Dr. White has expanded my view and understanding of my personal knowledge and digital skill set. His Resident/Visitor Theory is based, not on age or biology, but on one’s motivation towards the web. He describes a visitor as one who is concerned about privacy and is goal orientated. They exist online only while they are logged on and exit when the log off. They are worried about identity theft, so they limit their presence and connect with only people they know. The web is seen as a tool to attain their goal. On the other side of the continuum, you have the residents. A resident is present online and has a digital identity, whether they are logged on or off. They are described as communal and social. They belong to a community while maintaining autonomy. The web is seen as a social space where they make their digital presence is known.
Where am I on this continuum of the Visitor/Resident Theory? I would place myself right past the midway point on the side of Resident. Personally, I am a visitor. One of my biggest concerns is that of privacy. However, professionally, for the past two years, I feel I have moved into the area of the Resident. I have started using platforms such as twitter and facebook to connect and learn from other educators as a means of growing in my profession. On twitter I have gained so much valuable information, skills, and feel that I’ve become part of a community that I can share, borrow, and learn from. I am slowly increasing my presence, because I know that I will gain something worthwhile from every visit.
The Resident/Visitor Theory provides a different perspective as compared to the Digital Native/Digital Immigrant Theory. As an educator, I find that Dr. White’s Theory will allow me to find a more effective way to integrate technology in the classroom and to help support and guide my colleagues on this technological venture. We are in the 21st century and we have to understand where we and our students stand in the digital world.
Visitors and Residents. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sFBadv04eY