core 4

Garrett Johnson
ENC 1102
Section 112
Ms. Moody
Core IV
Research Question
If you are exposed to technology at a young age, are you more digitally literate than children who are not exposed to technology until their education calls for digital literacy?

Introduction
The world currently revolves around technology and the ability for people to be technologically literate. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that everyone has the same level of literacy. I want to find whether or not age is a factor in digital proficiency. To find if children who are introduced to digital and technological devices at a younger age are more successful at becoming totally digitally literate as technology progresses throughout the future, I looked for scholarly sources that described digital literacy, its importance, and its changes across and in generations. I found that digital literacy is concluded among many sources to be one of the most important factors of overall success for upcoming generations in today’s society. I want to look further into sources like "Digital Literacy in the Google Generation” to discover the importance of digital literacy beyond search engines and into evaluation of sources. I feel this is just as important as basic understanding of technology. Mark Prensky’s article, as well as the article from Educause are also interesting because they focus on the generational aspect of my topic. I am still struggling to find solid information concerning disparities within generations, although it is apparent in my findings that digital literacy is, in fact, like learning a second language.

Methods of Research:
Defining Digital Literacy
In my opinion, one of the best resources to determine literacy is to consult a library. To define digital literacy, I looked to a scholarly library because of their ethos. At the university, librarians even work to incorporate digital media into the library as a resource for students to gain digital literacy. I used this website because it contributes to my knowledge and opinion of the topic, and I think it is important to first understand the definition of digital literacy from outside sources before making conclusions of my own.

Personal observations
To define digital literacy and determine whether or not the age you are when exposed to technology hinders your attempt at becoming digitally literate, I considered my personal situation. The discrepancy lies in upbringings: I was never taught how to use a computer until I was much older and the use of technology was necessary to complete school assignments. In comparison, I have seen that if a child is raised learning how to work a computer’s simple functions, or even an electronic toy that is made to resemble a computer, then that child will most likely not only have a grasp of the concept of working a digital device, but will be able to use it to their benefit throughout their education. My observations are weak and this is obviously not the best form of research because it is purely based on my opinion. However, it is also scientifically proven that during the early stages of our childhood, our brain can learn new things and concepts, such as new languages, and become digitally literate exceptionally fast. In their article entitled,”Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century,” Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan wrote: “Digital and visual literacies are the next wave of communication specialization. Most people will have technologies at their fingertips not only to communicate but to create, to manipulate, to design, to self-actualize. Children learn these skills as part of their lives, like language, which they learn without realizing they are learning it.” Therefore, if children are not exposed to digital media until later in life, they will find it as difficult to learn as a new language, which proves my observations as true.

Blog
A video blog I found is a solid outside source which I thought was good for showing the importance of digital literacy in younger generations, as well as helping prove my assumptions that some students have the capability to use technology more effectively than others. This blog, which updates the book “Information Literacy Meets Library 2.0,” was published in March of 2008, and contains a video that shows how current generations have pretty much all information on the tips of their finger by having the ability to use the Google search engine. In past generations students would have to go to the library to research or ask an expert on the subject. However, they outline the fact that students often have the skills to obtain sources, but lack the digital literacy to use their findings effectively. The video explains, “A study conducted by the British Library at JISC illustrates that young people in the so called “Google generation” rely on search engines as their sources of information, but lack the skills to evaluate information.” The video goes on to show the importance of digital literacy and gives a diagram of the six steps to being digitally literate: task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. This source lacks credibility in the area of expertise. I was unable to find the authors of the blog. Although their information seems credible, this source may lack expertise.

Articles
The article in Educause, by Diana Oblinger of Educause and James Oblinger
 of North Carolina State University, is possibly one of the best sources for my paper. It thoroughly explains digital literacy across generations with diagrams and various resources. Some of the information I found most interesting was their explanation of younger generation’s digital literacy:

“Exposure to IT begins at very young ages. Children age six or younger spend an average of two hours each day using screen media (TV, videos, computers, video games), which nearly equals the amount of time they spend playing outside (1:58 hours versus 2:01 hours). Both significantly exceed the amount of reading time (39 minutes). Half of the children in this age group have used a computer; among 4-to-6-year-olds, 27 percent spend over an hour a day (1:04) at the keyboard. It's not just teenagers who are wired up and tuned in, it's babies in diapers as well. While earlier generations were introduced to information through print, this generation takes a digital path.”

