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2016, Page 19

Digital Residents and Visitors

A naïve pictographic representation of digital residents and digital visitors. Traditional names given to two different categories of users on the Web are digital natives and digital immigrants. [1] I’m sure you can imagine what they might mean, but a digital native is someone who has grown up in the digital world and is thus well-versed in technology and a digital immigrant is someone much older who has had to adapt and learn new technology, often struggling in the process. Continue reading →

Digital Residents, Visitors and Education

Digital technology is used increasingly for a variety of purposes: social networking, recreation, marketing, research, media and learning. Theories by Prensky (2001) – although highly criticised – gave us an important framework and a typology for how individuals use technology in their day-to-day lives. The movement from “Digital Natives and Immigrants” (initially suggested by Prensky) to “Residents and Visitors” has come to light for various reasons. Continue reading →

Topic 1: “Digital Visitors” and “Digital Residents”

Have you ever considered the idea that growing up in a digital world makes you different to your parents? The differing levels of digital competencies have been assessed by many academics. Prensky (2001) describes young people who are fluent in the digital language of modern technologies as “Digital Natives”, and describes those not born into the digital age but who are frequent users of such new technologies as “Digital Immigrants”. Continue reading →

Topic 1

Topic 1: Digital Residents and Digital Visitors The concept of the “digital residents” and “digital visitors” continuum (White, 2011) is, in my opinion, a much better summation of people’s digital involvement than the previous “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants” (Prensky, 2001). A digital “resident” can be seen as an active user of most internet aspects, such as social media posting, content creation, shopping, banking, blogging, etc. Continue reading →

Visitors and Residents or Natives and Immigrants?

According to Prensky, Digital Natives have been born into a world where technology is an integral part of everyday life, whereas those who transitioned from analogue to digital and had to learn tech speak, are a Digital Immigrant. There are many facets of technology that I do not understand and just because I’m a millennial does not mean I am automatically computer literate. Continue reading →

Not everyone from the new generation is a digital ‘native’!

  At the beginning of the 21st century it was assumed by a plurality of scholars that the 90s generation and onwards could all use all online facilities with great ease as they were born in a digital and technological world. Mark Prensky referred to them as digital ‘native’. The opposite was digital ‘immigrant’, someone born before the 90s who could have learned about the new technologies but for whom it would have never be natural to use the web (Prensky, 2001). Continue reading →

Digital ‘Residents’ and ‘Visitors’

There are two different types of people when it comes to the web, people who are familiar with the online world, and people who aren’t. These people and referred to as ‘residents’ or ‘visitors’, respectively.   Prensky’s Typology Prensky created a theory surrounding the expertise that different age groups have in the digital world, classifying people either as a ‘native’ or an ‘immigrant’. Continue reading →

The online world: are you staying or visiting?

Whilst Prensky (2001) initiated a stimulating debate on digital literacy and whether it is innate or learned, his opinions are rather absolute. He refers to the Net Generation as “digital natives”, whereas the older generation is referred to as “digital immigrants”. According to Prensky, “digital natives” were born into the digital era and experienced a variety of technologies from the onset of their lives. Continue reading →

Topic 1: Digital ‘visitors’ and ‘residents’

Prensky’s Digital Natives and Immigrants The concept of digital ‘visitors’ and ‘residents’ was first established by White and Cornu (2011) and updates Prensky’s (2001) somewhat out-dated concept of digital ‘natives’ and ‘immigrants’. Prensky’s typology argues that those who are born into technologies and grow up with and around those technologies will always be more familiar with and connect to those technologies than those who did not grow up with technologies. Continue reading →

Livin’ Life in the Fab Lane!

I never thought that I would ever start blogging! Reading people’s blogs online just seemed like a ‘thing’ that people who had become internet sensations did. Hi, I’m Shaheer, very nice to meet you! I am 19 years old and currently studying Physical Geography at the University of Southampton. I was born in Germany and when I was young I moved with my family to East London. Continue reading →

Getting started!

Don't forget the drop in session 12 noon on Monday in 28/1019 if you have questions. The "getting started in 9 steps" and "deadlines on one page" documents are linked from the Study Guide page Topic 1 starts on 8th February. In preparation for this you should make sure that you have: 1. Set up your blog and completed the "about me" page 2. Set up other social media accounts (eg Twitter, LinkedIn) if necessary 3. Advised us of your contact details via the google form 4. Continue reading →