divide is one of the greatest challenges that the education system faces today. This gap in digital literacy between the last generation of technology inept instructors and the current generation of technology adept students prevents new revolutionary technologies from being used effectively in school worldwide (Gu). After examining the conversation taking place between members of both the education and technology discourse communities I have found that there is a lack of research on the difference in the way digital natives and digital immigrants use technology. With a deeper understanding of digital literacy we can educate teachers in how to approach technology in general way, rather than educating them on how to use any one particular program or device. I possess neither the ability nor qualifications to do such research, so rather than focusing on creating plans for a specific study I will instead present my idea to simply justify further research. One text which is very relevant to this approach is "Identifying Different Registers of Digital Literacy in Virtual Learning Environments" by Karlstrm Petter. Petter examines the digital divide from a social semiotics perspective, specifically the registers used by teachers and students in a virtual learning environment. What he found was that major discrepancies existed between the registers used by these two groups, often making communication in a VLE more difficult. I believe that this lack of common registers between students and teachers is among
Pentz 2 the largest and most problematic differences in the way digital natives and digital immigrants use technology. With this in mind I would also like to propose a unique approach to educating the educators on how to use new technology. Since the primary cause of the digital divide is likely the lack of common registers and other similar differences in the way digital natives and immigrants approach technology, it should be of little surprise that current programs to help teachers become more tech-savvy arent having a huge impact on the classroom. I believe that this is because teaching digital immigrants to use a program or device is only a band-aid for the real issue, a lack of true digital literacy. For this reason I feel that the only way to bridge the digital divide is to educate teachers in more general terms. This should include computer skills such as menu navigation as well as even more general technology skills, such as the use of touch screen operating systems. Further research is needed to identify specific skills, concepts, and registers that digital immigrants are lacking. Once these have been identified, we can begin effectively educating teachers on how to interact with technology competently and on level with their students by teaching them how to use technology as a whole. This type of technology education will not only teach educators how to use todays programs and devices, it will instill a fundamental understanding of technology that will make transitioning to tomorrows programs and devices natural and almost effortless.
Pentz 3 Works Cited Petter, Karlstrm, et al. "Identifying Different Registers Of Digital Literacy In Virtual Learning Environments." Internet & Higher Education 15.4 (2012): 237-246. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Xiaoqing Gu, Yuankun Zhu, and Xiaofeng Guo. "Meeting The "Digital Natives": Understanding The Acceptance Of Technology In Classrooms." Journal Of Educational Technology & Society 16.1 (2013): 392-402. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 11 Mar. 2013.