Learning in the Digital Age (from the Perspective of a Digital Immigrant)

I was born in1978, that means I am not technically a Digital Native, even if I feel like I one. It also means that I could either be a gen-Xer or a gen-Yer, depending on what you read. This tends to give me little bit of an identity crisis, but that's a whole different blog.

My dad has always been a computer guy. I can remember the old computer systems being in our home as far back as the 80's, and I can remember him writing code for these systems long before I knew what code was. Today he still writes code and programs and continues to preach the evils of the Microsoft corporation and the joys of Linux. Again though, I digress, and this is a subject for a different blog as well.

For a person who was raised in a computer friendly home, I am surprisingly new to the computer world. I was never very interested in the technology because it did not seem to offer me very much. The Internet and the World Wide Web are things that I have really just begun to understand, mostly due to this class. Of course, I have had Internet access for many years, but I never really understood all the possibilities of this technology.

I can't say that I have ever listened to a podcast, or even know exactly what they are. I don't know what Wikis are excluding Wikipedia. I have taken part in very few forums, and the extent of my blogging consists of the "journal" I keep on Deviantart that gets updated every few months, and usually consists only of thumbnails of some of the art I have been enjoying recently. Well, that was the extent of my blogging until this blog of course. I have found myself more and more getting my news from streaming videos provided by websites like the Advocate's and of course, sports news and highlights from espn.com.

My history with youtube was limited to a link I may get in a email, or if my brother wanted to show me a live performance by Tool or Pantera. Since starting this class though, I have found myself more and more searching for topics on youtube, including political topics. I have to say that my knowledge of these subjects has grown exponentially due to this class though, and I finally feel like I am not groping around in the dark when I search for information.

It seems to me that the possibilities of these new technologies are endless, but I do wonder at what cost. In the video lecture we watched this week, one of the men questioning the speaker said something very similar to one of Bill's entries here, in that textbooks are losing their value and usefulness. While I agree that textbooks are very 20th century, and do not have the ability to update the information they provide, they still have their value. There is a difference between actually holding a text and just looking information up on the internet. The joy of reading a classic novel, or a new one, can not be duplicated, in my opinion, by sitting in front of a computer screen. Images seen on a screen are not as powerful as a printed work. There is something to be said for the value of physical interaction with the information and art that we enjoy. Maybe I'm wrong in this line of thought or maybe it's just my personal opinion.

All this being said, I am very happy to be living in this digital world. I enjoy the never ending supply of information and misinformation provided by the digital tools we use today. I could not be a college student without the possibility of online classes. I could not interact with and show my personal artwork to people all over the world without the Internet. I would not be able to communicate with my family that is dispersed across the eastern US with as much ease and regularity without the miracles of modern digital technology.

Perhaps I'm old fashioned but I still enjoy buying a magazine or newspaper and thumbing through the pages. While I do consider myself to be a digital immigrant, I can't see myself ever completely giving up my analog roots.