The Digital Divide

 What do you make of the Divergent positions of Boyd and Prensky? 

Where do you stand on the digital native terminology?

       Boyd and Prensky have similar but different views on "digital native".  "In his article, he claims today's students think differently from their predecessors'' (Boyd, 179).  Prensky describes today's youth as digital natives, stating that they are tech-savvy just because they were born during this period. Prensky describes the digital immigrant as the generation, typically older, as the group of people with whom technology is not natural but must be learned to be useful. Presnsky's view of how people acquire digital technology is straightforward. At first glance, it seems easy to understand but underneath there is bias and serious unintended consequences. 

      "It is dangerous to assume that youth are automatically informed" (Boyd, 177). Becoming literate in the digital age is hard work for anyone.  Just because you are born in today's society does not equal technological savvy. The reverse can also be said about older generations. It is not enough to simply assume that this group of people cannot be digitally literate. Just because you are born in the digital age doesn't mean you understand them and vice versa. Additionally, society and educators especially need to be concerned with the "digital divide" proposed by Boyd. 

       Digital technology is not available to everyone. Not all young people are prepared for the digital age. There is an inequality that exists that is not often acknowledged. Today not all youth have access to technology and can practice outside of school as privileged youths do today. Educators need to empower all youth, not just the privileged to shrink the gap in the digital divide. Boyd also points out the dangerous consequences of repeating history using terms like native and immigrants. History tells us, as Boyd delicately points out, that it is often the immigrants who betray the natives. It is important to find a way to provide digital wisdom to all. As teachers, it is important to teach and develop media literacy skills for all groups, lessening the digital divide, and inequality and ensuring everyone is a participant in today's digital age. "Learning is a lifelong process" (Boyd, 199).  We are all still learning how to navigate this new digital world.