E-learning. Digital Natives.

Part A: Digital Natives

• What are some characteristics of digital natives? (What are they good at? What are they poor at?)

Wikipedia explains that digital native refers to a person whom technologies already existed when they were born and where they grown up with technologies such as mobile phones, computers, the internet. This happens when parents are modern and up to date or it might be because senior parents get to expose these technologies in their career and social network.

Interpreting digital natives are up to individual. They can be at of advantage side and others would not.

Characteristices:

· Exposing to different games increases their attention span more than sitting on lecture as games interests them more.

· Helps students multitasking

· Helps them to expand their creativity in a more fun ways

· They are very interested to technologies and wants to learn more

· Because of wanting to solve the problem, they spent many hours.

· Independent in their own ways for any trials and errors

With some positive characteristics, comes the negative side of it as well. When they spend many hours on the technologies, tendency of them neglecting their duty as a student can happen. Some students chose to enjoy technology as this interest them and thus ignoring their academic progress. Teachers used of technology and how they incorporate these impacts the students’ ways of learning as well.

• Which portrait did you select? (In your blog, create a link to the portrait.) In terms of their digital background, how similar was that student compared to a Singapore student?

I chose Sam. (13years old)

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-sam-video

Nowadays students even earlier than 13 years old are exposed to varies kind of multimedia especially here in Singapore. Like Sam, her second life is her digital media and this happens to most students in Singapore. They have many accesses to all sorts of social network. Technology for Sam is very engaging and interactive and with the support of her parents, it gives her this positive environment. Sam uses learning by doing method of meaningful dimension when she explores the digital media. Trial and error gives her the motivation and help to her problem solving techniques. She uses her technology when doing any assignments as this helps her than just reading the books. Despite all the exposure to different multimedia, this did not compromise to Sam’s academic progress because rather, it helps her understand many concepts such as problem solving skills.

When I’m doing my Internship programme and get exposed to different kind of students, how Sam is very interested in technology and not neglecting her school works does happen here in Singapore. However, parents and teacher supports are not yet that strong to guide the students or to help students balanced these 2 aspects in life. Thus, parents and teacher should be more aware of the advanced technology and be open to accept and adapt to these.

• How might teachers in Singapore today engage and teach our digital natives?

Exposing the technology to teachers can be a start for them to teach and engage digital natives. With these only then they understand what students think and why they are very interested in technology. Teacher should engage themselves to learn from students as well especially technology as nowadays students are more advance with technologies.