The Journey of a Digital Immigrant

I agree with Marc Prensky (Don't Bother Me Mom—I'm Learning) that young people are digital natives while adults are digital immigrants.

Many kids would say, "So what?" or "You mean you haven't always done/used that?" but here is what I have done in the past year as a Web 2.0 immigrant:

• Shared my bookmarks on some social bookmarking sites.
• Created this blog and commented on others' blogs. I've started a couple of blogs in the past related to projects I was involved in but did not keep them up.
  
• Published a Web site outlining my services and purchased my own domains. Used iWeb on my Mac for this site and have used Yahoo's Sitebuilder tool in the past on sites for charities I support. I like the ease of use and templates with iWeb, but it's not a long-term solution because it's harder to get picked up by search engines. Have been working on my HTML, CSS skills and doing some of the pages as html documents.
  
• Used tools for creating slideshows (Slide and Animoto).
• Created a wiki. (https://creativeavenues.wikispaces.com).
• Downloaded photos from Flickr and YouTube. Uploaded photos to create an online scrapbook for family.
• Used Skype.
  
• Set up profiles on LinkedIn and Classroom 2.0.
• Commented on several discussion boards.
  
• Attended a Webinar.
  

I am reluctant about instant messaging and Twitter though. I know how it works but don’t know if I want to go there. What will happen to my concentration? I'm already feeling the effects of so many information streams, although I think I am developing a rhythm.

I think the important things are:
1) Don't give up. Use what you can.
2) Think about how your clients might benefit.
3) Keep asking "so what?" Think about how the tools will improve your thinking, creativity, and productivity. After all, it's not about what tools you use. It's about what results you get.

Photo Source: U.S. Library of Congress
Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons