The Great Literacy
Debate – Blog Week 2
M. Rich
(2008) awakens our interest in the literacy debate as to whether what we are
seeing with the current generation prepares them adequately for the world. As the headline questions “R U Really
Reading?” Do online sources of
information equate to reading a book?
What counts as literacy?I feel that the important question we need to ask is how does the future look? Will paper books exist in 20 years? Will our next generation even consider picking up a physical book? I can relate to this point with regard to maps. I still like to see a paper map before heading out but my 22 year old son believes such action completely insane since we have a navigation system. Is map reading a skill of the past? Access to information is via the internet like it or not we all reach for Google when a question arises. An important developing skill will be retrieving information and confirming accurate content. Is this literacy in tomorrow’s world?
Another important consideration I see is the fact that new literacies are more social than the independent contemplative thought process of reading a book. The interchange changes the process and seems to create a desire to create change to the original form. A less accepting view of static information is developed. This generation views content from screens and this particular medium is not confined to the written word but can be enriched by the visual sense and movement. Consequently, the experience is different but not necessarily inadequate or bad.
Hence as educators our role is to
help prepare the next generation to function in society with different mediums
and ways of interpreting information. We must be prepared to adjust our views to a
broader context. And may be map reading will
go the way of Sanskrit and unless we keep technical savvy perhaps we will
become the illiterate!
References:
Gillen, J. & Barton, D. Digital literacies: A research briefing by
technology enhanced learning phase of
teaching and learning research
programme. Retrieved from:
http://www.tlrp.org/docs/DigitalLiteracies.pdf
Rich, M. (2008). Literacy
debate: online, R U really reading? Retrieved from:
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI like you comments about maps, both printed and GPS. Do you think that your looking at a map prior has to do with you feeling comfort in preparing for a trip and your son not really needing the same level of comfort? I think that is an interesting idea and it questions the differences present between generations. Something that I see in this generation is the level of trust that they put in technology. Don't get me wrong, I trust it too, but only to an extent. I think that newer generations need to learn the way he world works behind the technology. Not only will they get a more enriched education, but they will also be able to live in the event that the technology is not available for some reason.
Erik
DeleteI think you are spot on -- yes I truly do like to prepare for the trip and know if my GPS does something strange (which it often does) then I still know roughly where I am going. Additionally, I also feel that I like to see the entire picture - the whole trip and I find although it is feasible on the screen it is just much easier on a piece of paper than the small navigation systems in cars.
I think the newer generations are so used to "immediate" access that there is very little consideration to plan ahead. I see this in everything they tend to do.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Lydia