a great tool today because we can reference so many things, see new view points, opinions, read, watch, etc... I find it so helpful to view different papers for research, obviously, but I cannot imagine writing a college paper just using what I have in one library of books. I wouldn't have access to a SLIVER of what I'd need to validate my research. It's amazing to grasp that concept of just exactly how many tools are out there for us....
Chapter three thoughts were similar to mine in regards to your quote. I too believe universities aren't losing their grip. When I was looking at online programs for my masters, I looked at Kaplan and Phoenix (just to see) but I read (online!) that jobs don't really view degrees from those schools as powerful as ones from accredited universities. Just reading that info deterred me, but FSU isn't simply an online university, just as I'm assuming most schools aren't that ALSO have a few online degrees. This, to me, means that their grip is still pretty firm.