After taking the Digital Natives Quiz I have come to the conclusion that I am a digital immigrant, as truly could not answer what more than half of the literacies were. Yes, I do use a variety of digital programs like Facebook, MySpace, wikis, etc from time to time, however I very rarely use these type of sites for learning. Rather, I use them more for enjoyment and entertainment value.
Although I may be an "immigrant," I definitely feel that I am definitely at the emergent stage of learning. I feel this way, because according to Tompkins, she classifies emergent as showing interest, using sites with predictable patterns, making connections from technology to myself, and I know about 5-10 types of digital programs. I definitely have shown an interest in digital programs, as I use networking sites like Facebook, and I have also used sites like googledocs to work on group projects. While I have used a couple of different programs, I tend to stick toward the networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace, as I feel they are more entertaining to me. I have also gone ahead and made connections to the technologies, as I have seen many of these different technologies used in classrooms, by peers, etc. Finally, I have discovered and played around with at least 5-10 literacies, much like young children's use of high-frequency words.
All in all, I do not believe I am the most undigital person there is out there, but I definitely need help toward becoming a Native. While this may seem somewhat scary, it will be imperative that I keep up on technologies, as my students will, and thus they will want to learn in new ways.
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Christina,
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am also guilty of, at times, only using the "fun" technologies like Facebook, or googledocs, when I'm online. I guess we have to realize, however, that even these fun technologies require a certain amount of citizenship in the technological realm. For example, my dad has a hard time turning on a computer, so needless to say, he's not going to be networking via Facebook anytime soon.
I also like the point you made about needing to keep up with technology, because if you won't you'll lose your students. It's interesting how recently, technology has become such a huge part of "kid culture." I remember getting my first cell phone when I was 16, and now kids have their own at the age of 8 or 9. Also, I don't have an Ipod yet, but there are a few students in my fourth grade room that do. If a teacher is at least at a comprehensible level with the most recent technologies, she can use this knowledge to forge a connection with her class, and also to use the technologies in the classroom if possible or applicable.