Before you even read this article, respond to this question:
What is your definition of literacy? And not the dictionary's definition--YOUR definition.
Check out this article from The New York Times:
"Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html
What are your thoughts? What do you think? After reading the article, has your definition of literacy changed? Why or why not?
.jpg)
My definition of literacy is being able to read and write. My thoughts after reading article is reading is reading. Whether one is reading an essay, a poem, a comic, books, newspaper, magazine, and even the internet it’s reading. I have actually had an experience with this at home so I know how this works. My younger sister HATES books and had hated reading them for about most of her life. When she was younger she was diagnosed with dyslexia. But she has recently started reading long stories on the internet that interest her and these readings have actually morphed into reading books. Being able to see how reading things on the internet has helped my sister I feel it can possibly help Nadia. It may take her a long time but it could happen and if it doesn’t I think her mom should appreciate the fact that she’s reading anything at all because there are children out there that won’t lift a book even if their life depended on it. Reading on the internet isn’t negatively affecting our brains or Nadia’s brain so why worry about it? I can understand Nadia’s mother’s concern about her daughter not reading, my mom had the same worries with my sister but now that she is reading SOMETHING it’s not that big of an issue for her. I also feel I can relate to Hunter, who was diagnosed with the learning disability when he was in the second grade and had to take special education classes. My sister had to do that too and sad thing is it didn’t help. To be diagnosed with this disability doesn’t make one want to read more but now that she’s older she does read, like Hunter. I appreciate the internet and fact that we can read from if we wanted to. It has shown to keep the interest of children and teenagers who won’t read a book and I think that’s good.
ReplyDeleteI actually have a very strong opinion on this matter. At a young age, my parents always read to me. As I got older I read books in school because they had “AR” points that I could earn if I read a book, took a test on it, and passed. That was fun to me because I was competitive. That followed me through much of elementary school. However come middle school I was no longer interested in reading for fun. I found it much more fun to play sports. In fact the only thing I ever read were sports articles from the newspaper or an online source. The only time I read anything educational was when I had to for a class. That followed me all the way to my freshman year of high school. I still never read for fun, ever. In fact even if we had to read for class I still wouldn’t do it sometimes. I hated reading that much because I could never focus and it usually didn’t interest me. However I could play sports or lift weights all day. Freshman year was the last time I checked out a book the rest of high school. I can honestly say I don’t regret that at all. Here are some reason’s I don’t regret, and still don’t regret reading for fun. I played four sports in high school, I was voted most athletic in my senior class, I was first team all-county for football my senior year, I was captain of the football team, and I had a 3.3 unweighted G.P.A. These were all things I could put on my resume. I say that to say this; I got into every college I applied for. I got into every college because I was a well-rounded student and kept my academics before sports, but at the same time still excelled in sports. I know kids that read for fun on top of over analyzing books that we had to read for class, and they are in no better position than I am right now heading into college. I feel very strongly that by doing the necessary reading I have to for school I will get just in far in life as anyone who reads for fun. At the same time, my for fun activities will keep me in great shape and allow me to have tons of fun. Not to mention I have quality time with my friends every day. I think its more important to be socially smart as well as literate. I go on the internet and read articles about sports or topics I am interested in. I never feel like I didn’t get enough information out of because it wasn’t a book. I have spent ten times more of my life reading online articles or stories than books. I feel I can carry on a conversation about that topic as good as someone who read a book. My definition of literacy is being able to hear or read something and comprehend what is being said. I feel I can be literate and carry on a conversation or know what someone is talking about just as good as a “for fun book reader”, so I feel I am just as literate as they are. Reading, I feel, would have got me no farther than where what I have done now has. I am at FSU which has one of the best Sports Management programs in the nation and I am proud to be a NOLE. So they can bring up the issue of book reading vs. online reading or no reading but I say they are wasting their time. Literacy is literacy no matter how you achieve it.
ReplyDeleteI somewhat agree with B.Thigpen when he says that being literate is having the ability to "read and write."
