Abstract
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The idea of ‘the digital natives’, a generation of tech-savvy young people immersed in
digital technologies for which current education systems cannot cater, has gained
widespread popularity on the basis of claims rather than evidence. Recent research
has shown flaws in the argument that there is an identifiable generation, or even a
single type of highly adept technology user. For educators, the diversity revealed by
these studies provides valuable insights into students’ experiences of technology
inside and outside formal education. While this body of work provides a preliminary
understanding, it also highlights subtleties and complexities that require further
investigation. It suggests, for example, that we must go beyond simple dichotomies
evident in the digital native debate to develop a more sophisticated understanding of
our students’ experiences of technology. Using a review of recent research findings as
a starting point, this paper identifies some key issues for educational researchers,
offers new ways of conceptualising key ideas using theoretical constructs from
Castells, Bourdieu and Bernstein, and makes a case for how we need to develop the
debate in order to advance our understanding.