What+is+a+Digital+Native?


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Digitals natives//** are: "...young people (who) are said to have been immersed in technology all their lives, imbuing them with sophisticated technical skills and learning preferences for which traditional education is unprepared." 3 A Day in the Life of a Digital Native: 4 media type="custom" key="5236289" = = =** How are these students different? ** Digital natives are becoming increasingly immersed in technology - who would have predicted twenty (or even ten) years ago that by 2010, there would be a pocket-sized, hand-held device that would not only connect to the world-wide-web, but would be controlled by // touch // and would be // relatively affordable // ? Students today have access to resources that were not only not available twenty years ago, but were scarcely imagined. Moreover, they have a unique and ever-changing set of technical skills that many teachers do not know how to access or utilize. 20= = Digital natives are used to instant information through a variety of media. For example, if a digital native has a question about something, chances are they will go to the internet as their first source, and books second (if at all). An average search on "the almighty Google" (answerer of all questions) takes approximately 0.13 seconds. In approximately a tenth of a second, students have thousands, and sometimes even millions of results right at their fingertips. A search of the term "digital native" turns up 30.6 // million // results in 0.13 seconds. 21 Many students are not even bound to their computers any more. Many cell phones are now enabled to access the internet, which means that students have these types of instant results with them // in their hands, // // 24 hours a day //. How will this change the way we teach? =

= Why is this important for teachers? = = Digital natives have a different set of needs in many ways than the students of even a decade ago. They have a unique modern toolbox that teachers must learn how to utilize in order to maximize learning. To make content relevant to students, we must put it in a modern context that applies to their life. This means using new technology such as digital cameras, internet research, blogs, wikis and more to ensure that our students are getting a well-rounded and // relevant // education. 23 =

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