Digital Natives: Navigating Literate Worlds

Being Literate

"The ways in which young people use media culture today create new ways of conceptualizing what it means to become "literate" or competent in contemporary Western cultures."

This quote from Chapter 7, in my mind, means that there are many older people, and even teachers in our school systems, who are not wholly literate. So much of the world of youth is defined by, and partially dictated by, the media culture they participate in, and there are many digital immigrants who don't participate in, and aren't interested in that culture. Sadly enough, defiantly so.  And even more frustrating from my perspective is that some of them are the teachers I work with.  It only makes it more difficult to connect with our students when we aren't literate in their culture.

Google Generation

"The reasons students liked to use a search engine, and Google in particular, was because it was straightforward and easy to use, it seemed to have whatever a student wanted, and it meant that students did not have to access a range of databases."

In Chapter 8, so much of what was studied and discussed just seemed to make common sense to me.  Even though Google and Wikipedia aren't necessarily the most academic and specific ways of accessing information, they offer such an abundance of information they are the easiest first choice.  I know that Google is where I go many times each day, but I also realize that I know how to search much more skillfully than most of my students.  Students in higher education may not have direct access to academic studies and databases via Google, but they can usually find something that leads to those sources and gives them more focus once they then go to the databases.

E-Participation

"The results suggest that the young people perceiving a low degree of participation in information society do not have as broad an internet usage as those perceiving a high degree of participation."

I found this quote from Chapter 9 to be interesting and thought-provoking, that young people could be using the internet often, on a daily basis, and yet not feel a high degree of participation because of the limited number of, or limited types of activities they do online. The types of activities they did perceive as high participation had to do with political involvement, or community and government informational sites.  It's as if they feel that if they're not somehow involved with the greater society around them, via the internet, then they aren't fully participating.  It's interesting that they would feel that way, and must be a societal message they're receiving from somewhere?

The Role of Schools 

Because digital media is such an integral part of youth society, schools need to take on the responsibility of developing students' digital literacies.  Teaching digital wisdom should be taken very seriously, as it's increasingly apparent that the digital world is only expanding, and will continue to do so, and to influence all aspects of life.

According to Deconstructing Digital Natives, studies have found that students today enjoy "creating and sharing creations with others." The digital tools available in schools would allow this to happen on a large scale. Through guided participation in blogs, use of collaboration tools, use of online word processing applications, and even website creation, students can develop their academic writing, reading, and research practices with the added benefit of being able to publish and share their work.  Use of these digital tools also creates an added incentive because, according to Thomas Michael in Chapter 9, the students find "social connection" and "care about what other people think about what they have created."

Students also need to be taught online research methods, and schools are best suited to teach them these skills.  Every year, I find my students engaging in the "satisficing" searching that Michael talks about in Chapter 8.  Unless students are taught how to search intelligently and effectively, they will often use the first website or bit of information that pops up in an internet search.  They won't instinctively know to delve deeper, nor will they care to put in the extra time and effort necessary to find specific, reliable sources.  I quite often have to give my students a list of resources to use, so they are assured of accuracy and continuity when doing projects or writing assignments.

Also, we have to take seriously the way "new technologies change fundamental issues within established school subjects." (Chapter 7) This immediately brings to mind how the delivery of news has changed, not just for adults, but for teens as well.  Often, they will no longer turn to a textbook, newspaper, or television to find out information about past or present news or historical issues or topics, but will instead get their information from blogs, online news sites, and social media.  Again, it's important that they be taught how to find reliable and accurate information, and schools are the perfect place to learn these skills, because the teaching of them can be integrated into every subject area.

Thomas, Michael. Deconstructing Digital Natives: Young People, Technology, and the New            Literacies. New York: Routledge, 2011. 

The Satisficing Surgeon

Donnelly, Laura. Doctors Call for Law to Protect Them Against HIV. Digital image. The Telegraph. 2 June 2013. Web.

I think the section heading, "The Satisficing Surgeon" is a good explanation of what my meme is representing.  We all do satisficing searches, even when it's important to dig deeper and do more accurate research.  But, would we be okay with someone like a doctor, a pharmacist, our car mechanic, or any kind of skilled professional doing the same thing when doing something that affected us?