Writing Prompt: In an age of information, are Americans more or less literate then they used to be? Persuade the reader to agree with the paper's position while exploring the consequences of this trend. With advances in technology, more and more people are becoming digital literate. What is "digital literacy"? Research and define this term, and decide whether or not this is a necessary skill in today's society. Be sure to support your opinion using researched facts and thought out reasons
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One's opinion should be based on each individual ability not as a group. A parent of two school age children with different learning styles. One who learns more from regular textbooks over a computer and the other one who learns better from the use of technology? In my opinion it is that technology in my life has not made one more literate then the other. As a society we cannot blame the advances in technology for the illiteracy in the American community. Are Americans more or less literate?
In this age people think that it is technology to blame for children not being able to read in the traditional sense then they could before. Which is not true it is just that even though technology has been in schools teachers just have not incorporated it in to the learning styles. Some schools have changed how they teach children to better their education. Having a child who is behind with reading and math they have used some programs that has helped her to catch up to the rest of the class. Her learning styles are more with technology then other children but she can read at the same levels as they do. Unlike her sister who can read and do math without having to use much of today’s technology. Most homes have computers with access to internet most ch...
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...orary texts: moving my English class to the computer lab: using technology as their medium, teachers can guide students through important comprehension processes while making meaning of traditional texts." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy no. 7: 543. Literature Resource Center, EBSCOhost (accessed May 5, 2014).
Biancarosa, G. & Griffiths, G. G. (2012). Technology Tools to Support Reading in the Digital Age. The Future of Children 22(2), 139-160. Princeton University. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from Project MUSE database.
Ezziane, Z. (2007). Information Technology Literacy: Implications on Teaching and Learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 10(3), 175-191.
Judson, E. (2010). Improving technology literacy: does it open doors to traditional content? Educational Technology Research & Development, 58(3), 271-284. Doi: 10.1007/s11423-009-9135-8
However, think about the evolution of literacy and the different ways in which children and people learn and retrieve information; this definition could also include interaction with the digital text. There is a wide range as to what counts as literacy such as blogging, social networking, emailing, digital storytelling, online chats and even shopping online just to name a few. Not everyone will agree with what counts as literacy, but if students are not enlightened on the many aspects of what could make them valuable assets in the future; that would be negligent. In Rich’s article digital literacy is being discussed which is the topic this response will focus on. Learning is not restricted only to the classroom. Just like books, the Internet can take you places, on advantages without having to leave home. Digital literacy can be beneficial with the proper guidance of teachers, educators and
Jones-Kavalier, B. R., & Flannigan, S. I. (2008). Connecting the digital dots: Literacy of the 21st
Children today are growing up in a digital world where their surrounding environments are rich with popular culture, leading teachers to reconsider and respond to new pedagogies for teaching literacy in the classroom (Beavis, 2012; Hall, 2011; Petrone, 2013; Walsh, 2010).
“Technology has provided the opportunity to create an entirely new learning environment; it has significantly increased the range and sophistication of possible classroom activities” (Hawkins 1997). The vast majority of youths today, grow up with computers and encounter some form of digital learning (Kolikant, 2009). The idea that has had the most impact is that the technology today will be outpaced by the next generation. Most of the technology seen today will never be used by an infant when he reaches school age.
In her essay “Technology and Literacy: A Story about the Perils of Not Paying Attention,” Cynthia L. Selfe notes that “technology is either boring or frightening to most humanists; many teachers of English composition feel it antithetical to their primary concerns and many believe it should not be allowed to take up valuable scholarly time or the attention that could be best put to use in teaching or the study of literacy” (Self 412). Looking around campus it takes little time to verify Selfe’s caution about indifference to computers: except in its uses as “a simple tool that individual faculty members can use or ignore in their classrooms as they choose” (Self 414), computer use has been, and for the most part still is, nascent within the humanities. As computers increasingly become an irreplaceable part of daily life in modern culture, however, more and more instructors attempt to carry out the task of incorporating technology into the pedagogical techniques of their disciplines. Over the past four months I’ve had the invaluable opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at one particular attempt to integrate computers and writing instruction. In Dr. Will Hochman’s English 101-43 (SP 2003) classroom I’ve learned much about both the process and underlying philosophies involved in making computers a productive classroom tool.
Education is important, so it would only make sense that technology would have a huge part in it. When children are born, they are placed into a world that is driven by technology. Parents are now using iPads and cellphones to allow their children to get a head start on learning. Now, by the time children are of age to attend school, they are exceedingly prepared to incorporate technology in their education. With this being said, educational institutions must help students get ready to work in a society that encompasses an extensive amount of technology. According to Sean McCollum, “a handful of school districts…are adapting their use to serve the curriculum.” Many schools are now using whiteboards, laptops, tablets, Smartphones and other
So, the question is how to define “technological literacy” without being trapped in too narrow a perspective and without utilizing a specific technology to add meaning to the term. It is important that society controls technology for it to serve us purposefully in our daily lives and lifestyle in general. For us to control technology, an understanding and knowledge is required to allow us to make informative decisions on how it will affect our lives.
Rainie, L., Zickuhr, K., Purcell, K., Madden, M., Brenner, J. (2012). The rise of e-reading. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 3-11. Retrieved from Education Resources Information Center
In many ways, technology have helped develop literacy skills, but at the same time it decreases our reading skills. According to Nicholas
Rainie, L., Zickuhr, K., Purcell, K., Madden, M., & Brenner, J. (2012). The rise of e-reading. Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved April 11, 2013, http://libraries.pewinternet.org/files/legacy-pdf/The%20rise%20of%20e-reading%204.5.12.pdf
The Director of the Children Digital Media Center, Patricia Greenfield concluded, “Reading for pleasure is the key to developing these skills. Students today have more visual literacy and less print literacy. Many students do not read for pleasure and have not for decades.” Because of technology, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have decreased, while the visual skills we withhold have improved. Through technology there is no need for us to read with a bo...
...ant, J. M. A. (2004). Are electronic books effective in teaching young children reading and
McBride, M. F. (2011-2012). Reconsidering information literacy in the 21st century: the redesign of an information literacy class. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, Vol. 40(3), 287-300
What is technological literacy? Just as technology involves more than computers and the Internet, technological literacy involves more than hands-on skill in using technology (Bugliarello 2000). Certainly, knowing how to use information technology is increasingly important in our knowledge society, whether we are looking for a job, marketing a service, or shopping for a product. We must also be able to use other devices, like microwaves, copying machines, and self-service gas pumps, that have become part of everyday life at home, at work, or in the community. However, the ability to use technology is only one part of technological literacy. What are the other parts?
The question people are asking themselves today is, Is digital literacy just as important as daily subjects such as reading, writing, and math for our students today? To prepare for this paper I was given three excerpts to read. Right away I was drawn to how much time we spend on the internet daily and what types of things we do while we are on the internet. I realized that today’s society is dependent on the internet for most things like doing homework, researching information, shopping, and getting on social media websites. While reading a fact sheet named Fact Sheet: Digital Literacy, “We live in an internet economy I came across interesting facts such as 96% of Americans use technology and internet at their jobs and 28% of American don’t