The Digital Native meets the Hammer?

From the Digital Natives blog:

"To be sure, the term “Digital Native” is misleading, because no two Digital Natives are created equal. Each of them has varying degrees of access to digital technologies, literacy skills, and participation within their peer culture. What’s more alarming is the “divide” opening up between those that have access to the network and those without. But that in itself isn’t the whole problem, because having access alone isn’t the solution. While access speaks of the stark contrast amongst the haves and have-nots, digital literacy reveals the difference in those who have the skills to navigate this new landscape and those that don’t.
Like many other crucial skills, digital literacy needs to be taught and learned through constant practice. Naturally, this doesn’t explain why some Digital Natives will get more out of their sessions than others do. But what about those who get much more practice? Its estimated by Professor Urs Gasser that for kids who turn fifteen in 2016 or so, “they are likely to spend somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 hours per year on digital technologies.” Going onto say that, “Five years later, at age twenty, they will have accumulated at least 10,000 hours as active users of the Internet, if the current statistics still apply.”

I have been thinking a lot about this, because its a very hot topic.  All those hours they state the youth spend on digital technologies, how many of those are listening to music.  I listened to music when I was a kid, through headphones too.  Whether is was from a cassette recorder, or an iPod, that doesn't affect their or my skill level.  Watching kids fighting or people falling of skateboards on YouTube, I don't think that affects their skill set either.

I was thinking of an analogy that might show the flaw in the logic people often use in the 'digital natives' preaching...

If I showed my students a hammer and asked if they knew how to use it, I think the majority would say, yes.

If I showed my students a saw and asked if they knew how to use it, I think the majority would say, yes.

If I showed my students a brush and asked if they knew how to use it, I think the majority would say, yes.

Then if I asked them could they make this for me if I gave them the wood, I doubt any could.

So just being experienced with a tool or technology doesn't mean you can use it skillfully.

The Digital Native Blog can be found at : http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/