literacy

Adrian argues that most people who are network literate are self taught, and yet it seems this is a necessary skill in using the internet; ultimately one of the most powerful and massive communications mediums in the world. However, schools arguably limit our use and exposure to the internet and the way we use it, cutting us off from it’s many uses rather than teaching us how to use it. Is this why we aren’t very apt at judging the validity of internet content? Is this an issue for people of our generation? Are we living  within an industrial system that operates based on an outdated code of conduct intended to govern the masses that may be impacting our learning?

Definitely got me thinking! Especially in regards to the internet and the way we are using social media and the content we put online.

What really struck me about this week’s lecture was the concept of literacy.

WhatI found particularly  intriguing was how intricate, dominating and important literacy is in both society as a whole and online. I believe Adrian used the example of lemonade: when he was in America and asked for lemonade (actually referring to spite) the woman had no idea what he meant, as in that particular culture lemonade refers to the homemade brew. This small example really got me thinking, how far does the concept of literacy go? And how relevant are all these codes and conventions to day to day life?

Furthermore, it’s scary to think how many of us remain ignorant regarding network literacy ie. the rules and practices of using the internet as well as the etiquette concerning the sharing and receiving of information. We have a brilliant technological medium at our fingertips, and yet most of us only know how to use its most basic functions!

Once again, this particular reading was quite thought provoking. The example given at the beginning of the piece (student ‘Penny’ going to the library in search of information regarding a particular topic) was interesting as it went into much detail about our thought process and the way we operate and acknowledge protocol when we collect and reference information.

Miles then goes on to talk about network literacy and its importance in society today. Whilst reading, I found myself considering how much more confident I am with something such as print literacy, as opposed to network literacy, which is relatively foreign n to me. It then occurred to me that this is a bit of an issue, as so much of our sharing and exchanging of information is done online these days, and many people remain unaware of the rules and protocols that regulate this environment.

There is an enormous number of resources at our finger tips and its important we know how to recognise and draw from them!