This article, from the March 2009 issue of Educational Leadership, provides a clear overview of the changing nature of literacy and argues that teachers at all levels should more effectively integrate digital literacy into their education practices. The author also offers eight guidelines that can “help teachers promote the crucial skills associated with digital literacy.”
Orchestrating the Media Collage
by Jason Ohler
Being able to read and write multiple forms of media and integrate them into a meaningful whole is the new hallmark of literacy.
It is no coincidence that the words letter and literacy look alike. When the concept of a literate person arose centuries ago, it referred to those few who were considered educated, precisely because they “knew the letters.”1 To this day, the prevailing definition of a literate person is still someone who has the ability to read, write, and understand words.
Yet the word literacy rarely appears by itself anymore. Public narrative embraces a number of specialty literacies, including math literacy, research literacy, and even citizenship literacy, to name a few. Understanding the evolving nature of literacy is important because it enables us to understand the emerging nature of illiteracy as well. After all, regardless of the literacy under consideration, the illiterate get left out.
At the epicenter of the evolving nature of literacy is digital literacy, the term du jour used to describe the skills, expectations, and perspectives involved in living in a technological society. How has digital literacy evolved in the 25 years since digital tools began appearing in classrooms? And how can we make it more responsive to our present needs?