What a Digital Immigrant English Teacher Was (Is)

When Dr Towndrow concluded with a statement that, “We should not be a digital immigrant with an old mind…” I wondered if it is ever possible for a digital immigrant, or any immigrant for that matter, NOT to carry at least aspects of the past, cultural patterns and social and mental predispositions.Is it not a natural tendency of an immigrant to rely at least partly on old skills or habits or predispositions in learning new things?

When computer-based grading system was implemented and computer- assisted instruction was introduced in the private school where I used to teach, ranting complaints from the old teachers reverberated in the faculty room for long… Their hostility was evident in their biting comments and innuendos.

In my mind, the struggle against new policies, particularly that which have to do with the use of computers, was understandable and something to be expected. To the administrators, however, the old teachers’ responses were unreasonable or unacceptable. It was a forcefully worded letter of appeal from the teachers concerned that eventually put on hold the administration’s ambitious plans.

Digital immigrants do need extensive and effective training. They need to learn the basic skills to adopt to the demands and culture of new technology. Old mentality cannot be easily done away with at least in the transition period. Depending on one’s attitude and aptitude, it may take a while for one to develop confidence in the use of technology. Sometimes, a series of workshop is necessary on the basics of handling computers.

Well, it’s like they were still wearing some of old favourite apparels, but they were beginning to blend them well with the new ones.