ReplyDeleteI define a literate and hence informed individual as someone who utilizes all forms of media to stay informed and self-educated. This means they use books, electronic media including the internet and the television to learn, explore and communicate. A proficient web surfer or Myspace user is not necessarily literate. While the internet has transformed how information is disseminated and has increased our access to information, our population has not necessarily become more literate.
My generation benefits from having access to multiple types of media from which to learn from. Just as television did not bring education to a halt, the electronic media we have access to will not necessarily "dumb down" people. There is no denying the fact that reading skills and math skills have declined, as have writing skills. Is this due to the rise of internet-based information that allows us to grab snippets of information but not really get into the depth of topics due to the ease of surfing/skimming? The truly literate person will recognize the opportunities that the new media offers when used in conjunction with the more traditional sources like books.
However, one needs to avoid the risk of grabbing the "easy stuff" from electronic sources. I don't deny that the attention span and intellectual discipline of my generation may appear to be shorter. The rise of what I call "text talk" may be an indicator of new ways of talking or it may be an indicator of laziness, only time will tell.
Kindle/eBooks will eventually redefine what a book is but not eliminate books and their authors. This and other new media may actually increase reading as easy access and portability will now be enhanced. But this will not be the case for everyone. One can choose to watch a PBS documentary or a mindless sitcom and that is good. The more literate person may see the benefits in both and use them effectively. I define a literate person as someone who can navigate the internet, utilize physical libraries, and creatively use internet tools, like Google, to help them learn, communicate, and educate themselves and others. As the saying goes, "knowledge is power," and those who recognize this and take advantage of their access to multiple media sources will be truly literate.
I believe that literacy is the ability to read and write, just like Ms. Thigpen. America today is based upon an easier way of living. Technology is helping society with the easiest details. Such as reading and writing people don’t usually have the ability to focus. Reading in my perspective is the ability to use one self’s own trained abilities and understand knowledge. Growing up I often disliked reading. My teachers would assign reading material that would bore the hell out of me. Reading and writing were a burden to me, but I knew that reading will help in the future. Especially writing is the best form of literacy; it’s the ability to put the understood material on to paper. Literacy enables the process of higher learning. It gives the advantage to go far in life as well. Experience and going to school helps everyone to achieve a higher level of education. With this article I believe the internet is a good source to access information. Reading books on the internet helps kids read. The internet uses images that wouldn’t be able to see in regular books. The internet is able to test the knowledge of reading automatically with different tests and quizzes. Though some children are diagnosed with reading it prevents them from understanding new knowledge. But I believe some people with disorders can grow out of them and be able to grow out of this disorder. With repetition a child can break it and the will to read can ultimately achieve the ability to read.
ReplyDeleteI would define literacy in the exact same word as Brittany did, being able to read and write. This is exactly what I think of when I think of the word literacy. After reading this article, I think that it does not matter what type of medium that you are reading as long as you are reading. Now a day, you can read books online. In the future, I believe that most books will be online and that is where most people will read. I personally like to be able to hold the text in my hands. I am more comfortable with that and I also like to collect books so that one day I can start my own personal library, but that is just me. I also, like Greg, had to participate in AR reading for school. AR reading is actually what got me to start loving to read. I needed a lot of points to pass the class, so I read one of the Harry Potter books because they were worth around 30 points or so. After that I was hooked. I think as long as someone is reading something, then it does not matter where they are reading it. Sometimes books do not capture ones attention. They may be more interested in reading blog posts or articles that are posted online. Everyone is different. We all do not function the same way. Some of us need to use different strategies to become interested in reading. My definition of reading has not changed after reading this article. Like I said before reading is reading, no matter how where you are reading from.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of literacy is being able to write and comprehend what is being read. I believe that although we as a generation are slowly losing the ability to pay attention to a single idea for a long time as we do in reading long books, I think we are learning a new ability to fiercely debate over various topics and give our personal insights to each other which teaches us how other people think. I think this is important because our parent’s generations did not have this ability at all. My mom would tell when she was little children were suppose to be seen but not heard. Now teenagers have the ability to learn about current world affairs and blog about it with senators and house of representative members of the United States. It may not be a good trade off but its still a skill set that is important and many teens have which parents do not. The ability to be computer literate is ever more important now because by the time my generations is running the world everything will be digital. From textbooks to restaurant menus, so why not lean more towards digital reading? Besides the ability to argue and debate over topics and give someone your point of view is so important for getting along with other people because it gives someone else an insight of how someone thinks. This cultures them and teaches them that everyone has a different view on a single topic and we learn to accept this from a young age. I disagree with Greg when he said “Literacy is literacy no matter how you achieve it.”. I believe there is a different type of literacy when you think of being computer literate and literature based books. Being computer literature requires a different kind of skill set although you use the same tools to understand what is being said.
