Digital Natives

I couldn't agree more with the authors arguments in this article. I do believe that there are digital natives and "immigrants". When I grew up, I strictly used Microsoft word, powerpoint and excel, I also used paint a lot. I thought that after High School I was okay with technology and thought that I was better than most with computers. I knew how to email, facebook, and "myspace" so I thought that I was okay with technology. I think that during middle school and high school they really concentrated on typing and making sure we could type with out looking at the keyboard. My parents never taught me anything about computers, I am actually teaching my mom to use computers and the internet. I think that to some extent I am a digital immigrant because there are many things I am still unsure of and aren't comfortable with. But I definitely think that my parents are worse than I am. They are very confused about some forms of technology simply because they haven't been around it. They have never grown up dealing with technology and are very unfamiliar with it. Growing up that generation is technology illiterate.
That's why I think that in my classroom I need to teach my students technology early. If they learn about technology early in their lives and in their classroom they will grown up with it and not be immigrants. In the classroom it is easy to make sure I incorporate technology into lessons. Such as quizzes, homework assignments, and discussions will be based online. I will also make sure I incorporate the parents into the picture also. I would love to have them be included in our discussions and be able to see the assignments and grades of their children. I do not want to only use the technology that was available to me during school (a computer and an overhead projector). I want to use smart boards, blogs and wikis so the students can learn from all aspects of the classroom. Don't get me wrong, I will still have basic handwriting and reading, but I want to incorporate newer technology also.