The youngest digital immigrant I know is probably my father. He has to use a computer and email for work, yet I doubt he would use it if he didn't have to. He often prints out e-mails for reading or for having a hard-copy. He is competant at using the internet for researching and purchasing things off websites but doesn't use it for much else. Although he doesn't use things like social-networking sites and instant messaging, he knows what it is.
He can manage to text, but it is often just to reply saying things like 'ok' or 'yes' and it takes him a while to type it.
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Your comments Lucy do make one think about those ideas about levels of immersion. There is also another issue that we can see across many people's blogs and that is the idea of disposition - this comes across quite clearly with your father. It may be asking the obvious then, but does Prensky take account of this idea - in the midst of his argment, is there any notion that people might be thinking "am I bovvered?"?
ReplyDeleteI think in terms of my father, he has managed almost 50 years without using text messaging and e-mailing to get into contact with people, so doesn't really see the new technologies as a neccesity. He barely uses his mobile phone, and only does so to reply to me, my mum or my sister. It doesn't seem to bother him that he is not up-to-date with new technologies, meaning he doesn't quite fit into Prensky's definitions, as Prensky's theories don't really cater for those who do think, as you say 'am I bovvered?'
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