1.) Create a definition of literacy. What do you think it means to be literate?

What kind of people

are literate? What kind of people are illiterate? Where do you typically hear the term used and
for what? Can you provide examples from your own life that may explain how you arrived at
your definition?

The dictionary defines literacy simply as the ability to read and write or to be competent in any
given skill. But literacy really is a skill in and of itself, it is the ability to comprehend and
understand and create understandable reading and writing. Being able to write down thoughts
and ideas to communicate to others. Meaning that there is no black and white definition of a
literate individual. Creating a large grey area which we all seem to float. With but a few definite
around the edges. In general people in todays world are literate to some degree or another.
Though there are instances where the literacy levels or lack thereof is rather apparent.
Sometimes it is simply because the person in question has not been taught to be literate.
Toddlers or small children are an example of this, for they do not yet know how to read or write
and are in that way illiterate. But they will learn. Today, most reference to literacy is drawn from
personal opinion of an individual. Unfortunately illiteracy is often used to degrade up another
person. Politics is a great example of how reference to literacy or illiteracy is used in todays
world. Politicians are also an example of people who are literate, maybe not always in the most
precise or skilled way but never the less they are literate. In my life, my experience has been
with literate people. But I have also seen people mostly children or young adults who have been
able to write and read but refuse to read and hate writing. My freshmen year of high school
showed this to me and since then I have come to believe that it is because these youths do not
know how or do not care to be able to share their thoughts and ideas in a literate manner. And
really this lead I to make my definition of literacy that ne must be able to not just write but write
tangibly.

2.) Choose one of the sections and try to take the test. Record your answers. Then address how
education and literacy may have changed over the years (is being literate now the same as being literate
a hundred years ago?) How may it be different? (Give specific examples) Has literacy evolved?
Devolved? Stayed the same? Or is it something else altogether? If there were a test like this given now,
what would the categories be? How have our educational needs and literacy requirements changed?

It is safe to say that I would fail an 8th grade final from the 1800s. Our education today is not as
specific in the basics of English grammar or even every day skills. The test that is shown in the
article has many questions about things with a practical use. Mentioning this that a farmer would
need to know or if you wanted to become a politician you would have to know. This has changed
drastically in the last 100 years or so. With the focus shifting from the practical to the more
strictly logical and scientific. As technology has advanced in our society has placed more and
more of an emphasis on scientific knowledge and in many ways neglecting the importance of
other topics such as history, economics, and government policies. Though it is required to take
these subjects in school for graduation. They are now not often considered to be part of the base
curriculum. With those places reserved for subjects like math, reading, and science. There is no
history or geography section to the SAT or ACT and student are not required to take as many
courses of these non-base subjects as they are math, science, and reading. Why is this the case?
Why have our schools been shifting towards a more technology based curriculum? And why
have we started to neglect the practical aspects of teaching? This could be because of a shift in
modern day culture. Cause by the recent and large strides towards advancement that have
happened. And as the world has moved forward the subjects such as geography and history have
lost their glow and have not been passed down with the same intension o purpose to new
generations. In this way literacy and education has almost become something else altogether.
Focusing on making individuals who are innovative and can use logical skills. Mostly because
demand for these individuals has greatly increased. We no longer need to know how many hay
bales will fit in a wagon. Literacy has changed with demand as well and has in my opinion
dumbed down in terms of what is written now verses what was written back in the day. Poetry
and verse has become used for political statements and protests more than it is for beauty and the
language that writers are using has also changed to be more enticing and thrill based than the
admiration of how the story was written.
Subjects in terms of importance have changed so much in recent years that if a test like the one
from the article were given now it would its subjects would be completely different. There would
probably still be a writing section and a math section where you would have to demonstrate what
you have learned through the year. The math may be more complicated and involve algebra
instead of the basic skills that are shown on the 1800s test. It would also include a science
subject which would be similar to the geography section of the 1800s test but with less emphasis
on national geography and probably near to no reference to other countries.
These changes have all happened because of changes in our culture and in our educational needs.
As new technologies have advanced jobs how advanced with them and people are required to
have different skill sets. The changes that have happened will likely keep happening and evolve
as people evolve and advance through technology weather this is a good or bad thing will just
have to be seen.

3.) First, see if you would be able to easily pass this literacy test. Dont forget that the directions state
that you only get 10 minutes to complete it and if you get one wrong, then you fail the whole test.
Record your answers. After you have attempted the test, look specifically at language and what was
asked of the applicants. What was the real purpose of these literacy tests and how were they written
toward that purpose?

If given more time to take this test I could easily complete this test with a score of 100 but in ten
minutes.no. The conditions and expectations for that test are extremely unreasonable for anyone. I
would like to see the people who wrote it try to take it in ten minutes.
Seeing as most of the questions are really very easy and do not require much literacy to complete they
seem mostly made to take up time and to be as confusing as possible without being obvious about it.
Meaning that the real reason that these tests were given to black or African American voters it was to
keep them from being able to vote.

4.) Consider this movie clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwBoa-NbNL8 and explain who was
being more culturally literate or knowing how to read a social situation. How does cultural sensitivity
(or a lack thereof) play into this? Would a scene like this happen in a movie now? Why or why not?

a.) The mother is being more culturally literate because she understands the
neighborhood quality more than the dad. The cultural sensitivity plays a role in being
able to not asses a situation by what you think it should be and instead realizing what
it actually is. A scene like this would probably not be put into a movie now days
because of its racial stereotyping.
b.) The picture is depicting a collage of western pop culture. In order to read this picture
one would have to be knowledgeable about both past and present references to pop
culture in the west (mostly America). Which is an example of Social literacy.
c.) 1. Response is that this is relatable, Reaction is laughter because of its humorous
incitations, Connection to digital literacy is that youth have more digital experience
and with each new device there are more questions and less experience. Meaning that
there is a lot more teaching of parents from their children.
2. Response is that when we dont understand things we can turn into animals and
that we are really just animals running machines, Reaction is that see it shown this
way is again very funny to watch, Connection to digital literacy is that we all have
struggled with trying to work technology this shows an extreme case of frustration.\
3. NA
d.) NA