The Oblingers then discuss personality traits associated with digital literacy, as well as the fact that “age is less important than exposure to technology.” This contributes to my research greatly because it focuses on the fact that not everyone has the same digital literacy rates across or within a generation, and it matters more whether or not people are exposed to technology rather than simply how old they are. I believe this source is credible because it was found in an educational article written by experts. Limitations are scarce, besides the background of the authors. Their views on digital literacy may be altered by their age and generational traits, or by their careers as teachers.

A similarly credible article I researched was by Marc Prensky. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant, and designer in the critical areas of education and learning. His findings for digital literacy compare “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants” as people who grow up digitally literate in comparison to those who try to learn later in life. He discusses how the differences between Digital Native students and Digital Immigrant teachers “lies at the root of a great many of today’s educational problems.” He suggested, “Digital Natives’ brains are likely physically different as a result of the digital input they received growing up.” And he submitted, “learning via digital games is one good way to reach Digital Natives in their ‘native language.’” This information is good support for my research findings because it further shows the importance of digital literacy, how it is engrained in our society, and the fact that children who grow up digitally literate learn it like a foreign language and are better with technology than those who learn later in life. I believe this method is also one of my stronger research methods because it is important to consult experts on a subject before drawing personal conclusions.

Results and Discussion
I found the answer to my research questions lies in the key comparison between digital literacy and language. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign explains the definition of digital literacy as “the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information, the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers, and a person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment.” Digital language is simply one aspect of digital literacy, digital literacy encompasses all aspects put together. I believe Diana Oblinger of Educause and James Oblinger
 of North Carolina State University, as well as Marc Prensky, best outline the answer to my research question. Just like it’s harder for older generations to understand technology than younger generations who are supposedly surrounded by it in society, it is similarly more difficult for children of the same generation to be equally literate if they’re introduced to technology at different ages. Obviously, digital literacy comes more easily to those who are introduced to technology at a young age in comparison to those who learn to use technology once it’s required of them.
I believe further studies on this topic should be done to specify the exact ages at which introduction to technology is vital for children to become fluent by the time technology skills are required of them. In today’s society, digital literacy is vital for social and learning success. It is engrained throughout our lives in everything from checking email to analyzing digital sources. Therefore, the “take home” point of my findings is that it is important for all children to be equally exposed to digital media in order for them to function with the same digital literacy because of the importance of it in our lives.

CARS Research intro

I would say that the general area of my research would be in the area of children learning to be digitally literate as young as possible, and then comparing this to people that are older learning (pretty much teenagers and above), who learn at their older age. My question is pretty much "Does the age at which one learns to become semi digitally literate, or at least be introduced to technology, affect the difficulty at which they learn and the speed at which they learn other aspects of digital literacy in the future. My goal is to find any studies or other professionals' views on the subject so I would not have to conduct an experiment myself.

in class quiz

If I had to label my research for my core 3 and core 4 papers as either fact or definition, I would say that there is definitely a little of both combined in my papers. In these two core papers my goal was to define what digital literacy is and determine if your when you started learning it would help or hinder when trying to become fluent in it. At first i did not fully understand the difference between the definition and the facts of being digitally literate until I started reading examples from our outside readings. In “Malcom X” In this reading Malcom is simply explaining his battle to become overall literate while also being incarcerated. He explains how at first he could not really read well at all but by the end of his prison sentence he was very fluent in the English language simply by reading and writing the words down from a dictionary. This example would be a totally different style of writing if he was arguing for how one should become literate. If he stated that the only way one could become literate was by reading and then writing what the read in a journal than this would have been more of a fact based argument paper. In my paper as stated before I stated what i believed digital literacy was when I said that it is more than just being able to turn on a computer and operate the simple basic functions of a computer such as an email or playing solitaire, but that it was being able to do such things as diagnosing a problem and knowing how to take care of it for example. Also know how to fully use a computer to work for you to your advantage to achieve a goal such as something for your job or for school. I also argued that I believe if you take my generation, for example, and notice how there is a great divide where many kids my age are very digitally literate and can do all of the things mentioned like diagnosing a technological problem and know how to fix it, (not just in computers but in any form of technology), and there are also kids like me who don’t quite have the gift of being able to do that. I believe one of the main reasons for this is because of how we are raised. When taught at a very young age how to interact with technology even at its barest form, this creates a curiosity in us at this young age. When one is curious, they usually have a desire to learn and therefore do become more digitally literate easier. So this is why I say that my paper is a combination of both styles of writing because of the fact that I try to explain what digital literacy can be interpreted as, and also one major reason why I believe some have the ability and desire to become much more fluent in this area than others.

