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Margo Oats

English 1301.01W

Ms. Angela Kennedy

October 28, 2010

Literacy and Society

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

transforming their lives.

On further reading “literacy can be viewed in a broader and educationally more

productive way, as the ability to think and reason takes a literate person, within a particular

society” (p. 11) .

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.

My final thoughts on this topic are as a society we have an obligation to ourselves to

improve literacy. Do not confuse technologies new writing with actual writing. Texting, using

“lol, omg,” is a shortened abbreviation of communication. In a way it appears to be a verification

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

literacy become and remain strong from our children to adulthood.

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Works Cited

Brinkley, Michael. Personal interview 27 October 2010

Carter, Shannon HOPE INSIDE/OUT

Lindquist, Julie and Seitz The Elements of Literacy Pearson Education, Inc.

Johnson, Bob . Personal interview 24 October 2010

Oats, Mike. Personal interview 24 October 2010