Double Journal Entry # 6
Deconstructing Digital Natives Ch. 1

Questions:
1.  Are you a technoloevangelist or a technoloskeptic?
I am partly a technoloevangelist because I am trying to embrace new technologies.  I am in favor of using technology in the classroom such as ipads and smartboards.  I was born in 1977, so I am not as technology advanced as my younger counterparts. 
2.  Why is the term Digital Native problematic?
The term Digital Native is problematic because not all people in that age range are true digital natives as the text describes.  The idea that digital natives use technology in everyday life is true but some also want to keep school and personal life separate. The idea that digital natives learn to leverage their knowledge, enthusiasm and skills is true, but people that are not digital natives can also do these things and with their prior job experience may be better suited to a job than a digital native.
3.  What is interactionist pedagogy and how does it differ from the transmission model of eduation?
Tapscott outlines interactionist pedagogy as: hypermedia learning,construction and discovery, teacher-centered to learner centered, learning how to navigate how to learn, lifelong learning as fun, and the teacher as a facilitator.  The transmission model of education is a one-size-fits-all learning mentality without changes regardless of student differences or type of learning style.
4.  List 3 vocabulary words that were unfamiliar and provide definitions.
Digital natives- typically born after 1980, speak a digital language, learn differently from preceding generations of students, demand a new way of teaching and learning that involves technology, aka: cyberkids
Luddites-19th century textile artisans who protested against the Industrial Revolution
Semiotic-study of signs and sign processes


Quote: "The availability of new digital technologies and the changing assumptions about the nature of learners and styles of learning have to be read against the background of the dramatic increase in the number of students entering higher education around the world and the need to discover new ways of both communicating with them and instructing them." (2011' Thomas)
Response:
I find this quote very interesting because as a student seeking higher education, I am in the position to question if I am getting a thorough education through online learning.  After I finish my Bachelor's Degree, I am going to seek a Master's Degree.  When researching about the different types of instruction available, I discovered that I can take all of my class online.  I have taken classes online in the past and have done fine with them.  I question that if I receive a totally online degree, is my future employer going to be accepting of the fact that I was not engaged in a classroom setting while learning.  Will my learning be compromised by the fact that I am not getting the face-to-face interaction as if I were in an on-campus class.  The Technoloevangelist in me says that it will be okay and my future will accept this because it is the wave of the future, but the technoloskeptic in me says that it is not okay and that I feel like I am being cheated of life learning experiences.  Does it really matter?  I do not know.  Most likely I will take the courses online due to the convenience factor and the fact that I already work a full-time job and have a family to take care of.

The above photo symbolizes online learning.

Thomas, M. (2011). Deconstructing digital natives. New York, NY: Routledge.