In 2001 the
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants terms were introduced by M. Prensky (Prensky
2001) and, since then, they have been widely used and accepted in various contexts, including
education. Prensky argues that students today, the so called “Digital Natives”,
have been immersed in technology all their lives developing technical skills
and learning preferences for which traditional education is not well prepared.
As such, young people’s use of ICTs differentiates them from their teachers or
“Digital Immigrants”. Indeed, the analogy introduced by Prensky to describe
today’s students and teachers is very appealing however, no significant
empirical evidence exists to support this conjecture and neither facts nor
evidence tested in everyday practice have been provided. This paper aims to reflect
on the current uses and expectations of ICT in education environments and to explore
the current debate surrounding Prensky's “theory”. Consequently, the paper
seeks to provide a critical perspective on the DN/DI divide presenting some of
the findings from a major case study in secondary level environments. By
monitoring and interviewing students and teachers of two targeted schools, it
is intended to examine the actual attitudes and uses of digital technology and
digital information and to present recommendations informing best practice for
teachers, learners and Second Level Institutions.