Those students born in the early 1990’s are part of the born-digital generation. They never experienced a time in their lives when the internet was not part of their lives. Digital devices, especially smart phones and other mobile devices, are much more integrated into their daily lives. Texting , or the use of other social media accounts, can be considered their primary means of communication. To these students, all this is considered every day and normal. They can be considered digital natives as opposed to those who can be considered digital immigrants. Those of use who are digital immigrants can become proficient in the use of digital devices but have not grown up using them. This does make difference in how one learns in a classroom setting.
The first response of these students when faced with a question is to respond “let me google that!”. They do not automatically go to textbook or other printed matters. These students are not passive learners to whatever their professors teach but are much more interactive in their learning styles. This creates a challenge in how to teach history in a digital age.
Universities have had to adapt. They now use such items as university-wide email to communicate between students and facility and virtual learning experiences such as Blackboard to post classroom assignments. Some people have even gone so far as to say all books should be banned from the classroom. Everything must be digital! That is an extreme position but there is some truth in the point being made. Adaptations are being made all the time in how material in the classroom is being presented and how students are learning.
In chapter 9 of the book History in the Digital Age which was authored by Charlotte Lydia Riley, she explores seven different issues concerning teaching in the digital age. These items are listed as followed:
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Accessibility
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Assessment
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Anonymity
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Bias
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Breadth
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Cheating
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Collaboration
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