paper innotech rizqi amelia.docx

7/25/2019 Paper INNOTECH Rizqi Amelia.docx

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Rizqi Amelia

20120540092

EED/C

Understanding Differences of Digital Naties and Digital !mmigrants

Long time ago, technology is created to help human in doing everything to be easier as

the main purpose. Start from simple findings such as knife, pulley, sunglasses, heaver, up to

grinder, lamp, various kind of simple machines are categorized as simple technology. In the

beginning of these findings, people might think them as very brilliant and wonderful tools,

yet, nowadays they are noticed as something really usual because we use them all in our daily

life. Even, people creat many better tools to replace these simple technology. Technology

develops so rapidly. Technology makes things that we think they are impossible to be true,

become possible and real in some periods of time. eople thought that going to the moon was

impossible, but technology proved we could make it happen. Television, computer,

handphone, and internet, are really e!traneous and lu!urious before "#th century. $owadays,

everyone who have and use them are a common thing. It is weird when there is someone

whichn is unfimiliar with the using of gadgets %modern technology & handphone, tablet,computer, etc'. In fact, there are people who were born in traditional era where technology

didn(t have big progress as good as now. They may not be familiar with the using of modern

technology and they may be people which are really close to us, such as our grand mother,

aunt, uncle, our parents, even our teacher.

In "##), *arc rensky introduced two terms to differentiate people based on this topic &

+igital $atives and +igital Immigrant. rensky %rensky, "##)a' define all native speakers-

of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet as +igital $atives. or

people who were born after %or closed to' "#th century, having contact with gadgets is really

commong thing. They live as if gadgets are their food, their friends, even their teachers.

Technology tooks very important part of their life. rensky e!plain some of their

characteristics &

+igital $atives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process

and multi/task. They prefer their graphics before their te!t rather than the opposite. They

prefer random access %like hyperte!t'. They function best when networked. They thrive on

instant gratification and fre0uent rewards. They prefer games to serious- work%"##)a,p)'.



So, how about predecessor generations who were born before modern gadgets were found1

rensky %rensky, "##)a' describe them as +igital Immigrant, they are people who were not

born into the digital world but have, at some later point in our lives, become fascinated by

and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology are. +igital immigrant have some

characteristics that is called digital immigrant accent- by rensky.

The digital immigrant accent- can be seen in such things as turning to the Internet for

information second rather than first, or in reading the manual for a program rather than

assuming that the program itself will teach us to use it. . . They include printing out your

email %or having your secretary print it out for you 2 an even thicker- accent'3 needing to

print out a document written on the computer in order to edit it %rather than 4ust editing on

the screen'3 and bringing people physically into your office to see an interesting web site%rather than 4ust sending them the 56L'.

7ontrary with digital native, +igital immigrant will put internet or technology as a secondary

choice. They prefer to do something manually rather than using or looking for a

program8application in their gadget. +igital immigrant seemed to be more conventional than

digital native.

I had interviews with several people around my 5niversities in order to identify how far

they address the characteristics e!plained by rensky. The participants are 9 little girls and a

male parker works in 5nires %my university(s dormitory'.

irst is +iva. She is a 9rd grade elementary school(s student who live in 6ukeman,

Taman Tirto, :antul. She looks such a cheerful and nice child. +iva like to play around with

her friends. +iva started using handphone recently, but doesn(t have her own handphone yet.

+uring her free time, she likes to play around her friends and borrowing her mother(shandphone, usually in the night. She likes to chat with friends through instant messaging and

direct calling, escpecially for asking about their task. ;er parents allow her to use handphone,

even her mother pay the credit for her. :esides te!ting and calling with her friends, she like to

use the gadget for listening music and playing games, but she doesn(t know yet about

internet. ;er hobby is drawing, and her learning style is reading while finishing 0uestion/

answer e!ercises.



