06/04/2015 | ECDL Switzerland news

The “digital native” myth

The idea of a “digital native” obscures young people’s lack of ICT skills. A new position paper by the ECDL Foundation summarises international studies on ICT skills and emphasises the importance of structured lessons for ICT skills that are relevant to today’s job market.  

Marc Prensky defines “digital natives” as young people who have regular access to digital technology and who therefore intuitively know how to use computers and mobile devices. Since Prensky came up with this definition, it has often been thought that this generation doesn’t need lessons in ICT.  

Insights of the ECDL Foundation position paper  

The ECDL Foundation’s position paper draws on international studies that have measured the ICT skills of young people. Despite the widespread use of social media, video games and films among children and teens, they nevertheless lack basic ICT skills. This is why the ECDL Foundation emphasises the difference between so called lifestyle skills and skills relevant to the workplace. Merely accessing digital media does not automatically mean you are proficient in their use. Only structured lessons with subsequent certification will allow young people to properly access the entire breadth of digital possibilities. In this way, they gain skills relevant to the job market instead of ending up as part of a “lost generation”.  

How much do digital natives really know?

Studies in Austria and Australia confirm the low level of knowledge of teens. In Austria a mere 7% of questioned 15 to 29 year olds possess very good digital skills while only 15% of Australian students have advanced knowledge of computers. This stands in stark contrast to the 45% that possess only rudimentary skills. A study on the digital skills of teenagers commissioned by the European Commission found more than a quarter of students in their eighth year of education to have poor skills. The European Commission sees a risk due to these trends that Europe will face severe shortages of skilled citizens in the digital age, thereby hampering growth and competitiveness.

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