A.+Who+are+the+Digital+Natives

Digital Natives are different learners and have a higher tolerance to multi-tasking. They can focus on many things at once, albeit they aren't concentrating to their full potential, and could get a label of unfocused and ADHD. Many spend hours a day on the computer doing everything from watching television, checking their social status, playing games or instant messaging their friends, maybe all at the same time. Teachers need to be creative in their lesson planning to keep their students attention and the use of technology is one way of keeping the students in the class stimulated and wanting to learn. media type="youtube" key="_A-ZVCjfWf8?fs=1" height="385" width="480" align="center"
 * Digital Natives ** I'm willing to bet that students today don't use the public library anymore for school research, unless they are told that they can only use one website for reference. Students today also don't know what it is like to not have a cell phone or i-pod at their disposal 24 hours a day. These students have been termed, "Digital Natives". Digital natives are people who were born into the technological age and instead of learning how to use new technologies, they become immersed in them and technology becomes second nature to them. People who were not born into this technological age are known as Digital Immigrants. The main difference between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants is that the Digital Immigrants have to learn to adapt to the ever changing technologies. It is important that teachers become aware of and make themselves feel comfortable with the constant barrage of new technological advancements. Educators should remember that their main goal is to create an environment that their students can learn in to the best of their ability, not do what works for themselves. The Digital Natives generation learns very differently, for the most part, from older generations and this is something that cannot be avoided. Technology, when used effectively, will be a huge support system in keeping students engaged and active in facilitating their own learning. Many schools are slow to join this digital revolution because of either the lack of funds or the unwillingness of the older teachers to change. The fact of the matter is a teacher today can resist this change into a digital age or they can embrace this fact and make their students school lives a lot more meaningful.  [[image:born_digital_native.jpg width="219" height="212" link="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Y9f9j3nhI0/SjXZAh9-n_I/AAAAAAAAAX4/c9moY8MzHD8/s400/born_digital_native.jpg"]] [[image:kids-parents-internet.gif width="533" height="215" link="http://images.doseofdigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/kids-parents-internet.gif"]]