Wow and Wonder Week 4

I found that the article this week really highlighted the course goal: recognizing that the Internet is not a neutral or equal space for everyone. What made me go “Wow” was reading how Prensky distinguished those who were proficient in technology vs those who were not. I have never thought of separating older people as digital immigrants and younger people as digital natives and I’m glad this dichotomy is no longer applicable-as argued by the authors. Moreover, as my background is in sociology, I could not help but notice the somewhat ageist attitudes that surround Prensky’s line of thought. The authors recognize this as well and mention that Prensky is suggesting that older learners are handicapped. The authors argue that skills and struggles regarding technology will vary regardless of age. It is ironic how Prensky argues that older folks were socialized differently than younger ones in relation to technical proficiency, since the nature of how Prensky was socialized may have given him ageist conscious or unconscious biases. I wonder if Prensky would agree with the author’s visitors and residents continuum typology.