What is literacy?

“'Literacy has always been defined by the technology,' said Nichole Pinkard, founder of Chicago’s Digital Youth Network in a PBS special on 21st century learning that aired in February. 'Before the printing press, your ability to orally recite something meant [you were] literate.' In today’s media-saturated world, the concept of literacy is again changing. According to Pinkard, kids in school today may not be considered literate in the future if they don’t fundamentally understand new forms of media — things like blogs, Twitter and streaming video. To be truly literate, though, you also need to be able to think critically about media, discern fact from fiction, news from opinion, trusted from untrustworthy. These issues have always been thorny, but the explosion of self-publishing has only made media literacy more vital to the preservation of our democratic society.”

- Why New Media Literacy Is Vital for Quality Journalism

Thanks for this, Teaching Literacy!