Professional Documents
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Margo Oats
English 1301.01W
I feel literacy is the foundation for a strong society. It helps us get through our first years
of school and for those that dropout it has terrible consequences. Being literate allows us the
simple tasks of grocery shopping or sending a greeting card to the more complex tasks that allow
us to be strong citizens in our nation. Being literate empowers us to take charge of our daily tasks
like applying for jobs; maintaining different insurance coverage; voting; understanding written
quotes which we agree to have our homes and cars fixed. The vast amount of people who cannot
do this not only affects them, but us as a nation. I feel that because of technology most would
argue that we are smarter and more literate, but I disagree with that on the fundamental thought
that if you leave school illiterate that all the technology in the world will not help you.
The question remains what is the definition of literacy? Has technology improved
people’s literacy levels? Anyone can search the web and find many definitions of literacy from
Merriam Webster dictionary or the National Institute for Literacy. I thought it would be
interesting to get the opinion of those closest around me. I chose three associates of different
ages to help assess what their generation thought of America and the impact of technology in
their life. A 16-year-old student feels that literacy is reading and writing “and if you look up the
word in the dictionary that is the definition.” (Johnson) Since I have two children of my own I
became concerned a few years back when I started hearing on television and reading an
occasional article that teachers did not stress the importance of spelling. When I asked Johnson
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about that “rumor”, he reported that his teachers still stress the importance of spelling and
grammar. They also receive points off for plagiarism, which is pretty much the same rules as
when I went to high school. As far as technology making his class better writers, he disagrees.
His classmates that struggle with writing are not writing any better now that they are required to
do all their work on computers, was his assessment. Another person close to me is my husband
Mike. He feels that computers bring literacy to a lot more people but that the use of technology
does not necessarily make them smarter. He is in the construction field and, at 62 years of age,
has spent a lot of time with many varied degrees of workers. However, the use of technology has
greatly changed the way bakeries produce their products and that has changed the types of
workers they hire. So, although more people are using computers now more than any other time
in history, it is important how you apply the use of the computer to gain knowledge. I compare it
to readers. It depends on what you choose to read that depends on how you can benefit society.
Newsweek Magazine in 1975, titled “Johnny Can’t Write” stated the average middle
class student could not write. And since the ability to read and write is what brings satisfaction of
all to leading a healthy, productive life, this was of great concern. Since that time American
schools have revised their teaching and testing methods. To add to that, the invention of personal
computers have flooded schools and homes with knowledge at your fingerprints. I asked my
immediate boss Mr. Brinkley his thoughts on technology in the educational field. He is in his
mid thirties; has been in the educational field for 16 years and he states we have ”Shifted
knowledge from what we know to the application of knowledge. Conceptual thinking is more
important now than say, knowing the American President’s in order. Children are interested in
computers so they are motivated to learn”. He believes that technology is helping people to learn
“because of its availability and feeds our desire to be informed. However, social networking can
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be inappropriate”. (Brinkley) I also read an article from the NCoW artifacts, titled Hope
Inside/Out edited by Shannon Carter. This is an amazing story that takes place inside the prison
walls of Dawson State Jail in Texas. It is a compilation of stories of the women who are housed
there as inmates. They are either tutors or students of each other. They are all doing time and all
working on reading and writing skills. This article brings forth the fact that many of these
students “got left behind; fell through the cracks” of education. Now the power of literacy is
productive way, as the ability to think and reason takes a literate person, within a particular
If schools are given the task making students literate, are they failing, or can part of the
blame be placed on the families? Does the average American family stress the importance of
homework the same as when the children of the 1970’s were in school? I feel that this is not the
case. Too many children are being raised by one of the following: a single parent; working
parent; grandparent or two parents working more than 40 hours a week. Jessica Foster writes “I
did well in school, but I wanted to do other things.” She was raised by her grandparents, her dad
was in prison and her mom was living the life of drugs. (HOPE Inside/Out).
Adults are also scheduling their children’s’ after school time into sports; arts and crafts
and theatre groups. I have personally seen many children, who are struggling at school, out
practicing ball instead of doing homework or studying for tomorrow’s test. Although some
children can juggle both school and extra-curricular activities, not all can. I also see in my small
town (pop. 1700) that the parents of the struggling children cannot read, write or do math well
enough to help their own kids. So, rather than asking for help; having a high school kid or any
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type of tutor help them, these are the parents who send their kids off to the ball field . These are
the parents who expect their kids to get breaks at school yet do nothing at home to help them.
In The Elements of Literacy Jack Goody and Ian Watt are quoted from their 1968 article
“Consequences of Literacy” that “print, the enabler of the highest human achievement, rational
thought.”(69) Has technology taken away or enhanced literacy? I think that some software
programs DO help entice children to learn literacy. But more children spend time playing video
games than educational games. Does this not give credit to “Johnny Can’t Write?” The review of
the article on NCOW stresses that this “put fear into America.” I do not believe our future
leaders will be the ones who cannot write. The ability to read is what fosters the ability to write. I
feel as a society we need to reach out to those in need and encourage them to read books of real
literature. Support your local library and their reading programs. If someone has the desire to
better themselves, help enroll them in the HOPE/GED program in your area. It is amazing what
we can accomplish by being that gentle nudge in someone’s life to help them overcome their
fears.
improve literacy. Do not confuse technologies new writing with actual writing. Texting, using
of our ability to be lazy. I am proud to be enrolled in a class that I hope will improve my writing
skills so that I can write in a structured and informed way. I hope to be involved in improving
people’s livelihood and I must be able to write not only well, but in an educated way as well.
This can only be attained by studying the application of thoughts to the written word. I know as a
society we can all improve our nation by improving the people around us. America has always
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been helpful to those in need, sometimes we overlook the basics which in this case are helping
Works Cited
Lindquist, Julie and Seitz The Elements of Literacy Pearson Education, Inc.