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Personal and socio-emotional development and technology
DOI link for Personal and socio-emotional development and technology
Personal and socio-emotional development and technology book
Personal and socio-emotional development and technology
DOI link for Personal and socio-emotional development and technology
Personal and socio-emotional development and technology book
ABSTRACT
Children have been, and will continue to be, journeying towards discovering new and unique virtual countries where some adults remain fearful to tread. This is particularly true nowadays when digital technologies make it easier to create and inhabit complex virtual worlds. Simply, it is not possible to return to a time or place without digital technology. The strange dichotomy that exists between parents and their children has been the object of important studies with regards to the use of digital technology. Prensky (2001) coined the term ‘digital natives’ and ‘digital immigrants’ to distinguish between the new generation who are immersed and comfortable with digital technology and many adults who have yet to venture forth. Though there has been criticism (Helsper and Eynon, 2010; Steven and Plowman, 2014; Selwyn, 2011) of its binary position, and Prensky now claims it is less relevant, the terms have nonetheless maintained a recognised platform for valuable discourse and further research. Moreover Livingstone (2009) considered the optimistic forces driving digital technology with the endless opportunities for learning, fun, education and development. These, and other studies, reinforce the conclusion that children seem to explore and move between the digital and real world effortlessly while some adults are challenged when making a shift between these contrasting realms and boundaries (Buckingham, 2002; Edwards, 2013a; Marsh, 2010).