Technology and Literacy

After reading and watching the podcast Robert says "The reading material and video clip on new technologies impacting literacy is very accurate and makes me think of my own education and teaching experiences as it relates to literacy. Admittedly, I always thought of literacy as reading and writing, now however I am aware that literacy is much, much more. I now know that literacy is reading, writing, and communicating through various other meduims such as pictures, videos, hand signals, gestures, etc.". I agree with Robert as far as thinking of literacy as reading and writing. Currently technology is being infused into this subject.

I think that being able to access millions of websites can encourage us to think more about what we see, but it can also encourage us not to think. There are many websites found on the internet that have already done the work that we are being asked to do or ask our students to do. There are many times that students just copy what they see and see this as an easy way out. However, if used appropriately it can allow us to research and find out answers to questions we might have.

The internet is an incalculable source of available information that makes knowledge and data on virtually any topic accessible for student use. Current and ever advancing technology in word processing and assistive technology make reading, writing, and communicating easier and possible to students that were having difficulties or unable in the past. Video games and text messaging are thought to increase dexterity and give students practice writing in a fun context. Video photo technology and video story-telling, blogs, on-line chat rooms, and even "myspace", all provide students with multiple ways to communicate, learn, and share information. With these things in mind, I definitely believe the world has become more "literate".

If we base how literate one can be we have to be specific in the content area. One can have difficulty reading text in a book, but might find it easier to communicate with technology. This brings me to the point that being literate does not only mean being able to read and write. It encompasses much more.