EDUCATION IN TIMES NET GENERATION: HOW DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS CAN TEACH DIGITAL NATIVES

Abstract

Members of the knowledge society, of the network society or of the informatics society are some names that seem to define the current generation. Net generation is a generic nomenclature which covers all the previous terms. Digital immigrants are the subjects whom were born before the advent of digital technologies and who joined to them. Digital natives are the subjects whom were born in the current generation and that would have special qualities, especially regarding the learning process. Considering all this context, a question arises: how the digital immigrants teach the digital natives? This item justifies itself because there is a meeting of generations, in theory, significantly differentiated. Due to this, it would be necessary to identify the appropriate educational forms according to the presented situation. Our teaching experience convinces us that, yes, we should valorize the information’s technologies and communication, understanding that these are means, not ends. It is important to highlight that any tool causes advances and regressions, a fact that serves to guide our teaching practice.