core 3 annotative bibliography

Core III
Bibliography
In today’s society, digital literacy is vital for social and learning success. However, I want to find whether or not age is a factor in digital proficiency. To find if children who become digitally literate at a younger age are more successful, I looked for scholarly sources that described digital literacy, its importance, and its changes across and in generations. I found that digital literacy is concluded among many sources to be one of the most important factors of overall success for upcoming generations in today’s society. I want to look further into sources like "Digital Literacy in the Google Generation” to discover the importance of digital literacy beyond search engines and into evaluation of sources. I feel this is just as important as basic understanding of technology. Mark Prensky’s article, as well as the article from Educause is also interesting because they focus on the generational aspect of my topic. I am still struggling to find solid information concerning disparities within generations, although it is apparent in my findings that digital literacy is, in fact, like learning a second language. This is definitely something I must research further in order to fully reach the analysis potential of my research question.

"Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE." What Is EDUCAUSE? | EDUCAUSE. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .
College professors, Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan, explain in Educause Quarterly, “Prior to the 21st century, literate defined a person’s ability to read and write, separating the educated from the uneducated.” Their expertise in the filed of education allows them special insight to the digital literacy of younger generations in comparison to their own. A key quote I found important for my paper was, “Children learn these skills as part of their lives, like language, which they learn without realizing they are learning it.” This explains the digital literacy of new generations, and leaves room for research between children of the same generation, which is the focus of my research question.

"Digital Literacy Definition and Resources." University Library at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign explains the definition of digital literacy as “the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information, the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers, and a person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment.” At the university, librarians even work to incorporate digital media into the library as a resource for students to gain digital literacy. I used this website because it contributes to my knowledge and opinion of the topic, and I think it is important to first understand the definition of digital literacy from outside sources before making conclusions of my own.

"Digital Literacy in the Google Generation." Information Literacy Meets Library 2.0. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .
This blog, which updates the book “Information Literacy Meets Library 2.0,” was published in March of 2008, and contains a video that shows how current generations have pretty much all information on the tips of their finger by having the ability to use the Google search engine. In past generations students or just people in general would have to go to the library and rent a book or find an expert on the subject. However, they outline the fact that students often have the skills to obtain sources, but lack the digital literacy to use their findings effectively. The video explains, “A study conducted by the British Library at JISC illustrates that young people in the so called “Google generation” rely on search engines as their sources of information, but lack the skills to evaluate information.” The video goes on to show the importance of digital literacy and gives a diagram of the six steps to being digitally literate: task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. I thought this information was good for showing the importance of digital literacy in younger generations, as well as helping prove my assumptions that some students have the capability to use technology more effectively than others.

"Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation | EDUCAUSE." What Is EDUCAUSE? | EDUCAUSE. Web. 08 Apr. 2010.
This article on Educause, by Diana Oblinger of Educause and James Oblinger
 of North Carolina State University, is possibly one of the best sources for my paper. It thoroughly explains digital literacy across generations with diagrams and various resources. Some of the information I found most interesting was their explanation of younger generation’s digital literacy:
“Exposure to IT begins at very young ages. Children age six or younger spend an average of two hours each day using screen media (TV, videos, computers, video games), which nearly equals the amount of time they spend playing outside (1:58 hours versus 2:01 hours). Both significantly exceed the amount of reading time (39 minutes). Half of the children in this age group have used a computer; among 4-to-6-year-olds, 27 percent spend over an hour a day (1:04) at the keyboard. "It's not just teenagers who are wired up and tuned in, it's babies in diapers as well." While earlier generations were introduced to information through print, this generation takes a digital path.”

The Oblingers then discuss personality traits associated with digital literacy, as well as the fact that “age is less important than exposure to technology.” This contributes to my research greatly because it focuses on the fact that not everyone has the same digital literacy rates across or within a generation, and it matters more whether or not people are exposed to technology rather than simply how old they are.

Prensky, Mark. "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?" On the Horizon 9.6 (2001). MCB University Press. Web. .
Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant, and designer in the critical areas of education and learning. His findings for digital literacy compare “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants” as people who grow up digitally literate as compared to those who try to learn later in life. He discusses how the differences between Digital Native students and Digital Immigrant teachers “lies at the root of a great many of today’s educational problems.” He suggested, “Digital Natives’ brains are likely physically different as a result of the digital input they received growing up.” And he submitted, “learning via digital games is one good way to reach Digital Natives in their ‘native language.’” This information is good support for my research findings because it further shows the importance of digital literacy, how it is engrained in our society, and the fact that children who grow up digitally literate learn it like a foreign language and are better with technology than those who learn later in life.