Second is <yu. She is a 9 rd grade elementary school(s student who live in 6ukeman,

Taman Tirto, :antul. <yu and +iva look like close friends. <yu, tend to be more shy and

silent than +iva. <yu started using handphone recently. In contrast with +iva, she already has

her own handphoe. ;er mother already gave her a handphone altough she didn(t ask for it.

;aving much similar with +iva, she often use instant message and calling service on her

handphone to communicatee with he friends, usually in the night. She like to use the gadget

for listening music and playing games, but she doesn(t know yet about internet. ;er hobby

and learning style is also same with +iva.

Third is, <ini. <ini is a nine years old child who live in 6ukeman, Taman Tirto, :antul.

She is on the =th grade of Elementary School now, and she already has her own handphone as

a gift from her mother. She start using handphone from the )st

grade, and she seldom using

instant message and never use calling service. She likes to spend much time to playing games

in her handphone. 5ne!pectedly, she said that she spend more of her time playing games

rather than studying, even she left her eating time. ;er parents never get mad about that and

pay for her credit. Eventough her handphone is 0uite lu!urios for her %with camera and the

game is 0uite popular', she doesn(t know how to use internet and she doesn(t bring it to the

school. ;er learning style is reading and her hobby is drawing, but she likes to read more

than drawing.

The last is mister Sastro. ;is age is fifty years old and he works as a parker in 5nires.

;e is able to use computer, handphone, even internet. ;e has his handphone when he was

young when the price of handphone was very e!pensive. In the past, mister Sastro used to

very familiar with technology, but now he uses it rarely. ;is children use it more often than

him. <t the beginning, he always control his children in using gadget, but time by time he feel

it is okay to let them. ;e let his children bring handphone for communicating with him, and

he think that technology gives positive effects. In his age, he doesn(t use technology as

intensive as before, so he choose to 4oin in the community or reading newspaper for

increasing his knowldge.

Looking at the result of my interview with the characteristics mentioned by rensky, I

agree with what rensky %"##)b, p.9' said that digital native has different way of thinking.

Environment which is faced by native and immigrant are really different, so it will result

different habits, behaviour, even style of learning. rom my point of view, digital immigrant

have big role in forming the digital native to be what rensky called with singularity-.



$ative which mostly are children show different habits compare to immigrant is normal,

because they learn to adapt fastly in their age. or children under ten years old, technology

may seems as playing tools where they can get happiness and fun with it. Eventhough some

of characteristics such as they function best when networked- is not clearly seen because

those children still lack of knowldge about internet, in the age that not really far from them

%)),)",)9 years old' other children come up with fast progress. I had observed my sister and

my cousins in this age. I found out that children which is close to teenager %puberty' age gain

more curiosity, more independence, and also physical growth and development. They become

more active in having contact with her8his friends and it leads to the trend. Technology which

always become a trend will be choosen by many of them to build more intensive friendship,

having more fun, fantasy, and independence. In contrast with native, immigrant is placed in

the phase where they concern more about practical thing and reality they should faced in their

life. >ith their backgrounds which are more conventional, more traditions and values, they

don(t have much interaction with technology before "# th century. That(s why immigrant and

native are different.

Sometimes, differences between native and immigrant in using technology result less of

harmony. ;owever, there are still many immigrant who are 0uite familiar with the using of

technology. In learning/teaching process, it may be very useful for teacher to adapt withstudents( learning style, but it is also important for students to know that not all of things

should be apply in technology. Sometimes, convensional practices that including direct

communication, direct observation8practice and entering social life is also needed because it

is also useful to know and to e!perience how to apply theory in real life.

6eferences

rensky, *. %"##)a'. +igital $atives, +igital Immigrants. On the Horizon , 9 %?'.

rensky, *. %"##)b'. +igital $atives, +igital Immigrants art II & +o They 6eally Think

+ifferently1 From On the Horizon , 9 %?'.

paper innotech rizqi amelia.docx

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