The four phases of the digital natives debate

Abstract

The challenge of educating digital natives has caused educators to radically rethink the ways in which they teach the generations who have come of age immersed in modern technology. Over the years, the discussion has caused a certain level of panic among non-natives, the so-called digital immigrants, educators who fear that they do not possess the technical skills to teach their tech-savvy students. In an effort to help educators and other readers better understand the evolution of these terms and related ideas since their inception, this literature review identifies and elaborates upon four distinct and telling phases of the debate about their meaning and importance: (a) conception, (b) reaction, (c) adaptation, and (d) reconceptualization. Scholars have yet to reach a consensus on the issues involved in the digital natives conundrum, but challenges include (a) multitasking, (b) problems associated with social media, (c) educational benefits associated with social media, and (d) new strategies that educators are designing and employing in their attempts to reach so-called digital natives. Practical implications are discussed.