Exploring the Net Generation - I'm an immigrant!

I 've always thought of myself as a native. Afterall, I was born and raised here. But this week, I found out I'm an immigrant. To younger people, I'm the one with an "accent" that I may never get rid of. I am ... a digital immigrant.

Part of our homework was to explore three areas of interest to us. One of mine is the Net Generation - the younger generation that grew up in a digital, networked world. As part of that exploration, I read an article by Marc Prensky called "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants."

I enjoyed his labels of "natives" and "immigrants" and found that a lot of his analogies rang very true. Kids today are natives -- they have always known and used digital technology. They speak the language and don't even think about "how" to use technology ... they just do. People like me are immigrants. We may be facinated by technology. We may learn to use it. But for most of us, it will always seem a little foreign and to the younger generation, I will always have an "accent." This accent includes things like printing my email, editing a document on paper rather than on screen, bringing someone to my office to show her a good web site instead of sending the URL, or calling someone to make sure he got my email. To natives, these accents are hard to understand and when I think about it, I have to laugh. My accent really doesn't make a lot of sense and I can understand why my kids just shake their heads.

Digital natives have never seen or used carbon paper, so they don't really understand why we "cc" someone. They don't know what it means to "dial" a number -- they've never seen a rotary phone.They can't imagine pouring through magazines and reference books at the library and creating 3x5 cards with information for your research paper. They can't imagine a world where you only called home once a week from college because it cost so much or having to write your best friend a letter and wait a week or so to get a response. They can't imagine losing touch with someone just because they moved.

Theirs is an instantaneous world with information at your fingertips. They are used to receiving lots of information at a very fast pace. Instant messaging and instant access - that's what they grew up with. They are used to multi-tasking. They study with the TV on, the text messages flying, an iPod playing, and they still get an A. They are used to being networked. They socialize online and in person or by text. They prefer random access. And games. They thrive on instant gratification and rewards. And why not? That's what they are used to.

I am not.

I want to slow it down. I like my peace and quiet. I like concentrating on one thing at a time. I get lost while surfing the net. I prefer to place my shopping order by phone, even if I found the item on a web site. I like to unfold the newspaper and read it. I tend to call and leave a voicemail when I could send a text. I'm just starting to use the online directory instead of a phone book. And I signed up and went to a traditional seminar (lecture) to learn about how new technology is impacting how students and this new generation learns. Just listen to my accent.

I am an immigrant.

But I'm working to lose that accent.