Debunking the “digital native”:

beyond digital apartheid,

towards digital democracy

Cheryl BrownLaura Czerniewicz

Why this issue?

Much discussion about age/ generational aspects of young people today

Lots of different labels being used Net Generation, “digital Natives” Generation Y,

Generation C Whatever the terminology the argument is that

this impacts on various aspects of their life specifically

That higher education needs to change in response to this

South African students South African universities are dominated by

the millennials BUT there is a wide age range 54 % of students are under 22 years old

Age Total (n) %< 22 yrs 252837 54%

23-25 yrs 74080 16%

26 -29 yrs 19690 4%

30-34 yrs 42818 9%

35 plus 80723 17%

This paper

Examine discourse around the “digital native” Is this a term we would like to use? Is there evidence to support/ reject concept in our

context Is age a determining factor in being a “digital native”? Are our entire generation of university students “digital

natives”? Is the situation getting better or worse?

Possible opportunities for democracy

The term

“Digital native”

Problematic concept/ offensive term Could give young people false impressions of their

ability consequences in how they manage negative/ risky online

situations (Helsper 2008) The “native” as the future and in command & the

“immigrant” as old, the past and obsolete (Bayne and Ross 2007)

In SA context synonymous with colonialism, apartheid, domination

and it gets worse … “Digital wisdom”

Prensky’s new term “homo sapien digitalensis” Imbued with digital wisdom because digital

technology not only makes humans smarted but wiser Evolutionary metaphor

reinforces connotation of backwardness and progress Natural selection and extinction And a future for those who have evolved

The positioning of some students as better than other evokes a digital digerati – a cyber elite

Empirically supported?

Our project

A research project on ICT access and use for teaching and learning in SA higher education

Two surveys of 10 110 students in total 2004 - 6 universities in Western Cape 2007 - 6 universities in other parts of South Africa

mixed-method approach quantitative analysis of 58 question survey qualitative analysis of the questionnaire’s open-ended

questions

Student interviews (f2f and phone)

… our project

2008 survey of 4226 users of LMS at UCT Abbreviated 2009 survey of 466 students at 4

diverse universities, followed by 80 phone interviews

Drawing on a range of studies spread over time and space not longitudinal or directly comparable however they do all focus on the South African

university student and as such are describing and interpreting the experiences of a specific group

Age a determining factor?

Our study: ICT experience of millennials

Level of ICT experience of under 22 year olds

< 2 years ago 2-4 years ago 4-6 years ago 6-10 years ago 10-15 years ago

>15 years ago0%

10%

20%

30%

17%16%

14%

26%

19%

7%

ContinuumRange of experience within age groupings

<22 22-25 26-420%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

26% 28%31%

43% 42%38%

31% 30% 32%

less than 4 years4-10>10

Conclusion?

Not about age, experience is important

Students born into millennial generation cannot be assumed to have grown up digital

homogeneity cannot be assumed in terms of computer experience There are students with low, medium and high levels

of computer experience in all age groupings

A whole generation?

The“digital native”

Based on the Prensky’s notion of digital native as being A person from the millennial generation A person who has grown up with digital technology One who comes to university familiar with computers; Is purported to learn to use computers informally -

either teaching themselves or through social networks such as family and friends - rather than needing to be taught.

Defining the “digital native” in our data

Grown up using computers > 10 yrs experience Learnt to use a computer by teaching

themselves or through social networks ie family and friends

Able to solve ICT problems themselves or by drawing on supportive social networks

In 2007 this applied to only 11% - 375 studentsNot a generation but an ELITE

About this group Even gender mix From high to average socio economic groups Mostly speak English or Afrikaans speaking (74%) Have excellent off-campus access at home often

multiple forms of off-campus access (inlc .portable) high practical access

Are confident of their own abilities 81% rate their ICTs skills as good or excellent

Have high social use of ICTs Are usually doing courses in science, engineering or

health sciences

Conclusions?

In South Africa digital natives are not a generation but an elite.

So what about the rest of the students?

Deepening divides

the “digital stranger”

not just a matter of “natives” or “immigrants” there is a significant group of the millennial generation

students who lack experience and opportunity to use ICTs

In 2007 (22% - 734 individuals) Not had access to a computer before they attended university Had less than 2 year experience using a computer Relied on formal channels to acquire this knowledge

Such polarisation indicates that the “the digital natives and the “digital stranger” are on opposite sides of a worsening digital divide.

