Digital Native or Immigrant?

I have never really thought of myself as someone who was technologically advanced. It wasn’t until I read the online article and completed the digital natives quiz that I began realizing how much I rely on technology to do just about everything. It has become a helpful and supportive tool that has made life easier. Although I wouldn’t say that I am a pure digital native, I would have to agree that I lean more towards native than immigrant. I was stumped on a few of the quiz terms, but for the most part, I was able to recognize and explain most of them. Prensky identifies some ways he believes digital natives think differently than native immigrants. I was able relate to several of his claims, including the one that stated that natives have become more active learners in the classroom and the workplace. I use technology to read, study, and communicate with teachers and peers. The classroom is no longer just a place for lecture. Instead, students are actively participating and becoming more engaged than ever.
Having grown up in a generation that was exposed to computers at a very young age, I have not only taken an interest in technology, but I have become skillful at using it. At moments, I would even consider myself fluent because I am confident that I could teach others how to utilize technology to benefit their own lives. However, since new technology is constantly being introduced, I would have to say that, in a sense, I will always remain an “emergent” learner. Tompkins mentions in her text that during the emergent stage of literacy, students “notice environmental print in the world around them and in the classroom” (91). Even today, I am still noticing the different digital tools that can help make my life easier. For example, this is my first experience as a blogger and just weeks ago, I watched as a peer modeled for me how to post a blog. Just as “emergent” literacy learners are being exposed to literacy, I am constantly being exposed to new technology.