new technologies and changing literacy

Before I began to read the materials for technology and changing literacy I set my DVR to record the YOU TUBE democratic debate. The questions posed to the candidates are from people all over the country submitted to YouTube. That is just one example of how technology is changing the world. In order for these people to submit a question they had to film themselves asking the question, upload the film to their computer, and upload the film to YouTube. They had to be technologically literate. Even children submitted questions, probably without help from their parents.

I don't think that we can ignore the presence of technology like the Internet. Therefore, we should make sure that are children are prepared to interact using new technologies. I agree that there is a huge gap between the wealthy, who have all of the latest technology, and the poor, who do not. As a result I feel that every classroom should have at least 1 computer with Internet access. I loved the idea from the paper that schools without technology are only "partially literate". I really agree with this. If children go to school to gain an education to participate in society by getting a job, etc. then how can we not prepare them to be technologically savvy? The Internet is in homes and workplaces, it is a social revolution and new literacy skills are needed. Furthermore, after reading the paper I understand that new skills are needed to comprehend the plethora of information on the Internet such as how to go through search engine results, how to use search engines, how to quickly sift through what info is important and what is not, etc. Slow readers and writers will be left behind, and children who do not have access to these resources will also be left behind.

In addition, I loved the idea of creating a student centered social learning environment because technology is changing so quickly and there is so much to know that everyone might be an expert in some area and can share their knowledge with the teacher and other students. I also feel that all teachers need to be adept at using various forms of technology, how else can they work with their students? This means that they should have training. Which also leads to the problem that technology is changing so quickly. Imagine learning to play tennis. You learn how to stand, how to hit the ball, etc. But what if the court moved back and forth, the net went up and down, and you had to play with a different size tennis ball and racket every time? That's what technology is like, it is constantly changing and there is never going to be a set way to teach it.

I also want to say that because I am a nerd and love books that I do worry about them becoming out of date and old fashioned. With the fast pace of the new technologies I hope that children do not become bored with a plain, text filled book.