The Power of Literacy
The Power of Literacy
Cell phones, iPods, iPhones, laptops, internet, etc. They have all affected how we learn and go about our daily lives. Not one day since the iPod was first released have I gone an entire 24hours without seeing one. Cell phones continue to progress downward in the age bracket and the iPhone is becoming very popular as well. Within the next three years, 54% plus of 8-12 year olds will have cell phones. (CMCH Mentors) As of now, 60% plus of teenagers have and use cell phones for more than an hour a day. (CMCH Mentors) With these new technologies such as cell phones, kids are able to access information much easier. For example, I myself have a phone that has an entirely integrated touch screen with a full keyboard and internet accessibility. With these options I can do homework and look up stuff I need to when a computer is not available.
The Power of Literacy as so named above has many meaning but all those meanings are still affected as time goes on. Literacy has been changed many ways throughout history and will continue to change in the future by technological advancements being discovered right now. I would not say that literacy has been distorted in more good than bad or more bad than good. Both ends of the spectrum have benefits such as good being more accessible information quicker, but bad by people not giving books and written material the respect it deserves. I was raised in the middle of this situation, almost comparable to Amy Tan in The Language of Discretion were she says “To this day, I wonder which parts of my behavior were shaped by Chinese, which by English”.(664) I grew up reading many many books and still sit down to read a good book once and awhile. Growing up with the books, I knew how to use dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, phone books and all the other fancy texts like almanacs; where as today if I asked a kid to look me up the number for a restaurant he would whip out his phone and look even if a phone
Cell phones, iPods, iPhones, laptops, internet, etc. They have all affected how we learn and go about our daily lives. Not one day since the iPod was first released have I gone an entire 24hours without seeing one. Cell phones continue to progress downward in the age bracket and the iPhone is becoming very popular as well. Within the next three years, 54% plus of 8-12 year olds will have cell phones. (CMCH Mentors) As of now, 60% plus of teenagers have and use cell phones for more than an hour a day. (CMCH Mentors) With these new technologies such as cell phones, kids are able to access information much easier. For example, I myself have a phone that has an entirely integrated touch screen with a full keyboard and internet accessibility. With these options I can do homework and look up stuff I need to when a computer is not available.
The Power of Literacy as so named above has many meaning but all those meanings are still affected as time goes on. Literacy has been changed many ways throughout history and will continue to change in the future by technological advancements being discovered right now. I would not say that literacy has been distorted in more good than bad or more bad than good. Both ends of the spectrum have benefits such as good being more accessible information quicker, but bad by people not giving books and written material the respect it deserves. I was raised in the middle of this situation, almost comparable to Amy Tan in The Language of Discretion were she says “To this day, I wonder which parts of my behavior were shaped by Chinese, which by English”.(664) I grew up reading many many books and still sit down to read a good book once and awhile. Growing up with the books, I knew how to use dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, phone books and all the other fancy texts like almanacs; where as today if I asked a kid to look me up the number for a restaurant he would whip out his phone and look even if a phone