What Does It Mean to be Literate in the 21st Century?
Throughout history, the definition of literacy has been constricted to one idea. Today, while the dictionary definition has remained stagnant, the definition of literacy that we experience day to day has become much more fluid. There are so many subjects and methods that one can be literate in and being able to read and write is only a small portion of that. For instance, I can read and write fairly well in English and legal studies or history or matters involving education. However, if I were to be dropped into an engineering class, I would be mostly illiterate. I might be able to recognize the numbers being used but I would have no idea how to recognize the patterns or know what formulas to use in order to solve the problem.
The main difference in literacy from our past to the 21stcentury is the evolution of technology and its continuous developments. The bare minimum to be functionally literate in society today no longer means being able to read and write with traditional methods of pen and paper. Today you need to be able to type on a computer or tablet and know what apps you can use to maximize your efficiency in things such as time management, banking, turning in assignments, communication with the rest of the world in various methods from email to social media posts. This is not just for students but also for educators that are having to find new resources that involve various technological platforms to keep their students attention when presenting information.
In my favorite reading that we have had so far this semester a student was struggling with reading and literacy until he read The Hunger Gamestrilogy. After falling in love with the books he found an online affinity space that he could further develop his literacy skills in real time discussion with others. This online forum helped him to develop these skills because on the forum he was making arguments in; another user told him that he was required to provide proof such as page numbers and quotes when he was making an argument. This helped the student to become advanced in literacy because not only did he simply read the books and write about them but also he was about to use this online space to develop research and persuasive writing techniques.
In a video I found, an education specialist and author, Lisa Guernsey explains that in research for a book, the main idea was that she had to deconstruct first was what it meant to be literate in the 21stcentury. The best answer that she could gather based on her research it the ability to not only continuously absorb information about to be able to analyze that information into what is and isn’t useful to know. She discusses that in the 21stcentury, especially with the way that technology has and is constantly evolving, more information that ever is being constantly thrown at students and at a much faster rate than ever before. It is due to this that one of the most important skills that a student could possess to be literate is their ability to take all of that information and quickly analyze the text to determine whether or not the information is important and relevant for whatever task they are trying to accomplish.
As discussed in the Ken Robinson reading, another reason that we now see a transformation of what it means to be literate is because throughout history our society has focused so the read and regurgitate method but today we are shifting to methods that require students to analyze and compose. Literacy no longer means a student should read fact and be able to recite them on command. In the 21stcentury, students are now being required to analyze the information that they have learned and transform into a new composition of their own merit. For example, if a student were to read an article about a current event such a ruling on an important case by the supreme court, the student would not be marked proficient for being able to state the facts of the case. Today the student would analyze the article to determine key information and be able to take that information and form a well thought argument of their own ideas and words.
In an article written by Shelia Moorcroft, the question of what it means to be literate in the 21stcentury is answered with an argument for life skills. Moorcroft explains that financial, thinking, success, social, and practical skills were not being taught in schools but are a required skill set to be a functionally literate adult in the 21stcentury. She dives deeper into these subjects saying that they should be taught under methods of critical thinking, mending things, listening skills, and even budgeting. I would very much agree that these skills are important in literacy. Literacy is a fluid definition that begins and ends where one subject ends and a new one begins. While one might be literate in finances and budgeting, they might not be literate in critical thinking methods that would maximize their ability to learn new subjects. It is important in school that teachers educate student on how to be functionally literate in as many subjects and fields of study as possible.
In essence, to be literate in the 21stcentury is to be able to consistently adapt to different subjects. To be literate in the 21stcentury and open mind that is ready and willing to learn is the most essential skill that one could possess. I make this argument because theories and technology are always evolving, even in history we as a society are continuously uncovering more and more information on events that we have been studying for decades; so if you keep an open mind and are willing to continuously develop your ideas to meet these evolving fields then you cannot possibly get left behind and become illiterate. To be literate in the 21stcentury is to form and opinion and be able to express that opinion on different platforms from print to emails or social media platforms.
Outside sources links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byzoDZAdzmU
https://www.alternet.org/story/155975/what_does_it_mean_to_be_literate_in_the_21st_century
