Digital Native? Or digital immigrant?

The question I thought of as I reflected on Marc Prensky's article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" is who am I - a digital native or a digital immigrant? In a short summary of Marc's words, a digital native is one who has grown up in the era of cell phones, computers, video games, etc. Basically, if you were texting while you were still being rocked in a crib, you are a digital native. In contrast to that, a digital immigrant is one who is more of a "traditionalist", or one who prefers encyclopedias over the internet. Marc Prensky gives a great example of a digital immigrant: if you were ever guilty of printing out an email, then consider yourself a digital immigrant. Ever committed the crime?

I'm a young adult, but I didn't get a cell phone until I was 17. I didn't learn how to text until I was 18. I recently just got a myspace and I don't have a face book. I did play video games with my older brother when I was a child, but two buttons wasn't that difficult! Fast forward to the summer of 2007, I worked as a camp counselor. I would be lying if I didn't say that at least 75% of the kids at the camp (ages 6-14) didn't have a cell phone. Better yet, they were texting and sending picture texts! I knew technology was growing, but it never really occured to me how quickly it was changing the world.

Aside from me debating with myself as to whether or not I am a digital native or a digital immigrant, Prensky poses an amazing thought in his article: how are we supposed to teach the new generation? Who is supposed to give in their ways - the natives or the immigrants? Either way, and I refer to Prensky, one group has to learn the new language. In two years, I will be teaching in a classroom (hopefully one of my own), so I am really taking this thought into consideration. Luckily for me, I will be able to adapt to either language because I had a taste of both, but changing seems like the inevitable course of action to take for those who have been teaching for 25 years.

Prensky made many valid points in his article. If anything, it opened my eyes that it basically does come down to two groups. Which are you? Would you ever learn the language of the other?

Me? I still haven't decided...but to be fair, I'll take the title of the IN-BETWEEN-ER.