Digital Natives

Digital Natives

ELITE Pedagogical Discussion
Thursday, November 16, 2017 2:00 – 3:00 pm Rockville, SC 358
Facilitator:  Michele Knight

Digital Natives, should we train them differently?

We all have heard the term digital natives, which applies to those who have grown up using technology.  It has become a given assumption that people who have grown up using technology should be trained differently than those who did not grow up using technology.   During this discussion, we will explore whether this assumption is correct.

Through the readings What Do You Know:  Should We Train Digital Natives Differently by Patti shank https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Science-of-Learning-Blog/2016/10/What-Do-You-Know-Should-We-Train-Digital-Natives-Differently, and the Medium Blog post Is there such a thing as a Digital Native, https://medium.com/@BekkaMaree/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-digital-native-ca6d95552878 we will tackle the following:

1. Define the term Digital Native and come to a consensus as to what the term means and how it applies to educators.
2. Describe experiences with digital natives in the classroom
3. Discuss whether digital fluency is merely a product of the era when one was born, or is fluency determined by skill level?
4. Brainstorm ways to effectively deal with the challenge of teaching students with a wide range of technical aptitudes.
5. Consider ways to effectively incorporate the use of technology in teaching where appropriate without overwhelming students from varying backgrounds.