ReplyDeleteMy personal definition of literacy is being able to read and write. My thoughts of what literacy are the same. I think it is better for children to read books although I don’t think it is good to force reading upon them. Like Greg, I had to read books for “AR” in elementary and middle school. I enjoyed reading but I though it was wrong to be tested on them and some of my favorite books did not have a test to take. This became a problem recently in the local middle school. With the internet, children stopped reading books which in turn lowered their grades. Parents complained that students hated reading “AR” books and then “AR” became optional and was counted as extra credit. Children prefer a different topic to read about and this can help hook them to reading. On the internet, more material is available for reading but I think it can be a distraction for children because images and other things pop up on the computer and can hinder the child’s ability to focus on reading. No matter what form children are reading on, at least they are reading. Reading is very important, many lessons can be taught in reading and it helps improve many aspects of life. At my high school, the seniors have to write a research paper about the importance of reading for young children. In addition, we had to write our own children’s book. It was a great project that taught us many things. The most important is that to be successful in life, reading is essential.
ReplyDeleteFor me, my definition of literacy is the ability to read and comprehend at a certain level. I agree with Brittany that reading is reading, however, the issue that I see that irks me to my core is the severe number of spelling and grammatical errors. Matt, though, also has a point when he said you can educate yourself with books and online. In today’s age, teachers and school expect children to read articles and create papers to be turned in online, so there shouldn’t be a problem with reading online. At least online, children gain the ability to comprehend, which was a problem in the late 1990s. I remember hearing constant reports at my Catholic grade school that children read but couldn’t comprehend, and we were next to fail in the long term. With the idea of pulling articles up online, people developed a way to catch, keep their attention, and to comprehend on their own time. My sister also loathed to pick up a book to the point of throwing embarrassing tantrums whenever I took her to Barnes and Noble. When she discovered reading online, her test score greatly improved, and she even began to pick up my old Boxcar Children books on her own. She had an amazing turnaround that I’ll accredit to her interest online. I think the internet is a way to show kids that reading has benefits, and from kids I used to watch in aftercare, many come back to actual books later on. The scientists, in my belief, have not given this upcoming generation a fair shot to prove their comprehensive abilities, and I would like to see their scores for standardized college entrance tests.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of literacy I think of reading and writing. When I think of literature, I think of the 20 pound, huge, textbooks willed with stories, poems, and excerpts from books that I have no interest in. With internet becoming so important and prevalent in our society, literature is becoming accessible to many more people. On the internet I can find a book or poem I actually have interest in, where as in books there are only limited options. Just like Greg said, “I go onto the internet and real something I enjoy. I never feel like I didn’t get anything out of it because it wasn’t a book.” I also agree with Emily who said “In the future I think most books will be online.” While some literacy analysts may argue my point… I’d have to say the internet has opened a new avenue for reading. It makes text more accessible. instead of getting in a car, driving to the library, and checking out a book; I can walk straight to my MacBook, click a button, and be engaging myself in reading as well as writing. I think that analysts need to stop being so judgmental of our new technology and coming age. No matter what, the internet isn’t going to go away. Instead of being so cryptical of whether it is really “literacy” they should be fascinated ad excited about the amount of people who actually spend time researching and leisurely reading on the internet. The internet also allows for people to comprehend, think about, and read on their own time and at their own pace. It also allows for comments or blogging where people can discuss what they have just read or learned. I think this is way better than text in a book because it shows peoples opinions, and maybe makes some things more clear by reading other peoples opinions and posting your own. All in all, I think the internet is a great thing, and it is only helping us with our literacy, not in any way hurting us.