The New Definition of Literacy

Jones-Kavalier, Barbara, and Flannigan, Suzanne. (2008). Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century. Teacher Librarian, 35, 13-16.

Jones and Flannigan’s article, “Connecting the Digital Dots,” is about the constantly changing definition of the term “literacy.” As stated in the article, literacy used to define a person’s ability to read and write. Today, however, this concept has changed and has taken on many different meanings. The article focuses on this new definition of literacy and just what it means for educators today. It mentions the common issue of a classroom full of technology-literate students and a technology-illiterate teacher. What needs to be done to solve this problem? How do we catch up to become literate in today’s technological society? These questions and more are raised by the authors. The article is incredibly useful for educators today. We are constantly introduced to new technologies and it is important to understand that our students will probably catch on to them far more quickly than we, their teachers, will. The article is relevant to all educators, without any limitations. Jones and Flannigan formulated their opinions in the article from numerous sources, making this article quite reliable. I enjoyed reading the article and learned a lot from it. As a Media Specialist, I often deal with teachers who struggle to keep up with technology today. It is important for them to understand all that is out there and that they need to continue to learn these new technologies along with their students.