Research reflection

So far I totally agree with all of the research that I have found up to date. I think that overall what the researchers, doctors and scientists is what I was hypothesizing would happen before I started my research. I thought that if someone was taught at an early age to use a computer or even was just introduced to technology, such as programs like Baby Einsteins, that they would grow up with a better grasp on technology. Better at least than someone like me, who had a computer growing up but was never really taught how to use one at an early age, nor was even interested in learning how to do so. I have learned that technology and digital literacy are similar to a foreign language. And it is scientifically proven that when taught at a young age, it is much easier to learn one. This was the basis for my argument and research. I wanted to find proof that there was a reason why in a generation like mine, there are young adults who are fluent with technology and there are others again like me who are not. After taking much time looking at the research that I concluded that it was very similar, if not the same, as learning a second language: younger does equal easier, and because of this it also equals becoming more fluent throughout life. Meaning that it will be easier to pick up new things and tools along the way.

core 2

I have often wondered if I was taught at a much younger age how to use digital devices such as a computer, would I have learned how to use it easier and would I be more efficient at it now. This goes for any one as well. As I look at older generations of people that I know such as my grandparents, I notice something. Very rarely do they know fully how to use a computer. My grandparents can send emails and search for things on google.com but even these aspects of digital literacy can sometimes seem to throw them a curveball. I always found it interesting as well looking at the generations in my family and noticing their digital abilities. My great grandparents for example, I do not think ever in their lives even turned a computer on. My grandparents very recently learned some of the basics to working a computer, as mentioned above, they can send emails and turn the monitor on. Down the line to my parent now, they pretty much have a grasp on many of the things about a computer that they need to know in order to operate the business that they own. They know how to work Microsoft Excel because they need to make spreadsheets for different things every day for the business. They know how to send emails, search for things, and my father is actually pretty decent at taking care of viruses. Reason being is he had to learn how to do this because his business revolves around the computer sometimes. Now, to my generation which consists of my brother and I. We know more than our parents do but not much more. I know the things like Excel and Powerpoint just because I learned them in school. But I believe this generation proves the topic that I am writing about. If you look at my generation, why is that many people my age are incredibly digitally literate, while many of us are not even close to that level of digital literacy. The answer is in our childhoods. Growing up, if a child is taught how to work a simple computer, or even an electronic toy that is made to resemble a computer or even something like a toy cash register or calculator where numbers have to be input, then that child will most likely not only have a grasp on the concept of working a digital device, but also it is scientifically proven that during the early stages of our childhood, our brain can learn new things and concepts such as new languages and become literate quicker (digitally as well) than if you were to teach a fully grown person. Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan wrote in their article entitled,”Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century”, that “Digital and visual literacies are the next wave of communication specialization. Most people will have technologies at their fingertips not only to communicate but to create, to manipulate, to design, to self-actualize. Children learn these skills as part of their lives, like language, which they learn without realizing they are learning it. Adults who did not grow up with technology continue to adapt from iteration to iteration. The senior population approaches the new literacy like a foreign language that is complex and perhaps of questionable use.” This can also create a problem when it comes to younger generations of children learning new material in the classroom in the future due to the fact that the younger generations always seem to be more advanced than much older generations. Barbara and Suzanne again go on to say that, “Our research suggests that the lack of education related to literacy is problematic, and the situation is exacerbated in the field of education. A common scenario today is a classroom filled with digitally literate students being led by linear-thinking, technologically stymied instructors. Although funds may be plentiful to purchase new equipment, wire classrooms, and order current software, few educational organizations have developed comprehensive technology plans that specify technical learning objectives or ensure successful integration of technology to enhance students’ digital and visual literacy. We have found a common void in professional development for faculty—training needed to gain the requisite computer skills to integrate technology into the curriculum effectively. Too often success occurs in pockets within the institution, where individually motivated faculty embrace advances in technology, mastering—on their own time—the skills needed to merge the digital world with academia.” This is a problem now and could possibly grow into a bigger one in the future. This brings me back to the topic of my paper. If all children were taught at a younger age both at school and at home how to work the different aspects of digital technology by their teachers and their parents then two things would happen. First, obviously the children would learn the the functions of the digital devices they are learning about, and second, the people, (parents and teachers), who are teaching them would learn as well how to work these devices just as well. That way there wouldn’t be this great divide between both students and teachers, and also young people and their peers who weren’t taught as well to use the digital devices. I fit in the second category. I never really grew up with a lot of instruction on how to work computers and such, but then again i never really had the desire to learn about them as much as some as my friends. Maybe if I had grown up and witnessed from someone else, such as an older brother or someone, the possibilities when using a computer and also the importance they would play in my life as I grew older, then maybe I would have had the desire to learn about them more. Self teaching is a great way to learn how to operate something and really just learn something in general but i think that actually teaching a child digital literacy at a young age would prove to be much more effective in helping that child become more digitally literate as they grew older.

