Informal and tacit learning experiences of the digital natives: Their impact on tackling learning situations

This paper presents the results of two studies concerning student learning experiences in the context of notions of students as ?digital natives? and where their instructors are ?digital immigrants? (Prensky,2001), using methodologies and approaches determined in a pre-digital age. For digital natives, new and emerging technologies and information ubiquity impacts on the way they live out and experience learning: there is no personal or cultural memory of a time preceding the digital culture (Carrington,2007). Their learning history and consequent learning styles are being differently shaped under the influence of a tacit component (Jones & Miller); as they learn often quite autonomously, while they search, shop, play and network. For them, the perception of what efficient learning means is different.