Case Study: Digital Natives; The Beginning

When Thinking about the digital natives and the time they spend in the various venues are generally for a purpose that is deeper than obvious to understand.The terms below are an effort to give a comprehensive definition to those terms. In many cases the expectation of learning can be overt or subtle and many would contend that in many cases learning occurs that is not readily recognized as such or deemed valuable. For example in the "Game Design Class" we read about the experience of a teen playing Sid Meier's "Pirates" in which no expectation of learning, beyond the scope of the game, were expected and yet during a specific social studies class the teen was able to recall vast amounts of information regarding colonization, ships, trading, and the countries involved with exact and fine details. The teen returned to the game a changed individual and the teacher was forced to recognize that "useless" gaming may in fact have educational merits. In the categories listed below the the reader can infer the level of commitment, the expectation of learning, as well as the level of interest of the participant, understanding the there can and is a fluid shift from one to the other based on varied factors. It should also be noted that these categories also exist in F2F interactions as well and I would assert that the online or digital interactions serve as a place to practice or model other interactions. It would also be fair to note that the language or register people use in these interactions also changes and must be learned by the participants. I always find it somewhat ironic when I hear a digital immigrant talk about the shortcuts and language of texting as if it is something so foreign and idiotic, yet the acronyms of their day are readily received as second nature... RADAR and LASER come to mind... "I know right???"   LMAO



Hanging Out:It would generally appear that Sam places gaming in this category, which seems to follow the idea that he has no real interest or has not yet found a game that he is interested in taking to a deeper level.

Messing Around: While all teens are seemingly interested in social media it's fair to say the primary function of social media for Sam is to stay current on events... locally, regionally, and globally. I also think he very easily shifts from "Hanging Out" to "Geeking Out" depending on the factors or events that are trending and if its a topic that truly interests him then he would be "Geeking Out."

Geeking Out: Only because I know more about some of Sam's accomplishments than discussed in the interview it's easy for me to place his desire to write and create stories as the dominant area of interest.

Schooling: Sam's schooling has been quite diverse over the course of his life. He was born in Guatemala and spent the first few years of his life in Arizona. His pre-school years were spent in Connecticut in a parent founded Montessori type day-care. His elementary through early middle school was also in the New Haven, Connecticut School system. He started 8th grade in the Louisville, Kentucky school system and will be starting his Junior year in high school this new school term. He has had many opportunities outside the formal school term in the way of a variety of summer camps. Both of his parents have a PhD and many of his grandparents as well as aunts and uncles have college degrees, which in a way emphasize the importance of education and learning.


Much of my formal case study will incorporate the ideas presented in the case studies mentioned in "Deconstructing" and "Digital Literacies" as they might relate to Sam and his educational experiences.