Today's six-year-olds are 'digital natives' who may be more familiar with computers than they are with basic forms of communication, the head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) said last week. Speaking in London at the QCA's vocational e-learning and e-assessment conference, QCA chief executive Ken Boston said, 'The teenagers of the future, who may be among the first candidates to take new diplomas, are six-year-olds today. They have just started primary school but are already learning to spell and read from computers, and they are already manipulating images on screen.'
Today's six-year-olds are 'digital natives' who may be more familiar with computers than they are with basic forms of communication, the head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) said last week.
Speaking in London at the QCA's vocational e-learning and e-assessment conference, QCA chief executive Ken Boston said, 'The teenagers of the future, who may be among the first candidates to take new diplomas, are six-year-olds today. They have just started primary school but are already learning to spell and read from computers, and they are already manipulating images on screen.'
He added, 'The days of families sitting around the fireplace playing Scrabble and Monopoly are being replaced by sibling rivalry over who will be first to reach the next level of a computer game. Today's six-year-old is a "digital native", perhaps more familiar with a Graphical User Interface than with pen and paper.'
