Literacy is the ability to utilize texts in any given medium and be able to communicate with other members of society. With the help of technology this can be done through multiple different types of mediums including pictures, books, social media platforms, videos, and anything that can be considered a form of text. Through the use of technology literacy has been transformed from just the ability to read and write to the ability to use different platforms as a means of communication and promoting learning. As technology continues to change so does the definition of literacy.
In the last century, or even the last decade, technology has advanced to the point where it is a part of most people’s everyday lives. This means that it is crucial that technology is utilized in the classroom in order to cater to and further promote the growth of the skills and learning abilities of 21st century youth. Today’s students require more than literacy in the form of text, they need to be able to implement the skills the have gained from technology in their learning environment. In the article, Redefining literacy in the 21st century, Christine Bridge states, “With no clear definition yet, the term “new literacies” generally refers to new forms of literacy made possible by developments in technology” (Bridge). This means that technology is a fundamental part of what makes students literate today. Bridge goes on to discuss how this new definition of literacy helps students further develop their skills and how these skills can be used in the world outside of the classroom. Using social media platforms teaches the youth how to communicate with their peers in a way that promotes creativity and individuality. In Julie Warners book Adolescents’’ New Literacies With and Through Mobile Phones, she discusses how technology has changed the way students interact with one another socially and how this has changed the meaning of literacy. In chapter four Composing Socially she states, “Knowing how to use language is not simply a matter of adhering to the authoritative rules of grammar handbooks and dictionaries. It is about knowing how to participate in ways that conform to social norms (to some extent) to be understood” (Warner, 2017, p. 75). This quote shows how the definition of literacy has transformed from being able to understand and communicate through written text to being able to communicate through social websites as well as having the ability to change one’s social skills based on the social norms of the group. This is a skill that is new to this generation due to the advance in technology. Today’s students need to utilize these learned social skills in the classroom in order to further progress their abilities and pair these definitions of literacy with the literacy they are taught in the classroom.
In the article Literacy for the 21st Century: The Hope and the Promise, the statement “Today information about the world around us comes to us not only by words printed on a piece of paper but more and more through the powerful images and sounds of our multi-media culture” (Literacy 2018) was made about what literacy means today. Literacy is considered to be the ability to understand and communicate through texts but the meaning of texts has been changed due to technology. The author also says that “In the last 40 years, the field of media literacy education has emerged to organize and promote the importance of teaching this expanded notion of “literacy.” At its core are the basic higher-order critical thinking skills of any well-educated person — knowing how to identify key concepts, how to make connections between multiple ideas, how to ask pertinent questions, formulate a response, identify fallacies and so on” (Literacy 2018). This quote shows how important it is to allow students to use the skill set they have gained from technology within the classroom. As technology continues to become more and more advanced the youth will need to be able to further grow their skill set they gain from it, this will allow students to learn with the change.
The definition of what it means to be literate in the 21st century will continually change as technological growth continues. It is important that students will be able to utilize technology within the classroom so that they are able to keep up with the change and not be left behind. In order to keep students up to date teachers must also stay connected to technological advancement. The definition of literacy has drastically changed in the last decade and as future educators we must anticipate further progression and bring an understanding of the students skill set into the classroom.
Bridge, C. (n.d.). Redefining Literacy in the 21st Century. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from http://www.ourkids.net/school/redefining-literacy-new-literacies-21st-century-skills-1119
(n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/literacy-21st-century-hope-and-promise
