FILM 260

Sandy Shearer

St# 04082819

Those who were not

brought up in the

digital age are referred

to as “Digital

Immigrants”(9)

Those who were

brought up in the

digital age and have

known technology

all their lives are

referred to as

“Digital Natives”

(9)

From birth, “Digital Natives “ will be surrounded by and exposed to

technology at a rate unseen in human history. The future will be full of

wearable devices that offer constant connectivity to the web and each other

(3)

A recent article in the

Globe and Mail

reported that

“Canadian kids can

navigate a tablet

before they can tie

their shoe laces” (11)

But is this surprising given the ease

of use of a tablet?

Is this not something parents should

encourage? as Gary Arlen notes in his

article The Internet of Things, “The

future world will include automated

homes and appliances that will

require Digital Natives and Digital

Immigrants alike to be tech savvy”(1)

While Digital

Natives may sleep

soundly with this

knowledge…

…the quick adoption of these new

technologies presents challenges for Digital

Immigrant parents raising Digital Native

children in the digital age (6)(12)

Digital Immigrants have legitimate concerns about

protecting their Digital Native children in the online

world as demonstrated by the tragic case of Amanda

Todd, a 16 year old girl who was driven to suicide

due to exploitation from an online predator.(7)(13)

Picture source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suicide-of-Amanda-

Todd/424112397648645?fref=ts (retrieved 10 June 2015)

Along with physical

security, come questions

of how much screen time

is safe for developing

minds.(8)

Tablets have only been

around since 2010 which

has not been long

enough to conduct any

in-depth research

Digital Immigrants must first educate

themselves on technology and online

trends so that they can in turn educate and

guide their children.

However, If

done incorrectly

parent’s

attempts to

keep their

children safe

and educate

them may have

the opposite

effect and harm

independence

and trust(5)(2)

Reading online is thought to

cause the loss of the ability to

conduct deep reading and

hamper the ability to focus

when reading paper books. (4)

What role will traditional books and reading play in the upbringing of a Digital Native?

Bovile and Livingstone argue that Media interactions have replaced children’s traditional leisure reading (10)

In order to prepare Digital Natives to live in both the

physical and online world of tomorrow, a balance must

be found between traditional methods of learning and

play as well as introduction and education to new

technologies. (10)

In today’s fast paced world achieving

this balance is a significant challenge

for Digital Immigrant

parents

It is time that Parents educate their children

on how to safely navigate the online

world…

..to teach them about the

abundance of opportunities

technology can provide…

….and educate

them on the

dangers and

safety

requirements that

must also be

taken…

…so that Digital Natives can

grow up to be active and

educated Digital Citizens in

the interconnected online

world of tommorow

FILM 260 sources:

1. Arlen, Gary. 2014. “The Internet of things: looking ahead to an interconnected

world”. High Tech Industry News. Retrieved June 5, 2015 (URL

http://hightechindustrynews.com/the-internet-of-things/)

2. Ingram, Mathew. August 2013. “Snooping on your kids: If the NSA’s Tools were

available I probably would have used them.” Retrieved 5 Jun 2015

(URLhttps://gigaom.com/2013/08/07/snooping-on-your-kids-if-the-nsas-tools-were-

available-i-probably-would-have-used-them/)

3. Islam, Nayeem and Roy Want. 2014 “Smartphones: Past, Present, and Future”.

Pervasive Computing. Issue No.04 - Oct.-Dec. vol.13 pp: 89-92. Retrieved June 5, 2015

(URLhttp://www.computer.org/csdl/mags/pc/2014/04/mpc2014040089-abs.html)

4. Johnson, Matthew. “Use, Understand and Creative: Towards a Comprehensive

Canadian Digital Literacy Curriculum.” MediaSmarts.

5. Mathiesen, Kay. December 2013 ”The Internet, children, and privacy: the case

against parental monitoring. Ethics and Information Technology.” 4:15

6. Paul Pamela. May 3, 2013 “Cyberparenting and the Risk of T.M.I.” The New York

Times. Retrieved 5 June 2015 (URL

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/fashion/cyber-parents-accessing-perhaps-

tmi.html?_r=0)

5.

6.

Original sources:

7. Dean, Michelle, October 18, 2012.“The story of Amanda Todd” The New Yorker..

Retrieved June 5, 2015. (URL http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-

story-of-amanda-todd)

8. Diehl, David C. and Stephanie C. Toelle. “Making Good Decisions: Media in the Lives

of Young Children”. Retrieved June 5, 2015 (URL http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1073)

9. Prensky, Marc. 2001 “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon. MCB

University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5,

10. M. Bovile, Sonia Livingstone. 2013 “Children and Their Changing Media

Environment: A European Comparative Study”. Media education.

11. Oliveira, Michael. ”Canadian kids can navigate a tablet before they can tie their

laces: report. The globe and mail. Published Sunday, Feb. 09, 2014 10.

12. Pittaro, Michael L. “Cyber stalking: An Analysis of Online Harassment and

Intimidation” . International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 2007. 1:2: 180–197

13“The Amanda Todd Story ” . Retrieved June 5, 2015 (URL

http://nobullying.com/amanda-todd-story/)

14. All photos are original photos and the property of Sandy Shearer with the exception

noted on slide 10