core 2

I have often wondered if I was taught at a much younger age how to use digital devices such as a computer, would I have learned how to use it easier and would I be more efficient at it now. This goes for any one as well. As I look at older generations of people that I know such as my grandparents, I notice something. Very rarely do they know fully how to use a computer. My grandparents can send emails and search for things on google.com but even these aspects of digital literacy can sometimes seem to throw them a curveball. I always found it interesting as well looking at the generations in my family and noticing their digital abilities. My great grandparents for example, I do not think ever in their lives even turned a computer on. My grandparents very recently learned some of the basics to working a computer, as mentioned above, they can send emails and turn the monitor on. Down the line to my parent now, they pretty much have a grasp on many of the things about a computer that they need to know in order to operate the business that they own. They know how to work Microsoft Excel because they need to make spreadsheets for different things every day for the business. They know how to send emails, search for things, and my father is actually pretty decent at taking care of viruses. Reason being is he had to learn how to do this because his business revolves around the computer sometimes. Now, to my generation which consists of my brother and I. We know more than our parents do but not much more. I know the things like Excel and Powerpoint just because I learned them in school. But I believe this generation proves the topic that I am writing about. If you look at my generation, why is that many people my age are incredibly digitally literate, while many of us are not even close to that level of digital literacy. The answer is in our childhoods. Growing up, if a child is taught how to work a simple computer, or even an electronic toy that is made to resemble a computer or even something like a toy cash register or calculator where numbers have to be input, then that child will most likely not only have a grasp on the concept of working a digital device, but also it is scientifically proven that during the early stages of our childhood, our brain can learn new things and concepts such as new languages and become literate quicker (digitally as well) than if you were to teach a fully grown person. Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan wrote in their article entitled,”Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century”, that “Digital and visual literacies are the next wave of communication specialization. Most people will have technologies at their fingertips not only to communicate but to create, to manipulate, to design, to self-actualize. Children learn these skills as part of their lives, like language, which they learn without realizing they are learning it. Adults who did not grow up with technology continue to adapt from iteration to iteration. The senior population approaches the new literacy like a foreign language that is complex and perhaps of questionable use.” This can also create a problem when it comes to younger generations of children learning new material in the classroom in the future due to the fact that the younger generations always seem to be more advanced than much older generations. Barbara and Suzanne again go on to say that, “Our research suggests that the lack of education related to literacy is problematic, and the situation is exacerbated in the field of education. A common scenario today is a classroom filled with digitally literate students being led by linear-thinking, technologically stymied instructors. Although funds may be plentiful to purchase new equipment, wire classrooms, and order current software, few educational organizations have developed comprehensive technology plans that specify technical learning objectives or ensure successful integration of technology to enhance students’ digital and visual literacy. We have found a common void in professional development for faculty—training needed to gain the requisite computer skills to integrate technology into the curriculum effectively. Too often success occurs in pockets within the institution, where individually motivated faculty embrace advances in technology, mastering—on their own time—the skills needed to merge the digital world with academia.” This is a problem now and could possibly grow into a bigger one in the future. This brings me back to the topic of my paper. If all children were taught at a younger age both at school and at home how to work the different aspects of digital technology by their teachers and their parents then two things would happen. First, obviously the children would learn the the functions of the digital devices they are learning about, and second, the people, (parents and teachers), who are teaching them would learn as well how to work these devices just as well. That way there wouldn’t be this great divide between both students and teachers, and also young people and their peers who weren’t taught as well to use the digital devices. I fit in the second category. I never really grew up with a lot of instruction on how to work computers and such, but then again i never really had the desire to learn about them as much as some as my friends. Maybe if I had grown up and witnessed from someone else, such as an older brother or someone, the possibilities when using a computer and also the importance they would play in my life as I grew older, then maybe I would have had the desire to learn about them more. Self teaching is a great way to learn how to operate something and really just learn something in general but i think that actually teaching a child digital literacy at a young age would prove to be much more effective in helping that child become more digitally literate as they grew older.