Digital Native or Digital Immigrant?

Digital Native

As Sree Sreenivasan from TedX discussed, digital natives are fearless when it comes to technology. They will try anything involving technology, whether or not they have experienced it. I consider myself to be a digital native because I can navigate through endless technology sources in less time than others. I have learned how to be efficient when interacting with technologies simply through experience. As, Sree stated, digital natives do not ever look at a manual, and I never do. 

I found myself nodding along with Sree as he discussed the importance of digital natives and digital immigrants. He stated "It's not about when you were born, or what you were raised with, it's about what do you bring to the table". This highlights that no matter where you were raised, how you were brought up, or what you had access to, the only thing that matters is what you can do now. 
Technology has always played a huge role in my life. My dad was constantly encouraging me to have the 'latest and greatest' so that I could help him problem solve with his own technology. This has given me the mindset that looks at things through a technology lens, especially in education. I am always finding ways to include technology into my lessons because it is my strength and my students' preferred learning method.

I often find that I am frustrated in my studies because the technology sources I have been introduced to thus far have all be the same and surface level. I have learned how to use some technologies now three times. I am hoping that in my future master's classes we dig deeper or get introduced to something that is brand new to me. When I do get introduced to something that I do not know, I do not usually get frustrated because I don't know. I would get frustrated because it takes longer to figure out. No matter how long it takes, if I am committed I will learn how to use it.