Session 8

Title: Are our students all equally Digital Natives?

Session Description:

The literature presents a generalized view of the current group of students as computer literate and technologically savvy, so integrating technology into any curriculum should not be an issue for this group of students. But are our students all equally Digital Natives? Focusing on a generalized view of learners enables a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. This session looks at the diversity of different learners and the implications on teaching and learning.

While this study (n = 96) is based on a group of teacher candidates at Brandon University, the findings indicate that collectively, this group of Digital Natives has significant areas of strength regarding their use of technology, but also weakness. University students, for example, are frequent users of e-mail and word-processing but have limited experience with audio and video. Preliminary results also reveal the existence of some interesting subgroups within what is collectively known as Gen Y or Digital Natives. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated, revealing some significant positive and negative correlations between certain subgroups’ use of technology and 1. their with unique perceptual modality preferences (e.g. visual & field independent learners) and 2. their declared subject area majors. For example, visual learners are less likely to use text messaging and drama students more likely to spend time using a phone.

Presenters: Glenn Cockerline, Mike Nantais

Glenn Cockerline, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, Brandon University. Glenn’s interest centers on areas related to the improvement of instruction. He draws on the wisdom acquired through two decades of diverse classroom teaching assignments in the public school system and a decade working with teachers-in-training. Cockerline’s research is particularly focused on how students acquire the information they are expected to assimilate in their various courses.


Mike Nantais, M.Ed., Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education, Brandon University. Previous to this year, Mike has been a public school teacher, ICT Leader, and school administrator for 30 years. Mike's research interests lie in examining how ICT is transforming the teaching and learning process. He is also interested in Mathematics and Science education, particularly at the Senior High level.