Discussion 4 - Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

 

• According to Prensky, what is the immigrant/native divide, and how has it affected how students learn?

Digital immigrants are defined as the people who learned how to live before internet and technology boomed - they have had to adapt to the introduction of technology and the internet as it grew in popularity. Digital natives are defined as the people who grew up familiar with the language and use of technology, and never had to adapt. The divide between the two shows a staggering difference in how digital immigrants and digital natives think and process information. This affects how students learn because digital immigrants have to change their learning style to adapt to the thinking process of natives, and natives have to navigate a pre-technology teaching style they aren't familiar with.

Here is a link to a study I had to review for a class some years ago, discussing the relationship between attention span and the development of mobile technology. Basically, with more information ready at the tip of our fingers, our attention span and patience diminish because we don't need to focus on a task or research for long periods of time. It's a little tidbit I thought I'd add that's somewhat related to this week's content.

• According to Prensky, what category do you fall into, and how has this affected your learning?

I fall into the digital immigrant category, but only because I was not able to use technology or the internet until I was in my late teens. I am slow to learning new devices and internet terms, but I am a fast learner and I pick up quickly. I believe I am a fast learner because of my age and willingness to learn. Sometimes I still feel like phone and computer software updates too fast for me, and I have to learn new things all the time to keep up - new Tiktok slang, new apps and features to customize and learn - but I am able to catch up with it eventually.

Discussion 3 - Knapp's Relational Model

I am in a tough relationship with someone who was once a close friend of mine (somewhere between experimenting and initiating, though we weren't romantically involved we were comfortable referring to each other as best friend). We were friends online for over 6 years, and decided to move in together because we both needed a roommate. It didn't go poorly until the end, when we were avoiding each other in every way and refused to speak to one another. He moved out and things are easier now. At the moment, we're somewhere between the stagnating and avoidance stage - we don't talk, and only talk to each other when needed (his cat and vehicle are still at this residence, communication is maintained for their sake). Talking online is much easier for us than talking in-person because we can think about what we say (kind of draft it), and we don't have to deal with physical emotions if we disagree.

Here is a picture of the cat in question. He is the goodest boy and is super sweet. I will miss him when he goes back to his family, but for now he's happy with treats every day and lots of pets.

Discussion 2 - Oversharing Online

Do different social networking sites offer other benefits and drawbacks?

Definitely! I have been using several platforms over my years online, and every platform has it's own unique "thing" that sets it apart from others. For example, Snapchat has the benefit of anonymity, and privacy - if someone saves messages, screenshots, or saves images, all parties within a chat are notified. But just as users benefit from the anonymity of Snapchat, one particular drawback is that you truly don't know who you could be talking to if you met a person online. There is no way of knowing how long they've had a particular account, there's no account history, and if someone were to save or screenshot items from a conversation, there's nothing you can do about it. This is an example of how a platform can have a benefit and a drawback at the same time. 

What factors might influence whether Facebook has negative influences, like links with depression, versus positive results, such as boosts in self-esteem?

Factors such as who you follow, what's trending, and algorithms can bring a lot of negative influences to someone's Facebook. People you follow may start re-posting images or links that have negative content, causing you to see them more. If you view these posts for a particular amount of time, or interact with the posts, any algorithm Facebook is using will take that as an indicator that you are enjoying what you see and show you similar content. In addition to this, popular content that is circling around the internet is hard to avoid, and will likely show up on one's Facebook after a while.

About Me

Good morning! My name is Caspin and I spent most of my life in SoCal (San Diego) and southern Ohio in the middle of nowhere... somewhere. Presently I live in Washington, and transferred here from Western Washington University in Bellingham for OSU's botany program! This is my fourth year, and as much as it's been fun, I am more than ready to graduate 🎓

I live with my girlfriend and four cats which have been acquired in interesting ways. From the left to the right is Percy, Pancake, Nightwing, and Bella (aka rat). They make every day a new adventure and I don't know what I'd do without them.

I regularly use Snapchat, Discord, and Pinterest for their consistency and lack of data leaks. Some platforms like Facebook change their interface too often for my comfort, and many more have frequent hacking issues. I use Snap, Disc and Pinterest for communication and entertainment (bonus points for them being super easy to use!).