Completely enjoyed Marc Prensky’s metaphors for pre and post digital generations. They explain a lot about the difference in learning styles between my teens and I. The school education they received in NZ is, in the main, Digital Immigrant-taught (versus their self-taught digital one). I realise now, intuitively (and desperately), I adopted a Digital Translator role locating a range of multi-dimensional learning techniques to support, cajole and incentivise my bored Natives through their finals.
If I am honest, I really, really want to be a Digital Native – fast, savvy, hyper-texting as I multitask, gaming and networking and expounding all manner of technical terminology – all accent free, of course. The Digital Immigrant sounds, by comparison, like a rusty, old tractor ploughing around in a land long forgotten.
Twelve years on and I am hopeful Prensky now offers a more flexible continuum where Digital Immigrants can (l)earn their way towards Nativehood. Digital Translator could be a useful addition offering some dignity to those working at the interface? From #edcmooc discussions there seems valid resistance to tying citizenship to a birth date.
periwebblog 
I agree, but I also think that we have all come so far in terms of technology that I don’t know if we can be considered digital immigrants anymore. Remember the old VHS, now DVD and Blu ray. Telephones. And the internet itself. We have adapted to the on-line learning environment in more ways that we realise. I think that argument is more along the lines of whether we are led by technology or does technology lead us. I found myself recently showing my children how to use a dictionary properly rather than just looking online for information. Will we need to show children how to read books? Or write a study plan manually?
Thanks for the useful contribution. Agree Prensky wrote the article 12 years ago and so much has changed. Johnston makes a good point saying internet metaphors should be reviewed and maybe discarded (Salvation or Destruction; Metaphors of the Internet). The exercise could be the meeting place for educators to reflect on the value of competence in traditional AND digital ways; what to keep or discard. Technology (driven by innovation and profit) moves fast we need to develop ways to assess what we gain/lose by embracing it. I suppose technological determinism is in ascendancy atm but I’m hopeful, with a bit of organisation, we could take it back – think see-saw.