Since the earliest days of the settlement of the Americas,
literacy has been something of an obsession.
There are countless writings by very prominent Americans calling for
literacy to be expanded to the masses.
Around the same time, in Europe, literacy movements were just as
pronounced as the invention of the printing press allowed even the common
people to suddenly have access to the printed word. The founding fathers of the United States had
very differing opinions on literacy as race and gender played a significant
role in defining who should be deemed literate, and who shall not. One of the most powerful statements
advocating for literacy of the masses at that time were written by Thomas
Jefferson while serving in the Virginia Assembly in the 1770s. While more political than social, his
powerful statement reflects, even today, the power and perhaps single most
important reason for setting standards of literacy. "Those entrusted with power have, in
time…prevented it into tyranny; and it is believed the most effectual means of
preventing this would be, to illuminate…the minds of the people of
large". (Lynch, 2011). Thus one of
the first advocates of public schools proposed "reading, writing and
common arithmetik" as a basic right to be taught to all "the free
children, male and female."
(Lynch). Jefferson realized that those
holding positions of power had the capacity to exploit the masses if the people
did not possess the basic knowledge to understand what was actually happening
around them.
As early as the 1900s, the American government and
educational systems have focused on creating a set of standardized tests
capable of assessing the general literacy of the population (cite). It was thought that as long as children were
capable of recognizing text, writing their name, balancing a checkbook,
speaking the English language, that they had achieved an acceptable level of "functional
literacy" or survivability (Lankshear and Knobel, 1985). As societies advanced rapidly into the
Industrial Age, these basic educational standards were sufficient enough to
allow most adults to successfully support their families, operate machinery,
and manage their finances. It was thought
that these were the essential skills required to survive. As with much other
human advancement, the aftermath of violent war offered a catalyst for
change. For example, the advent of
literacy programs and educational standardization became extremely important in
the United States during the war drafts of World War I and II. Lankshear and Knobel stated that President
Roosevelt's government had identified over 433,000 men deemed not eligible for
military service in 1942 as they "could not meet the army's literacy
requirements", were unable to "understand written instructions"
or perform "basic military tasks" (Lankshear, p. 5). Once the fighting men returned home to their
families, poverty, unemployment, poor
health, and crumbling infrastructures were but a few of the major
hurdles faced by nations hoping to return to a peaceful existence and advance
their societies. One such advancement
that was the joint effort in the 1940s between government and educational institutions
to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) which today
is referred to simply as the Internet (Wood, 2012).
Many
remnants of those early educational literacy programs remain in place today in
the United States and there are staunch advocates who represent that nothing
much has changed. Yet there is a new
movement among modern educators to recognize that there are other tools of
literacy that are far superior to the basic texts taught in the past. The widespread availability of the Internet
has brought educational opportunities into the home, and has enhanced the
experience of children and adult learners in the classroom environment as
well. It is critical for bureaucrats
sand teachers alike to embrace that learning has changed dramatically in the
past several decades. Imagery,
symbolism, abbreviations, and the written text are but a few of the components
that define modern literacy. Many refer
to this as the "digital age" and our children have been raised from
birth with vast access to a plethora of electronic devices including
televisions, computers, and smartphones.
All of these tools hold some intrinsic value to the acquisition of the
core educational skills needed to function in our modern society.
Computers
and software applications have been instrumental in both identifying and aiding
children with learning disorders such as dyslexia and Attention Deficit
Disorder and more importantly have helped them achieve success (Rich,
2008). Graphical interfaces can often
aid such children who struggle with the recognition of written text, and yet
identify with graphics and symbols. Thus
the question is raised, is there really any difference in literacy methodology
provided the end result is the same?
There are very few assessments to determine the value of "Web
skills" (Rich, 2008) which even small children seem to possess today. Learning takes many forms, and there are few
who can argue that those without computer skills suffer a great disadvantage
over those who are Web savvy.
As a
father who witnessed his own son suffers from undiagnosed ADD, I learned
firsthand the power of computers as a learning tool. While he often struggled to compose
sentences, or decipher math equations, he was able to master highly sophisticated
computer programs to create video games, play digital instruments, and develop
graphic animation. Today he is an
exceptional student studying Political Science at SUNY University of
Albany. Initially, I applied the old
standards myself thinking he was lazy and not willing to learn. But as an information technology
professional, I had a very difficult tie arguing with the results.
If we
are to truly become a global society capable of sharing a common dream, it is
critical for our educational systems to update their definition and approach to
literacy by recognizing that learning itself comes in many shapes and
sizes. The old "one size fits
all" standardized testing and strict models to which students must adhere
no longer ensures success. To be
literate in our world goes far beyond having the basic knowledge allowing one
to survive in their environment. Rather,
educational standards of literacy must be consistently revaluated and include
the collective efforts of students, parents, educational institutions, and
governmental authorities to ensure our societies ability to achieve individual
success and global human sustainability in the coming decades.
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