Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

It used to be that at least two or three generations would come and go without any major technological revolutions. Now advances in technology are coming so quickly, it is becoming harder and harder for one generation to stay in touch with the next. Whenever my three year-old son sees me working on my laptop, he comes over and tries to touch all the icons on the screen to no avail. It always frustrates him that this never makes anything happen. A moment later, we will be playing with our iPad, and I must admit that he can already navigate it faster than I can. This shows that there is already a gap, albeit a small one, between his generation and mine. However, if I am not careful, this gap will grow to the point where I do not understand anything that is going on in his world. It is my responsibility, as it is the responsibility of all adults, to educate the next generation to keep them safe and help them succeed in their endeavors. Without understanding the technological world of the next generation, the older generation will be severely handicapped in fulfilling this responsibility.