]E(+*%+*/EE Q(.*&./5.

()

!"#$%&'()*%+ ,%-%./$*0(1$(2.%3+&

4/5.%+/*Č". 63$$37

839*:;<*=>:? @ ;*A%+*5(/) @ B%&.(+

C/9(

!"#"$%&'(%$")*+'%(,
,"#"$%&'"--"#.%($+'/
012'%.*'$0*3',"44*.*($

,%-%./$*+/.%9(&*/5(*.'(*-(+(5/.%3+*31*D3"+-*E(3E$(
7'3*/5(*F+/.%9(*&E(/G(5&HI*J&3"52(K
777I"+&E$/&'I23AL

Technology made a big change for the

new generations. It became a very
popular topic for psychologists and
sociologists. That resulted in the use of
labels such as ‘digital native’, ‘the net
generation’, ‘Google generation’ or ‘the
millennials’. These highlights are
defining the lives of young people at the
age of new technologies.

‘Digital natives’ are generally born after

the 1980s and they are comfortable in
the digital age, because they grew up
using technology, but ‘digital
immigrants’ are those who are born
before 1980s and they are fearful about
using technology. ‘Digital immigrants’
are the older crew, they weren’t raised in
a digital environment. The term digital
immigrant mostly applies to individuals
who were born before the spread of the
digital technology and who were not
exposed to it at an early age. Digital
natives are the opposite of digital
immigrants, they have been interacting
with technology from childhood.
According to Prensky, digital natives are
the generation of young people who are
“native speakers” of the digital language
of computers, video games and the
Internet.

As I observe younger generation and the

older generation, I see the difference
clearly. I frequently find myself
interfacing between the newest digital
natives and classic digital immigrants.

Millennials were born between the 1980s

and 2000s. Those who were born after
2000 are considered Generation Z. In the
recent years researchers observed two
generations: those born after the 1980s,
and those born after 1993, and the
results were that the younger group had
more positive attitudes toward the
Internet and lower anxiety scores about
the Internet and higher web, e-mail and
social media usage. Studies say that
digital natives’ brains are more actively
engaged while scrolling through a
webpage than while reading printed text.

New technologies have been a defining

feature in the lives of younger
generations in a way that they predict a
fundamental change in the way young
people communicate, socialize, create
and learn. The Internet has reshaped the
way we search for information and the
way we think.

Digital natives see everyone on the equal

level and are not dividing the world into
hierarchies, they view the world
horizontally. They cross boundaries and
embrace the benefits of sharing with
each other. Those values exist because of
what they are driven by. We can learn a
lot about digital native generations
because their world is a genuine
democracy and equality. They reject
centralized and control-based forms of
governance. More aggressive,
competitive and result-obsessed
generation, the advantage is their
productivity. The difference between
digital natives and digital immigrants is
that digital immigrants are goal oriented
and digital natives are value oriented.
Digital natives like to parallel process
and multi-task.

Because of interacting with technology,

digital natives “think and process
information fundamentally differently”
(Prensky) to digital immigrants. Digital
natives, according to Prensky, process
information quickly, enjoy multi-tasking
and gaming, while digital immigrants
process information slowly, working on
one thing at a time and do not appreciate
less serious approaches to learning. This
divide, Prensky argued, is the greatest
problem facing education today and
teachers must change the way they teach
in order to engage their students.
Children raised with the computer think
differently. They develop hypertext
minds. There is a need for education to
change in order to create better
generation expectations. Prensky claims
the digital native is becoming the dominant
global demographic, and the digital
immigrant is in decline.

The thing is that digital natives first

check their social platforms, not TV.
They would rather be engaged than
marked to something, they do not care if
the content is professionally produced,
but that it is authentic and on their level.
They develop their culture — IT culture.

,%-%./$*%AA%-5/+.*9&I*)%-%./$*+/.%9(J&3"52(K
777I25/%-/'/55%+-.3+I735)E5(&&I23AL

!"#"$%&'"--"#.%($+5'#.167+8
Avoiders: they prefer a relatively
minimal technology, or technology-free
lifestyle. They do not have an email
account and/or smartphones and tend to
have deadlines. Social media is too much
for them and they do not see the value in
these activities.

Reluctant adopters: they accept

technology and are trying to engage with
it, but feel unintuitive and hard to use it.
They have a cell phone but do not use
texting, occasionally they use Google but
do not have a Facebook account but they
check their emails and use online
banking.

Enthusiastic adopters: they are digital

immigrants who have the potential to
keep up with natives. They embrace
technology and they may be high-tech
executives, programmers and business
people. This group sees the value of
technology, they use Facebook and
check emails regularly and technology
makes them excited. If they are doing
business, they have a website.

!"#"$%&'(%$")*+'#.167"(#8
Avoiders: even though they were born in
the digital world, some young people do
not feel an affinity for digital
technologies and Facebook. Mobile
technologies do not enamor them. They
have cell phones, but do not use email
and social media accounts.

