The future may have arrived, but engagement with ICTs is not equal among our diverse “net gen” learners

Abstract

William Gibson (1999) once suggested that “The future has already arrived. It's just not evenly distributed yet”. This paper explores the diversity of student experiences in the use of current and emerging Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and challenges the popular rhetoric, which claims that “net generation” learners entering university are already equipped with skill in the use of a wide range of Web 2.0 applications such as wikis, social networking, blogging, podcasts and 3D gaming. While much has been written about the benefits of these technologies for facilitating learner engagement in activities that foster life long learning skills, much less is known about the diversity of experiences that students have in using such technologies. This paper reports the findings of a study conducted at the University of South Australia (UniSA), which involved surveying undergraduate and graduate students to gain greater insight into students' experiences and engagement using a range of ICTs. Consistent with the findings of Kennedy et al (2007, 2009), our results suggest that that there is much greater diversity in student experiences using these technologies than previously assumed. The findings challenge the assumption that so called “net gen” students are a homogenous group entering universities with pre-existing skills in the use of ICTs and raise important considerations for academics as they adapt their curricula and approaches using current and emerging technologies to engage a student population increasingly diverse in ICT skills.