“Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Some thoughts from the Generation Gap” Written by: Timothy VanSlyke

Author Marc Prensky’s article “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” is critiqued by author Timothy VanSlyke. In this article, VanSlyke looks at reasons why Prensky dubs the elder generation “digital immigrants” because of their lack of experience in the new technology that runs the current generation, and the “digital natives”, young children who have grown up with all the technology at their fingertips. Prensky goes as far as to explain how even the brain development of the two generations has begun to differ. VanSlyke counterargues Prensky’s premise by stating that he sees no possible way that the brain development of two generations can differ so greatly, and that there is not as much of a communication disability between the two generations as Prensky leads the readers to believe. VanSlyke also disagrees with Prensky’s stereotype of the typical child “glued” to the computer screen. Not all children of this generation stay entertained with technology. This to me is a very valid point by VanSlyke because of the fact that throughout Prensky’s article, he stereotypes children into being computer and game obsessed, when in reality many children still enjoy reading, writing, and doing other activities that do not involve technology. In the end, I agree with VanSlyke with his statements regarding how computers need to be facilitators in learning, not replacing teachers and the traditional methods we all have used.

"Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part II" Written by: Marc Prensky

Marc Prensky believes that students of today have a mind that processes information differently than people from generations before them. Because of the high paced world, and emergence of video games and computers, children are learning how to learn in a different way. This way, although different, does not “fit in” with the old way of teaching, and therefore children often appear to be bored, or lost in interest simply because their attention span is used to something that is more stimulating. With this change in learning, the emergence of video games has been a helpful tool for educators, and has also proven to increase the scores of children who had previously been having difficulties in various academic areas. I do think that Prensky makes very valid points in how the use of computer games is much more interactive and hands on for children who are used to the more interactive lifestyle, and are proven to help them learn things much more effectively than before. In the end, the emergence of learning games has been proven to be much more affective to the new generation of students, named by Prensky as the “digital natives”. He believes that as each year passes, more educators will be turning from the traditional route teaching styles, and instead turning to the more interactive and entertaining technological styles to help their students to learn in the best way possible

"Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" written by Marc Prensky

Marc Prensky shows that there is a large difference between the students of the past, and the students of today. He refers to all people that were born or raised before the digital age began as “digital immigrants” and those who were born and raised in the digital age “digital natives”. By this, he means that “digital natives” are those that understand the language of communication and technology and thrive on the high, fast paced world full of TV shows, video games, and other forms of technological entertainment. However, “digital immigrants” are those that have had to adapt to the new technology, and learn to incorporate it as a useful asset in their daily lives. Prensky goes on to explain that our “digital immigrant” instructors are struggling to teach a generation who speaks an entirely different language, and are therefore less effective in their teaching practices. However, I somewhat disagree with Prensky for the fact that he believes the only way to successfully teach is to completely use technology and abandon the practices of the past. He also seems to imply that he hardly sees a way for a “digital immigrant” to possibly ever really make the transition into being a “digital native” and successfully use technology in an everyday format.