Significantly, there is a concern that Digital Natives ‘are
leaving more traces of themselves in public places online’ (Palfrey and Gasser,
2008:p7). A potential danger is that
information is available to future employers and in extreme cases, stalkers or paedophiles;
therefore educating children about internet safety is becoming more essential
(Palfrey and Gasser, 2008). However,
educators appear to be less confident teaching with digital technology, perhaps
because they are Digital Immigrants in the new generation’s world (Palfrey and
Gasser, 2008).
Other issues include the fear that piracy could lead to
companies losing money (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008), suggesting that digital
literacy expands further than just knowing how to use technology. Despite this, Palfrey and Gasser (2008:p9)
argue that ‘we must put real threats into perspective; our children […] have
tremendous opportunities in store for them, not in spite of the digital age,
but because of it’. Palfrey and Gasser
(2008:p9) also state that we need to ‘balance caution with encouragement’,
which is a growing challenge for teachers as criticism often surrounds video
games and social networking. With
a widening divide between those who have or do not have access to technology, division
between those who can use it competently or not produces an inequality for some
(Palfrey and Gasser, 2008). An
implication of this is that in a society revolving around technology, children
need equal opportunities to develop their digital literacy so that they can
integrate themselves into this culture once they leave school.
References:
Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital:
Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives
Prensky, M. (2001)’Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part
II: Do They Really Think
Differently?’ On the Horizon 9 (6)
Although there are many dangers in the use of technology,there are great opportunities to use it and it has some fantastic benefits. Children need to be aware of safety issues when using technology and it is not only a teachers place to show this, but also parents and the wider society so children do not see it as 'safety in school' but rather 'safety for life.' Once the safe use of technology such as the internet, chat rooms, mobile phones is set out, children can use many resources to their advantage and become prepared for their digital future.
ReplyDelete