Marc Prensky's Views Of Digital Native And Digital Immigrants

The terms ‘Digital Native’ and ‘Digital Immigrant’ were coined by Marc Prensky in the essay he had written in 2001. Digital Natives were defined as students that were born into the digital age, their lives are immersed into technology and are the “‘native speakers’ of the digital language of computers, video games and the internet” (Prensky M, 2001, pp. 1). Digital Immigrants are individuals who were not born into the digital world but have come into contact with technology at one point in their lives. Some may have adopted ‘characteristics’ said to be possessed by the digital natives. (Toledo, 2001, pp. 84)

Game designer, Marc Prensky, makes claims about digital natives and digital immigrants in his essay. The first thing he claims is that
Toledos counter argument is that the impact that technology has had on students is far more complex than Prensky makes it out to be. Toledo presents other models such as digital recluse, digital refugee, digital explorer, digital innovator and digital addict, each are different models that were put forward after digital natives and immigrants. She suggests that digital immigrant teachers are not completely against technology and would use it in their classrooms if they could see how it would benefit their students. Toledo (2001, pp. 7) Toledo uses a reader’s comment to justify her counter argument because the claim says that the claims Prensky makes are too simplistic and are generalized in saying that all students embrace technology while their educators resist it. Bennett et al reacts to Prensky by saying that his claims are general and the evidence put forward are based on common sense beliefs. Bennett et al believes that not all young people possess the characteristics and skills that are said to be possessed by digital natives. For example, multitasking is said to be a distinctive trait that digital natives possess but Bennett says that this isn’t true because multitasking does not help in the way Prensky says it does. The claim that all students are natives is not true because not all students have grown up immersed in technology and the impact it will have on them will differ due to their socio-economic backgrounds and home