Who are digital natives?
The term "digital natives" is used to categorize a new generation of students who have grown up in the advent of digital technology. Marc Prensky first described this in his article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants as being formed from a "singularity" which has caused a discontinuity from previous generations. The term "singularity" used by Prensky refers to a "an event which changes things so fundamentally that there is absolutely no going back... this is the arrival and rapid dissemination of digital technology in the last decades of the 20th century." These students are born and raised in a world which depends on technology as a part of its social, political and economic structure.
Why are digital natives different?
Digital natives place a strong importance on and have a profound dependence on technology in their lives. According to Helsper and Enyon, technology has become so intertwined with the fabric of society that it has changed the way in which youth socialize, communicate, create and learn. Prensky also suggests that digital natives "are used to receiving information really fast...like to parallel process and multi-task... prefer graphics before text... function best when networked...thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards...prefer games to serious work." While descriptions of the digital native differ, it is generally agreed that these students must navigate in a world of technology which changes the ways in which they use and process information. Student's thinking patterns and rationalization process have been changed in order to adapt to their technological environment.
Why is this important for Teachers?
The digital age holds major implications which effect both teachers and pedagogical methodology. Foremost, many teachers are not digital natives themselves. Prensky refers to this older generation as "digital immigrants", where they are adapting to technology in varying degrees of success. This can cause difficulties in terms of their connection to and understanding of students. More importantly, the education system was not designed with digital natives in mind. "Today's students are no longer the people our education system was designed to teach" (Prensky). Teachers need to find a way to bridge this disconnect, so to incorporate digital natives into an educational system they can relate to.