About this group

More women than men Largely South African (95%) with 80% speaking an

African language as a home language. 90% have no access to ICTs off campus Those with off-campus access have very low practical

access Low self confidence

Cont …

Mostly doing business degrees Very low social use of ICTs Mostly learn in formal structured ways

Learnt to use ICTs through community training course ss The dominant way of acquiring ICT knowledge is through

university training courses; rely strongly on University support staff for help with ICTs problems

Not unique although largely ignored

Other studies (eg Helsper in UK) have shown that people who suffer social disadvantage are more likely to be disengaged from ICTs

An example: Socio Economic Group

Conclusions?

If we use these dualistic distinctions we see a marked gap between “natives” and “strangers”

Some have called this a dilemma of justice (Broekman, Enslin et al 2002)

Digital democracy

Cell phones and our students ◦Ownership is ubiquitous◦Ownership is not socially differentiated ◦Main means of access to Internet off campus for

students from low SEGs

Dial up; 68

Broadband; 84

cell phone; 191

wireless; 24 satellite; 25

Type of internet access for low SEG students

Another case

A survey of low-income black South African youth at an urban township (Kreutzer 2009) The majority (83%) of the poor young urban South

Africans access the Internet via their phone on a typical day

About half of all an individual’s expenses spent on cell phones

Sample of youth, average age of 17 years

Should we be surprised?

No, because….. South Africa has the third largest mobile internet using

population in the world South Africa ranks 6th in the global Top 10 for mobile

internet usage, ahead of both the US (7th) and the UK (9th)

Mobile internet in South Africa is among the least expensive in the entire world; traditional desktop access is still among the most expensive

What about mobiles and learning?

% of cell phone time spent for academic purposes

"Digital Native" "Digital Stranger"0%

20%

40%

60%

35%37%

50%

40%

15%

23%No cell phone use< 40% cell phone use> 40% cell phone use

Cell phones and learning: some examples

I use my phone…, especially for accounting, because he's [the lecturer] very fast. He explains so fast. So I just record sometimes when I feel that I'm tired.. my brain cannot concentrate anymore.. I just record. And then I'll come and listen later.

You can communicate with fellow students and get instant help with projects and assignments. You can access it [the LMS] anywhere (even from your cell phone).

You can use your phone via google. Maybe I don't have time for a computer. Or maybe it's late, and the assignment must be submitted. Then I use my phone

Cell phones and “digital natives”

In 2008 UCT students who are active users of Vula reported 72% using their cell phones for academic only or

academic and personal use 6.8 percent (290 students) access the Vula on their

cell phones/PDAs/mobile devices They said

They want better access to Vula via their cell phone, They would make more use of the Vula if they could

access it (at all and/or easier) from their cell phones

Cell phones and “digital strangers”

Cluster from 2009 survey (inclu UCT students) A group of 159 students who are

failing computer literacy assessment have fewer than 4 years experience using ICTs low reported use of computer-based technologies

58% never or hardly every use email 71% never or hardly ever use the internet for social purposes

Poor access to computers 52% no access to computers off campus 32% access through a public facility or through a third party

Yet

All of this cluster have cell phones 72% report using texting (sms) often 34% report using chat often (Mxit)

Over a third (38%) use their cell phones as their only form of computer off campus

Half of these are using their cell phone to access the internet (n=54)

Redefining the “digital” and the “native”

Digital presently implies Computers (a specific object) Fixed Have or have-not On/ off

Native implies Non-native (stranger) Better (digital digerati)

Concepts out of date, excluding & inaccurate?

Thinking differently

Digital - beyond computers Digital artefacts are being “reconfigured”

Unexpected /unintended uses Access is increasingly being determined by

connectivity not by location Learning is being reconstituted as students use

cell phones for access and use in unanticipated ways

Thinking differently

Reclaiming the digitizen All students live in a digitally mediated world

All students have a digital “identity” and set of practices

All students are digital citizens Acknowledge the full spectrum of digital

capabilities All have a set of capabilities in varied configurations New technological habitus

Conclusion

South Africa still grappling with social exclusion Link between social and digital exclusion Small minority of digital natives Until now educators faced with a “dilemma of

justice” simultaneously supporting students’ participation in new global practices without further marginalising previously disadvantaged

Mobiles offer an unprecedented opportunity

Conclusion

Design for increased diversity and new practices Design for multiple devices and practices Mobile not secondary device

Leverage the affordances of mobility Leverage contemporary literacies, and emergent

cell phone-mediated practices in ways which strengthen teaching and learning