‘Digital natives’: Honour and respect in computerized encounters between Israeli Jewish and Arab children and adult learners

Abstract

In Israel's Multigenerational Connection Program (MCP), children instruct adults in computer and Internet use. Taking children's advantage in digital literacy as a given, the study examines their generational status in computerized encounters that MCP creates in two schools, one Jewish and one Arab. The data were gathered by means of qualitative participant observation. The results suggest that the family-community-based habitus is reflected in the interpretation of the program by the computer teacher at each school, who, by 'importing' it to MCP, encouraged relations of respect or honour between children and adults. The significance of these relations, rooted in ethno-national relations between the groups, transcends the global discourse about the uniformity of the generational digital divide. While the Arab group's ambivalence toward MCP weakened the children's status, the Jewish children attained empowerment as young teachers. The conclusions focus on the implications for intergenerational relations and children's self-image of the preservation of the Arab honour-contingent habitus in a Western educational context-a self-chosen strategy that may widen the digital divide between Arab and Jewish children.

Education in civic participation: Children, seniors and the challenges of an intergenerational information and communications technology program

“…Despite the constructive potential of the mediation strategy, the tri-generational structure of MCP was found to complicate the children's empowerment process. In the MCP population's family habitus (grandchild-grandparent relations), now "imported" into the program, intergenerational respect usually prevails (Gamliel and Hazan, 2014). When a computer teacher mediates the encounters, she may meddle with these relations and draw out the power dimension that exists between them by subordinating the participants to the school's rules and supervision.…”

“…How can one explain MCP's success or failure in attaining its goal of education in civic participation? In previous articles (Gamliel and Hazan, 2014;Gamliel et al, 2007aGamliel et al, , 2007b, I analyzed the relationship between participating couples' respect and emotional intimacy and children's empowerment. Here, I focus on challenges to the fulfillment of children's knowledge agency that are specific to the ICT encounter.…”

“…My earlier studies, like other ICT research, explored the initial contours of MCP and its potential in intergenerational bridging, alleviation of stereotypes, and empowerment of both groups (Gamliel and Gabay, 2014;Gamliel and Hazan, 2014;Gamliel et al, 2007aGamliel et al, , 2007b. This article, in contrast, stresses the implications of recent developments in MCP that make it a civic-education program (CEP) that should make a national contribution.…”

A Digital Literacy Workshop Training Model for Child Parenting in a Fourth Industrial Era

“…Digital literacy for parents, is a very important element in parenting training [22] because crimes occurring across social media networks are diverse, ranging from the dissemination of hoaxes or propaganda, violation of privacy, cyberbullying, cybercrime and exposure to pornographic content and sexual violence. Based on the Child Protection Commission in 2018, there were 679 cases of crime that occurred to children due to the uncontrolled use of social media [23].…”