"OUR STUDENTS HAVE CHANGED RADICALLY," this is the observation of Marc Prensky in his article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants." (Prensky, October 2001.) Today’s students and young workers are part of a cohort he calls "Digital Natives." Raised on MTV, video games, e-mail, the Web and instant messaging, Digital Natives have developed cognitive thinking patterns that differ from previous generations. As a result, the challenge facing educational designers is to recognize these cognitive differences and to develop learning offerings that are appropriate to their cognitive learning patterns.
"Blogs, Wikis, and Modding, Oh My!" 

Are you a Digital Native? Take the test! Click on the screen to begin

Digital Natives, Generation-D (digital), Nintendo Kids, the MTV generation, whatever term you chose to describe them, today’s youth has grown up with an uprecedented access to and appetite for technology and new media. Since 1970, when Pong (the revolutionary video arcade game) was introduced, children have voraciously consumed a steady diet of digital games, music videos, and the world wide web. More recently, they have enthusiastically embraced technologies that are on the leading edge of the technology wave including live chats, instant messaging, smart mobs, blogs, wikis, modding, and more. While these terms might be common parlance in the vernacular of Digital Natives, they are cryptic and foreign to the "Digital Immigrants" who struggle to understand and master these new technologies. For more information on these, and other technology terms used in this article, take the "Are you a Digital Native?" Quiz found above.

Digital Natives perceive technology as their friend and rely on it to study, work, play, relax and communicate. Natives dominate the seats in our classrooms and are an increasing presence in the entry-level workplace.
"I’m not A.D.D. I’m just not listening!" 

T-shirt worn by a teenager in Manhattan.

Much discussion of Generation Xers has focused on their short attention spans and A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder.) Prensky believes, however, that this level of anlaysis is overly simplistic. The t-shirt worn by a teenager in Manhattan summarizes what is often too true, "I’m not A.D.D., I’m just not listening."
Prensky believes that new media and technology have intrinsically changed the way Digital Natives think, often in positive ways. In his article, "Twitch Speed Learning, Keeping up with Young Workers", Prensky identifies ten cognitive styles that differentiate Digital Natives from Digital Immigrants (Prensky, 1998.) Details on these ten cognitive styles are presented in the graphics box below. To navigate this tool, roll over the text on the left and details will appear on the right.

The challenge facing educators and trainers is to identify learning strategies that are appropriate for Digital Natives, recognizing the different ways they process information and developing learning tools that maximize the potential of their unique cognitive approach. 
The Army, not surprisingly, has aggressively stepped up to meet this challenge. The majority of its recruits are between 18 and 22, many are Digital Natives and they all require extensive training. To respond, the Army has developed an extensive array of gaming simulations. From privates to generals, all staff are trained and tested in simulated theater environments. For a flavor of the Army’s simulations, visit its website at www.goarmy.com to access its game, "America’s Army." 

Screen shot from America’s Army, one of many gaming simulations used by the armed forces to train and evaluate its troops.

Private corporations have also begun to adopt simluation technologies that borrow heavily from the computer gaming industry. Clark Alrdrich’s book, Simulations and the Future of Learning, provides a fascinating account of the development of "Virtual Leader", a leadership simulation his team at Simulearn developed for the private sector (Aldrich, 2003.)
Universities have also been adopting computer-based gaming in the classroom. In 2001, the second highest ranked course among Executive MBA students at Harvard Business School was a simulation used to teach global logistics. Feedback from students rated the simulation highly in many of the cognitive areas that are prioritized among Digital Natives, real-time speed, multiple-path decision making, random access to information, multi-tasking, feedback, and immersive realism. MIT, in turn, has initiated the "Games-to-Train Project." With the support of a grant from Microsoft I-Campus, the project examines ways to apply interactive digital entertainment -- computer and video games, immersive worlds, interactive stories, and massively multiplayer online communities to promote learning.

Michael Culligan