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of literacy is not only to be able to read and write but to also understand what you are reading and writing. I say this because I can read Spanish but if I have no idea what it means, how is that helping me? I might as well not have read it at all and I would still be in the same position. After reading this article, my definition for literacy still hasn’t changed. I still believe that if you can read something and write it out and understand it then it proves you literate whether it is hand written or typed. In this new age of technology, digitalized reading and writing is very common. Even as I type away here right now I am proof of the new age. I am voicing my opinion and people will be able to read what I am saying. This is a prime example of new aged writing. I honestly do not have a problem with the new technology. I actually find it more convenient because you can access multiple stories at a time and you can view opposing view points of what you are reading, you can voice your own opinion, authors can popularize there stories through the internet, and its just more convenient because you do not have to drive to a library and worry about returning it. Pretty much the entire world’s literature is at the tips of your fingers on the web. I have to agree with Meagan and Brittney that no matter what or where you’re reading, reading is reading and as long as you gain some sort of knowledge, it has achieved its purpose; to educate.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of literacy is being able to not only read at your grade level, to comprehend what you read, to be able to have an intelligent conversation with someone about the material you read, and being able to process what you read. I agree with B. Thigpen with what he says is the definition of being literate, but I also think that it is so much more. Most anyone can read and write but it takes a certain person to be able to write something worth reading. Being able to read comic books only I don’t think is literate, you have to be able to react to the piece. I have read books online and I don’t think that makes the reading any less “real” as having a book in front of you. Amazon has a new device out called the Kindle. A kindle is about 200 dollars and it is a device that you download books on from amazon and sit and read it. You can also go online with this device. The kindle would be the same thing as reading online. Since I was very young I have always loved to read, it’s part of who I am, what I read doesn’t change the fact that I love reading. I also agree with Meagan and Brittney that as long as you can gain some wisdom from whatever you are reading then you are fine. Maybe some people can gain some knowledge from comic strips and that is fine. I think that if our nation weren’t literate we wouldn’t be the world power that we are now. Literacy is one of the keys to being strong. From reading you gain knowledge and from knowledge if utilized right comes wisdom.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to define literacy to someone I would say that it is the ability to read; not only the ability to read, but the ability to read well, to be up to a certain standard. This standard being having the ability to understand and comprehend what you are reading. After reciting my own definition, I went back and read others, and realized that being literate is not only being able to read, but being able to write as well. Today, our means of reading are different from years before. We can access anything we want online; the news, blogs, and even books themselves. As the article said, reading online is our generations way of becoming more intellectual, educating ourselves, and strengthening our reading habits and skills. Before reading the article, when I thought of literacy I wouldn’t have considered this, but as I pondered I began to think of the many reading programs available to be downloaded on computers to help kids become better readers. Personally, I don’t agree that reading online is harmful to children, especially since the internet is very important to our generation; we are able to practice reading and writing at that same time. Soon, I believe that all job applications will be online, and we will rely on the internet more than we do today. I agree with in Alicia when she says the most important thing is that to be successful in life, reading is essential. As long as you are up to your level, it doesn’t matter how you keep up your skills.
