Digital Natives: Prensky and Kirchner Views

    Students' thinking patterns have significantly changed from the past. These changes are mainly due to how technology advanced society is today. This is also known as “Digital Natives” as students spend a lot more time online than they do in books. Before I go into depth with this, we must understand that the way we think is based on the way our brain functions. The way the brain changes is influenced by the new things we experience in life. Thinking correlates with brain activity, therefore, as the brain changes, so does the way we think. The way student’s thinking patterns have changed is that there is “less opportunity for reflection” which is what helps us learn from our experiences and think critically about them (Prensky). This is due to the way modern students experience learning with advanced technology. In the textbook, Prensky states, “Digital Natives accustomed to the twitch-speed, multitasking, random-access, graphics-first, active, connected, fun, fantasy, quick-payoff world of their video games, MTV, and Internet are bored by most of today’s education” (Prensky). This is because in order for students to have the opportunity to reflect and learn, they have to do it in a way that still incorporates those advanced technologies within their learning environment. 

    Some myths that Kirchner associated with Prensky’s Findings are that children knowing more than their parents regarding technology and learning is “exaggerated”. Another myth is that the digital native is separated from older people. This claim is false because it was found that some people older than 30 use technology way more than people who were younger than them. It was then determined that it is not about age that makes individuals more experienced in technology but rather their income and higher education. The other myth regarding learning and cognitive development is that people can multitask. This is also associated with the digital native since computers are able to multitask. Humans however cannot and it is often referred to as “task-switching” since you can’t focus on two things at once even though you may be doing them at the same time. 

Refferences

Prensky, M. (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom: hopeful essays for 21st century learning. Corwin

Kirschner, P. A., & De Bruyckere, P. (2017). The myths of the digital native and the multitasker. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 135–142.