Are We All Foreigners?

Techonology is an ever changing world. It is always growing, expanding and evolving. There is always a new addition, faster speeds and enhanced graphics. So aren't we all immigrants?

As is discussed in Chapter 1, technology is explained through the lens of digital natives and digital immigrants. While many of us have grown up in the age of technological/computer advances, there are always new advances being made. We are constantly receiving, processing, synthesizing and learning new programs. So, whether you are a tech geek or just a social networker you can always make new and exciting advances in a different realm of technology.

As I have thought more about this topic I begin to realize that it is easy for any one person to become outdated/lose touch with technology. However, our society does not allow its' citizens to function without a basic understanding of modern technology. We are all working within a native friendly world and that has led others outside of the native age parameters to function as natives.

At the end of the day we want to be able to teach our students in a way that is understandable and memorable to them. Through the use of computers, the internet and web-based lessons we have the unique opportunity to teach our students with enhancements that were never available before. I like to think of it like this. When I was a student, I vividly remember asking questions about how something worked, what the purpose was and how we would use it; to which the response was, "Well, how do you think it does...?" At times this may have been a way to evoke cognitive thinking and ultimately expository writing, but at other times I felt that it was a way for the teacher to buy time. Now, with the inclusion of technology (not reliance on technology) we can take a more wholistic approach to topics and allow for visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile learners to equaly enjoy and engage in a lesson.

The possibilities with the employment of technological integration in the classroom, partnered with the growing population of technologically savvy users, further solidifies the argument for technological involvement in our classrooms.  What do you think?


Follow Up Questions:
1. Is technology the answer?

2. By implying that age determines one's technological/computer literacy, does that mean that we can go from existing as a native and become an immigrant?

3. In which ways can we maintain our status as a digital native?