ReplyDeleteLike MattFlynn said, my defination of literacy is more than just being able to go on myspace.. to be literate, you must be able to read something and extrapolate information from whatever it is that you just read. Much like Greg, I read a little here and there through elementary school, but once I hit middle school, i got really into baseball and I pretty much stopped reading anything that wssnt about sports. i think that this scenerio holds true to the majority of students today. whether it be sports, music, art, or even food, students are going to read about what they are interested in, they arent going to sit down and read huckleberry finn when they can be reading online about their favorite baseball player. As far as the defination of literacy changong, i dont think it really has, I feel that wether it be a short story online, or a news article online, that reading is reading and as long as you are reading some form of literature and you are able to read it and form an opinion about it, then that constitutes as being literate. grant it, i feel that students are missing out hugely on books that could possibly change their lives, but in a world of sparknotes and google, books seem to be becoming obsolete.
ReplyDeleteMy definition for literacy is not only being able to read but the be ability to understand the topic and have a conversation about it. Just like what B.Thigpen said reading is reading. I personally think that if someone is reading a book or reading the newspaper it does not really make a difference. I know that reading the book we all had to read in school were good for us, but how do they expect us to like reading something we have no interest in. I was diagnosed with dyslexia around the age of ten, and when I was younger I would really have trouble reading something that did not catch my attention. With Internet reading my mom would have me look up a subject and read it, I would do that a few times a day and it really helped me with reading. That’s why I think that if you are reading your reading and it does not matter where you get your resources. All though I am for reading online I know that is not what most kids are doing they are either on facebook, myspace, or wasting time some other way. I personally don’t feel that this article has not and will not change my point of view on literacy. I think that if schools were to refresh their books and have something that kids in middle school can relate to or just find more interesting will help kids want to read, and have reading be less of a chore and more fun
ReplyDeleteMy definition of literacy is having the ability to read and write. I think you’re literate if you can read well and understand what you’re reading. And if you can write and know what your writing.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid my parents only let me spend a half hour on the computer and I could only start watching TV at eight o’clock. Because my time on the internet was limited I had to find other things to do, so I would read. I read magazines, books, food containers anything I could get my hands on. Now sometimes I read a book for fun and I always read magazines, even though I can spend more time on the internet. I never really liked or like reading to begin with but I think it has helped me. I think it’s helped with my vocabulary and certain things I read open my mind to think differently, form a different opinion.
My thoughts about this article are dim. I think reading is reading, but I don’t think the internet is the greatest place to read. It’s great for social networking and entertainment. I think some kids spend WAY to much time on the internet. Like Matt and Frank said being able to go on Myspace doesn’t make you literate.
When it comes to reading whether it be a book or online I think it should be something your interested in. Kids aren’t going to read How to Kill a Mocking Bird unless they are required to for school; they’d rather read Twilight or Gossip Girl or The Bleachers, something that they find intriguing. If you read something online I think it should be from a credible source, not just some blog with a bunch of spelling and grammatical errors because the more you read it the less aware you become and then you don’t realize when you make those minuscule mistakes.
After reading the article my definition of literacy hasn’t changed. It hasn’t changed because I still think literacy is the ability to read and write and knowing what you are reading and writing. No matter where you get it from its still reading, I just think it should be credible.
My definition of literacy is probably not much different than most people’s definition. I declare someone literate if they can take something that is written and decipher it using their eyes to figure out what information it is trying to convey. This could be a scenario that ranges from reading a newspaper article and understanding the information given to them, to reading a line of poetry and understanding some kind of purpose or message. As long as someone can take something from a text and understand what they have taken from it, they can read it. The whole purpose of writing and reading was to pass information along from one mind to another. If nothing is taken from the reading of a piece of written something, than in the terms of my definition that something written has not served any purpose. I do at the same time believe that even if someone doesn’t have the ability to understand an emotion as a part of a writing that doesn’t mean they cannot read that particular piece of literature. If that same person can read the words and know what they are put together to say than that person can read in my mind. I totally agree with what LAPerez said, “The ability to be computer literate is ever more important now because by the time my generations is running the world everything will be digital. From textbooks to restaurant menus, so why not lean more towards digital reading? Besides the ability to argue and debate over topics and give someone your point of view is so important for getting along with other people because it gives someone else an insight of how someone thinks.” It made a lot of sense to me.
ReplyDelete