Minimalists: they use technology

minimally and when they perceive it
necessary. They search information on
Google if they have to and purchase
online if they cannot buy something at a
local store. They check their Facebook
account once a day or every couple of
days.

Enthusiastic participants are the most of

the digital natives. They enjoy
technology and gadgets. They use
Facebook all day long and have other
social media accounts, watching
YouTube and movies online as much as
possible. The first thing they do when
they want to know something is: turn to
Google. This group is easier to reach via
social media rather than cell phones.
They thrive on instant communication
and own a smartphone for constant
access to the Web.

So how can people from these two

groups work together? How can digital
immigrants teach digital natives and
vice versa?

Some digital immigrants surpass digital

natives in tech-savviness, but there is a
belief that an early exposure to
technology fundamentally changes the
way people learn. The adoption of digital
technology has not been a unified
phenomenon worldwide. There are a lot
of opportunities where they can learn
from each other, and where the
generations feed each other knowledge.
Collaboration is they key because digital
immigrants are those who invented
technologies and systems that digital
natives today use fluently. It is important
then, to have a variety of people with a
variety of abilities and experiences.
Teachers must develop lessons on
horizontal solutions. Embracing all
technology leads to a broader
understanding of the problem. As digital
natives are driven by productivity, their
working style may seem competitive, so
incorporating more value in the process
may be a good strategy.

9*%.("(#'4.1-'$0*'(%$")*+
From the natives, the immigrants can
learn to be more open and willing to
engage with learners of differing
backgrounds. They can learn from the
natives how to sift through and focus
resources, which are aplenty and are not
as overwhelming for the native. They
can learn to scale the learning and create
what is possible.

9*%.("(#'4.1-'$0*'"--"#.%($+
Digital immigrants can teach natives to
achieve goals quickly. They can help the
“techno-wizards” scale the learning and
create what is possible. They can look at
the existing institutions and re-purpose
them or rethink their vitality. A Native
may be able to offer great ideas for
layouts, image, design and labeling,
while the immigrant would contribute
their knowledge to storytelling and the
value of including worthy artifacts.

?M N

?M N

!"#$%&#"'%()*)+,-%.$&-$/+)"01 63$$37

O37*.3*23E(*)%-%./$$D

P9/+/*Q5-"5(9%ć @ 839*:R<*=>:?

J12':1;"%&'?*,"%'>44*;$+'Q6.
?*($%&'J*%&$0

C32%/$*4()%/ X*A%+*5(/)

C'/5(*D3"5*%)(/&*7%.'*A%$$%3+&*31*5(/)(5&I

S5%.(*3+*4()%"A

T+/*4/5%U/*V/W%+ @ 839*:X<*=>:?

=01$1#.%703'%(,'-%.R*$"(#'S
J12'$1'+$%(,'16$'%-1(#'$0*T
;.12,
4/5G(.%+- R*A%+*5(/)

0(#(G/*Q/šE/5*V"5A/+ @ 839*:X<*=>:?

<03'U%(,'20*(V'.*%;0"(#'316.
ICA'%+'%'W=E'"+(5$'$0%$'"-71.$%(T
1('X!DY
T)9(5.%&%+- N*A%+*5(/)

P9/+*Q/$39%ć @ 839*:N<*=>:?

:*;.*$+'14'(*6.1-%.R*$"(#

4/5G(.%+- ;*A%+*5(/)

P9/*6%$%E39%ć @ 839*:=<*=>:?

C0*'"-71.$%(;*'14';.*%$")"$3'"(
,"#"$%&'-%.R*$"(#

,%-%./$*Y5/+&135A/.%3+ N*A%+*5(/)

0(/)*A35(*153A*,%-%./$*0(1$(2.%3+&

.$/"''$02$2%&#"'%!$2)3'

Q53"+)()Y(2'*Z*,/+

:2"$;0"(#'4.1-'<"(,12+'=01(*
$1'>(,.1",8'?3'*@7*."*(;*'+1'4%.

[$%*\6

>'A*%;$"1('$1'BC0*'!D>'14
E(41.-%$"1(F

!5((.'%G/*V'%9"G"$/

G%+";+'14'A1H1$";+

O/+&*O],B %+ Y'(*V'/$$(+-(

C0*'I0%&&*(#*

C%-+WD %+ C%-+WD

J12'$1'#*$'I*.$"4"*,'I17"*+'%(,
9*#%&'?"("-%&"+-

C"U/.'/*0 %+ ^3%2(*Y(2'*!3)2/&.

K(H1@"(#'=1.$%&

43+3)((E*4"G'(5U((

:$%$*'14'L6%($6-'I1-76$*.+'"(
MNMM'=%.$O

$"2GD2'(A

:&1$+'?"&&"1('P.

T#3". O($E Y(5A& !5%9/2D

4$+%+5$%!$2)3'%,66