Teaching Technology to Digital Immigrants

Someone has to prepare faculty who are in need of technology skills. For example, in Louisiana, in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, every faculty member at the university level has to have a Blackboard presence and a disaster plan so that classes can continue in the event of a catastrophe. Those faculty called upon to assist their peers in complying with the directives are often chosen only because they are more comfortable than others with technology. Often, trainees are uncomfortable in such training, and senior faculty, often later “digital immigrants,” can be resentful. The researchers and authors of this paper have garnered $443,658 in grants involving training faculty in instructional technology. Through their experiences, the authors and researchers have isolated seven key practices that make such training successful. This article describes those practices and supports the findings of the primary research with secondary research on andragogy and Marc Prensky’s ideas of the literacy divide that exists between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants.” By considering the basic tenets of adult education, we can be better facilitators of valuable training sessions that will bridge the digital divide.