Abstract

The new generation of learner born in the 1980s to 1990s who have been labelled by Prensky as “digital natives” has been observed to be highly technological savvy, highly imaginative, multi-taskers and enjoy playing video games. This notion has led to the assumption that there is a need to introduce educational reforms that involved a greater use of technology.  However, there is a growing debate on the real characteristics and even scope of “digital natives” and also concern regarding the digital divide between the natives (students) and the immigrants (teachers). In the Philippine context, this is a relative new area of investigation; hence, there is a need for further investigation to shed more light in this area and that is the purpose of this study. This is particularly necessary since many public and private institutions in the Philippines are currently undergoing or contemplating on the expensive and extensive educational reforms involving the use of a substantial amount of technology.  This study examined the Filipino undergraduates’ patterns of use of technology and their perceptions on the use of technology in learning English. Results found revealed a lack of diversity in the ownership and use of technology among the participants across disciplines, and a greater use of technology for recreational than educational purposes. These results are interpreted positively in the light of the digital natives’ need for the most advanced, accessible, and flexible e-tools available, as well as the growing pedagogical trend of packaging lessons as games. Perceptions on the use of ICT in the English classroom were found to be favorable, and they were found to regard teachers’ ICT competence as quite high.