Digital Natives Digital Immigrants

Integrate technology means to use the current technology such as cell/smart phones, Facebook and Twitter to introduce new ideas and concepts to the "N-gen" and "D-gen" generation. Allow students to use and even create video games that help teach the lesson or helps students learn the lesson; using the internet as a first source of information, not as a secondary source such as books or magazines. Media familiar to the digital native is fast paced and immediate, whereas media that the digital immigrant knows is slower and takes time, using a book for research, calling on the phone instead of sending a text or instant messaging or using social networks to communicate and interact.
Technology when I was in school consisted of movies and overhead projectors.Information was passed along to large amounts of students through "Assemblies" when information was given to students at one time. Specific strategies that can be used include using/inventing games that tell/teach the lesson; allow groups of students to work together using social networks and most important, let the natives know that they, the immigrants don't have or know most of this information and welcome their expertise. Classrooms today not only use white boards or some other type of interactive board, they use the internet to bring up programs, lessons, songs, games and other activities to be used by students. This occurs in the Pre-Kindergarten class I'm an aide in. The children are engaged and love to use the technology. An important note is they know how to use this technology. These are children with Autism, so I think there is no excuse for any digital immigrant to say they can't use or understand this technology. As with me, it may take some time, but it can be done.