Is There a Digital and Generational Divide?

https://pixabay.com/en/digital-zeros-ones-woman-stylish-388075/

In a 2007 online article entitled “Digital Nativism”, author Jamie McKenzie critiques Marc Prensky’s analysis in his 2001 article, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants”, stating, “His view is intellectually bankrupt, but simple-minded thinking is often attractive.” The main crux of McKenzie’s article is that Prensky has relied upon scant, specious, or tangential evidence at best to forge his theory of a digital divide between Digital Natives (the Gen-Xers and Millenials/Gen-Nexters) and Digital Immigrants (Boomers). I have to admit, that based upon my initial read of Prensky’s article, I did find it “attractive”. Yet, I have to chide myself, as I have done to my high school students, to consider and weigh the evidence.

A deeper review of evidence can be found in Reeves’ 2008 meta-analysis of research on the topic, “Do generational differences matter in instructional design?” The short and long of this analysis leads to the following key conclusions among others:

• No statistically significant difference exists between the generations’ learning needs and educational requirements.
  
• The studies identified have largely focused on elite populations and lack sufficient data on blue collar and lower socioeconomic groups which would be needed to make valid general conclusions.
  
• Good instructional design and methods (does this mean a well-prepared teacher?) trump the delivery method (whether in person or online; whether with or without technology).

Now what?

So the take-away for me as either a teacher or a coach of other teachers, is that we need to know our students and design lessons that support their learning. This can include technology, however, learning needs should drive the lesson structure rather than technological tools. Instructional design begins with the learner. What does he know? What is her background? What are the learning goals? How can we as teachers build a bridge (or in Vygotskian terms a “scaffold”) to engage and support student learning? Therein lies the beautiful puzzling and rewarding profession of teaching.

How do I reply to the proponents of Prensky’s “Digital Natives”?

Honestly, McKenzie’s article does an outstanding job of debunking the mythology of the Digital Natives explanation. As attractive as the idea is, it does not withstand the close analysis provided by McKenzie. While Prensky may set the Natives against the Immigrants, I think each generation has skills, ideas and capabilities. I would rather learn from each other, than cast aspersions. I am a Baby Boomer, but use technology to learn and teach. If I can be an exception to the Digital Immigrant label, perhaps others can defy easy but faulty categorization. Then, perhaps, we can all work together to teach and learn.

Sources:

McKenzie, J. (2007). Digital nativism: Digital delusions and digital deprivation. From Now On, 17(2). Retrieved from http://fno.org/nov07/nativism.html

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants – Part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6). Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Reeves, T.C. (2008). Do generational differences matter in instructional design? Online discussion presentation to Instructional Technology Forum from January 22-25, 2008 at http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper104/ReevesITForumJan08.pdf