Presented at the University of Iowa, January 29, 2014

1. The Digital Divide and Teaching
How Do Our Students Really Use Technology?
Derek Bruff
derekbruff.org
@derekbruff

2. WARM-UP
Question 1
• What is one way of using
or thinking about
technology that you and
(most of) your students
have in common?
Question 2
• What is one way (most of)
your students use or think
about technology that is
different from how you use
or think about technology.

3. SAME OR DIFFERENT?

4. What’s your experience?
5%
75%
20%
A. Students yes, me no.
B. We have that in common.
C. I don‟t think students do/think that.

5. It’s complicated.
We should probably ask some
students.

6. IT’S COMPLICATED

7. Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants
“It is now clear that as a result of this ubiquitous
environment and the sheer volume of their
interaction with it, today‟s students think and process
information fundamentally differently from their
predecessors.”
Marc Prensky (2001)

8. Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants
Digital Natives: “Our students today are all „native
speakers‟ of the digital language of computers, video
games and the Internet.”
Digital Immigrants: “Those of us who were not born
into the digital world but have, at some later point in
our lives, become fascinated by and adopted many or
most aspects of the new technology are, and always
will be compared to them, digital immigrants.”

10. It’s Complicated
• The independent variable here is experience,
not age.
• Individual results may vary.
• I can drive a car, but I don‟t really know how it
works.
• I can drive a car, but I don‟t really understand
the automotive industry.
• Non-academic experiences don‟t always map to
academic experiences.
• “Native” and “immigrant” are complex terms.

11. But Here’s the Thing…
Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

12. But Here’s the Thing…
Source: TechCrunch, http://is.gd/oWk8O8

13. WE SHOULD PROBABLY ASK
SOME STUDENTS.

23. This might
be a biased
sample.

24. 2013 ECAR
Study of
Undergraduate
Students and
Information
Technology
(n=113,035)
Data!

28. 2013 ECAR
Study of
Undergraduate
Students and
Information
Technology
(n=113,035)
Someone else‟s
Data!

29. What can we learn about how our
students use social media (etc.) that
might inform faculty interested in
integrating technology into teaching
and learning?

30. Our
Data!

31. 6
FOCUS GROUPS
35
a lot
STUDENTS
OF DATA

32. What do students do online outside of
their academic work?
“I just check to see what‟s going on. I use
the Facebook chat a lot to talk to people;
friends from school and friends from other
schools.”
“In terms of Facebook, it‟s just keeping up
to date with family and friends from home
and that‟s what I say for Twitter, too.”

33. What do students do online outside of
their academic work?
“Also, I feel like I get a lot of news from
Twitter just because I check, like, what‟s
trending, like, I found out about when
Whitney Houston died on Twitter…”
“I have an order of things I always check in
every day. [Facebook,]
email, news, ESPN, and then whatever I
decide. I go to a bunch of video sites and
check out some funny videos and then

34. What do students do online outside of
their academic work?
“On my phone I have Google Reader, and I
have an aggregate of RSS feeds for certain
tech blogs and other sites I love. That‟s kind
of one of the main things.”

35. What do students do online outside of
their academic work?
“Most frequently I‟m on Deviant
Art, like, hands-down. I just love that
website… Literature, poetry, stuff like that.
Things based on books and stuff.
And, like, I talk to a lot of people in there… I
know people from Australia, Germany, the
Netherlands, different parts of America.”

36. SIDEBAR: MEMES

38. Student 1: I may have to explain it, but I make
Memes, occasionally.
Student 2: Oh, God, Memes?
Facilitator: Yeah, explain.
Student 1: It’s -Student 2: So complicated.
Student 1: It’s, like, yeah. It’s like a -- it’s
kind of like an inside joke. An inside joke
from, like -Student 3: Of the internet.
Student 1: Basically. And everyone on the
internet can vibe to it.
Student 4: This is so different than Memes that,
like, the definition of Memes in social science;
right?

39. DISCUSSION
Given the student perspectives you‟ve seen
today, what do you see as key principles for
integrating technology in teaching and
learning?

41. DISCUSSION
Given the student perspectives you‟ve seen
today, what do you see as key principles for
integrating technology in teaching and
learning?

42. A Few Takeaways

43. Have a
clear goal.

44. Livetweeting Bladerunner
Mark Sample
George Mason Univ.

46. Tell students why you are using
technology.

47. “You MUST MUST
MUST explain to
students why you are
using clickers. If you
don‟t, they often
assume your goal is to
track them like Big
Brother, and force
them to come to class.
Students highly resent
this.”
Doug Duncan
CU-Boulder

48. Take time to teach the
technology.

49. Writing for Wikipedia
Cynthia Cyrus
Vanderbilt Univ.

50. Another Example

54. What was the most common reason students
in Derek's class chose Diigo over Pinterest?
41%
24%
6%
29%
A.
B.
C.
D.
Pinterest was too feminine.
Diigo seemed more academic.
Diigo seemed easier to use.
Pinterest accounts took too long to create.

55. Don’t underestimate the
importance of ease of use.

57. Derek Bruff
Email: derek.bruff@vanderbilt.edu
Web: derekbruff.org
Twitter: @derekbruff
Flickr Photo Credits
– “Questions from the Audience,” Derek Bruff
– “Baby Sees the iPad Magic,” Steve Paine
– “Angry Face,” Katy
– “Riced Out,” Scott Waldron
– “Planning Session,” WorldIslandInfo
Meme featuring Mike Caulfield, courtesy Amy Collier
–
–
–
–
“X-Ray Chairs,” Henning Mühlinghaus
“Missing Steps,” Stefan Bucher
“Interesting Pin,” Derek Bruff
“Like Father, Like Daughter,” Derek Bruff