Thing 3: Native...or Not?

Today, in a meeting of one of my PLN's, my 21 CLC team at my school, we spent some time reviewing several blog posts on our "21 Things" site. One in particular, a post by Chris Betcher "The Myth of the Digital Native," especially caught my attention.


I appreciate this insight for two reasons:

1. Thematically, my juniors are continuing a unit entitled A Pioneer Never Quits, in which we will spend a couple of days reading several Native American myths and reviewing a piece of Native American art (via Voice Thread), and, yes, native is one of our vocabulary terms. This is an excellent time, in my 1:1 classroom, to further discuss their roles as digital natives. I suspect, at this point, my students are quickly learning that the more they know about Web 2.0, the more they need to learn! That is where I am! The question is, then, will any of us ever be natives since the digital world is ever-changing. Can we keep up with this change?


2. I agree that our digital natives are NOT nearly as adept as we assume they might be. I have noticed that several are very stressed when asked to work with more than one tab/site. Many of them are, again, like myself. I learn the tools as I need them...you know, on a need-to-know basis. They are adept at Facebook, text-messaging, Googling topics on which they want to learn more. They are comfortable with those, yet when faced with a new tool, many become frustrated, for they have left their comfort zones.

This week's assignment actually asked me, upon reviewing above mentioned linked blog posts, to ponder on the following questions:

• What do you notice about the genre of blog writing in general?
  Insightful, in a journalist style, blogs allow me to "lurk" or to be an active participant...all the while learning...and then learning some more.


• How is blog reading different from other types of reading? How is it similar?
  This genre is all written in the first-person point of view, providing an open window into the minds of those interested in the same topics about which I want to learn more.


• How is blog writing different from other types of writing? How is it similar?
  A blogger is essentially an editorialist; the majority give opinions hyperlinked with the best of the best resources to validate their thoughts and opinions. Should we be careful of hyperlinks? That's right a hyperlink does not necessarily validate an entry!


• How does commenting contribute to the writing and meaning-making?
  Commenting allows ownership, a concept so important to many of us. Commenting also encourages social responsibility and increases one's digital outreach. All of a sudden, our world is not nearly so large!


• How can blogging facilitate learning?
  Blogging validates learning through the reflection this tool encourages. Blogging has been one of my best personal professional development "classes." Through this process, I am learning, even more, what I value, what I respect, and what I expect from myself and from others, as well.

This completes Thing 3...on to the next challenge!