Digital Natives or Still Kids who Need Guiding?

I do not like the terms "native" and "immigrant" in this sense. It feels like it dilutes the words actual meanings and adds another log of misunderstanding of what it means to be native and immigrant to anything. I do understand what Prensky mean in his theory that kids are learning in a world that is different and so they are better and differently equipped for it. I also agree with Boyd that we play a reckless game with the safety and access of children when we do not teach or guide them when it comes to the digital world. I agree more with Boyd because the underlying "digital immigrant" portion of his theory feels like adult laziness.

I "hear" his words the same why I hear adults talk about "kids are our future" but do very little to be the kind of adults that show kids what the future can and will look like. Boyd's assertion that we make sure youth know how to manage and navigate digital spaces requires several things of adults. The first of which is that they understand and be able to navigate digital spaces well enough to give good guidance. Then we add on the work of supervising them while they play online, talking about danger, setting up ways to be able to vet information and the list goes on. Instead, we laugh at how easily they pick it up and set them off to find wonder and danger, sometimes in the same place.

We as adults must do the work to guide the youth we are in community with. Well resourced adults do not have to know how to do everything, but we should be able to find others that are able to help! Teaching this same resource sharing to youth is how we encourage them to be honest, open and able to explore.