Reflecting on Bennett and Maton 2010

This paper tackles the digital natives notion in a very critical way. I am particularly in alignment with some of the aspects mentioned there. The authors start by highlighting the gap between those two generations and how they are emphasized by the media which I completely agree with. They further support this argument by giving the example of discussing classwork with peers via Facebook. This may appear to be revolutionary, but the practice has been around for a long time, so changing the medium used does not necessarily mean that this ''new savvy tech generation'' is all about new practices.

The argument is that radical change in education is needed because our traditional institutions do not meet the needs of a new generation of 'tech-savvy' learners. 

I agree completely with the authors opinion against this argument -that is quite popular among many researchers- in that a change is needed indeed, but does it have to be radical? 

The authors established that this generation has a great access to the Internet, which proves nothing about their capabilities and learning tendencies. It is not an option provided to them; they use it, but there is no urge to change everything about formal education just for the mere existence of the Internet. Actually, even the access in itself can be an issue because some learner are strictly supervised by their parents, some are unable to afford this cost or some might have technical issues with their connection (Bennett and Maton, 2010). These factors must be taken into account when establishing an education system that is only functional with the aid of the Internet. 

Another aspect about this generation and their consumption of the Internet is the nature of what they do online(Bennett and Maton, 2010). While some might see the Internet is a great learning tool, I believe that many digital natives think of it as a mere social and communicative medium. Those may not necessarily hope for 'a radical new education'. The authors also establish that the nature of the learners use vary widely depending on factors such as age and interests, and this makes creating a new system that satisfies everyone's need impossible. They also claim that the level of motivation-which is a key factor behind involving the Internet- depends strongly on the tasks themselves. The way I see it is that there should be more emphasis on tasks design rather than a drastic digital shift. When discussing the use of technology, we must not generalize and assume. A call of a much needed argument arises when the authors state:

Coming to understand what this means rises a series of interrelated issues about the nature of education and its role in young people's life. 

This I completely agree with. The current education system was designed based on the needs of a certain era, and it served its purpose relatively ok. The times have changed in terms of opportunities and connectivity, and more limitations have been removed, so there is a need to revisit and revise the purpose and the role of education.

References:

Bennett, S., and K. Maton. "Beyond the ‘digital Natives’ Debate: Towards a More Nuanced Understanding of Students' Technology Experiences."Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2010): 321-31.