What do you make of the (divergent) positions of Boyd and Prensky (per our discussion in class and/or per the article above?) Where do you stand on the “digital native” terminology?
Prensky believes that all young people are "digital natives" and that all digital natives are digitally competent and have the technological skills necessary to use all digital media, platforms and technologies. Boyd states that just because young individuals are familiar with social media and have some knowledge of digital media, doesn't mean they have the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate successfully in the digital world. She also makes the point that the term "digital native" makes the assumption that all young people have a complete understanding of digital media and technology, and there is no need to educate them on how to navigate through the digital world. The internet has a vast array of information and if students aren't equip with the skills and knowledge needed to identify bias and inaccuracy, they will become misinformed. I also agree with Boyd's stance on technological skills; many young people have little understanding about how the technology they use works and how to troubleshoot technology. Boyd's MySpace example really resonated with me! I remember going to my friend's house so she could help my work on my profile page. She taught me how to embed videos, code, and make crystals drop down my page. I thought I was pretty cool 😎 .
This reading made me think about my role as an educator, and how I can work to improve my kindergartners digital literacy and technological skills. I know it's more that using an iPad or tablet, I'd love more insight as to what I can do to help my young learners increase their media literacy and technological skills.
P.S-So I googled kindergarten media literacy and found a cool lesson that focused on understanding how messages are delivered through media and how media can change those messages. Here's a link to the lesson and blog post.
