Summary Of Are Today's Youth Digital Natives

I have a younger cousin named Sofie, when she was two years old she could unlock her mothers iPhone or iPad with a password, find her favorite game to play on the home screen, and play that game for hours on end; this is a great example of a digital native. A digital native is a person born or raised during the era of digital technology, therefore, from an early age, are familiar with the use of computers or the internet. Danah Boyd is a principal researcher at Microsoft, a freelance journalist, and the author of Literacy, and specifically a chapter called “are today’s youth digital natives?” Boyd studies digital natives and immigrants; she argues that becoming literate in a networked age requires hard work, no matter how old you are. She emphasizes

That people need to be educated on technology, and that there is so much information out there that we need to learn what to believe. For example, Boyd states “We live in a technologically meditated world. Being comfortable using technology is increasingly important for everyday activities” (180). Boyd then goes on to explain why exactly we need to know how to use this technology; for example: jobs, medical care, and engaging with the government. She gives example of how teens have adapted to technology in the past, and explains that teens have potential to become technologically

With Wineberg as a Professor and McGrew being a graduate student they build up trust immediately from the audience; it shows that they are credible sources that conduct accurate research, and their audience might respect their views easier. Their use of ethos helps persuade the reader to agree with the evidence that they use. For example, the authors assert, “We administered assessments that tap young people's ability to judge online information. We analyzed over 7,804 responses from students in middle school through college” (6). This use of reliable research extends Boyd’s argument, and helps show that her argument is accurate as-well; Wineberg and McGrew’s research gives Boyd evidence that she lacks in her text. In another instance, Boyd states “We absolve ourselves of our responsibility to help teenagers develop necessary skills… youth must become media literate” (180). Then, Wineberg and McGrew advance Boyd’s argument by expounding “It’s often not taught in school” (14). What Wineberg and McGrew do is show evidence that the youth must become literate, and that the most successful people to do so, is teachers. In contrast, the other two authors explain how some schools filter webpages to make surfing the internet easier, rather than giving students a challenge to do so theirselves. All in all, the persuasiveness of Wineberg and McGrew is very