Digital nature and digital nurture: libraries, learning and the digital native

Abstract

The so-called "digital native"-the first generation of students and learners who have been born and raised in a world of digital technologies-is now in our universities and, we hope, using our library services. While academic libraries have begun to recognize this phenomenon, have our services changed significantly in response to this "digital" generation of students and their approach to learning? What role should academic librarians have in equipping tertiary students to function in the digital information environment? Do academic librarians continue to have a role in this, or are we in fact lagging behind the students' understanding of information technology, and their adoption of new technologies to acquire and use information? This paper will survey recent debate about the delivery of information services to the "digital native", using Hong Kong academic libraries as a case study to reflect on the appropriateness of the services offered.

Mobile-Learning - Thai HE Student Perceptions and Potential Technology Impacts

“…These students can be characterised essentially as digital natives (Prensky, 2001a). Robinson's (2008) notion of students learning behaviour as collaborative, problem solving and task based may not reflect a universal student phenomenon and could perhaps be somewhat imprecise when applied to Thailand settings. This may be considered in terms of the disconnected discourse (Lippincott, 2005) between what higher education offers students and what they demand in terms of learning attributes and the technological provision that encompasses their pedagogic needs (Senge et al, 2000).…”

Towards a pre-teen typology of digital media

“…Media use and its effect on children has long been debated, but within the last twenty years the proliferation of new digital media and the immersion of children and young adults in its use has created a very different landscape with Generation Z (Wellner, 2000;Geck, 2006) portrayed as thinking, behaving and learning differently from previous generations (Donaldson, 2006;Feiertag & Berge, 2008;Prensky, 2001;Robinson, 2007;Tapscott, 1999). Generation Z are labeled digital natives to distinguish them from digital immigrants who were introduced to digital technologies later in their lives (Prensky, 2001).…”

Digital Native: A Study on the First-Year Student

“…However, these people are characterized as being impatient with slower, systematic means of acquiring information and knowledge, and expect instant response and gratification or reward from the technologies they use. Additionally, according to these theories, they are highly adaptive, function best when networked, and use a range of technologies to network with their peers (Prensky, 2001a;Robinson, 2008;Helsper & Eynon, 2010) Prensky (2001b) citing neurobiology, social, psychology studies on children also suggests that digital natives learn differently: "linear thought processes that dominate educational systems now can actually retard learning for brains developed through game and Web-surfing processes on the computer" (Prensky, 2001b). Therefore, the learning approach which might suitable for this gemeration are collaborative, oriented to problem-solving and task-based (Prensky, 2001a).…”