It is heartening to see that the concerns expressed in this blog about Net Gen hype have been taken up by Tom Hanson and his Open Education blog. Tom has posted a three-part series that features the critiques mentioned here. He concludes:
"It is time to drop the digital natives’ hype and recognize that the debate should not be about digital natives versus digital immigrants. The debate should be about how to use technology to effectively enhance the learning experience for students."
And I would add that, in doing this, we need to be sure we understand who are learners are and that our use of technology meets their needs, and is not based on a preconceived and inaccurate notion of an entire generation.
2 comments:
thank goodness, natives, immi's - they are simple novices who expect and deserve to learn from teachers - as expert guides - in the growing 'media' rich world.
If we don't have the expert guides (and value them), then we can't be surprised if they get lost.
I am so glad your blog has emerged to critique the zealots espousing the line that technology will lead education, rather than the reverse.
Perhaps we can finally enter a more rational discussion of how this technology will enhance learning in the future.
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