Converging Literacy in the "Age of Convergence."

Reading the material associated with this course,  I'm realizing the multiple literacy skills students will need as they assimilate into the "The Age of Convergence,"and onward into the second decade of the new millenium.  Literacy now signifies much more than just books, newspapers, and magazines.  It seems the term has come to represent almost any kind of information available to our sights and senses.  Media literacy, data literacy, computer literacy are terms used nowadays to represent the different information sources people are acquainted with.  The "Age of Convergence" is an appropriate label for the first decade of our new century. People are communicating at an astonishing level.  By the end of this year, the number of e-mails sent daily will exceed 100 billion world-wide and half will be person to person.  Our world is becoming significantly globalized and information driven.  Such leaps in information availability stimulate democratic values, and award people power where they have not had it before.  

Understanding what the different modes of informational delivery will help teachers like us focus our energies on teaching certain skill needed in the future.  Distinguishing among computer literacy, information literacy, and integration literacy will help teachers determine what is important to focus on.  Beginning with computer literacy, I understand it as knowledge and ability to use computers and technology efficiently.  Having knowledge how to use and operate computers is a main component of computer literacy.  Recognizing computer terms and abilities, limitations, and dangers is also part of it.  The ability to solve technological problems at the lower level is a requisite in gaining computer literacy.  Information literacy and integration literacy can be considered part of computer literacy.  Why? They are both domains that increase our knowledge about computer technology. 

Information literacy is the ability to find, analyze, and use information.  It does not necessarily have to refer to the specific use of computers and internet, but the internet is a main gateway to finding information today.  Some other sources of information are videos, radio, television, and compact disks.  Media literacy is a term associated with the garnering of information in this way.  Knowing how to gather information is also a part of information literacy.  One example of this is being aware of the tools that are out there.  For instance our class just learned about del.icio.us as a tool that functions as a gathering point for web addresses.  Now a person can access their preferred information sources from anywhere they can access the internet. Organizing information in this way is a characteristic of information literacy.  

In regards to integration literacy, my impression is that it is educationally focused.  This literacy seems geared towards teachers, and their ability to use computer/technological resources including the internet as tool to enhance thinking in students.  And, by thinking I mean higher-order thinking such as analyzation, evaluation, and synthesis (Bloom's taxonomy).  Working with computers to me is problem solving, and goes beyond collection of data.  Matching appropriate technology to objectives, goals, and outcomes is a characteristic of integration literacy.  Having knowledge about the tools that are useful in technological arena builds integration literacy and helps us to understand why they have named our present era as "The Age of Convergence." Our world is becoming more connected by technology.

Looking towards the future, it is clear that the aforementioned regions of literacy are what students will need to be proficient in as they zoom into the next decade.  Future jobs will require a working understanding of computers and technology.  Currently we are engaging the literacy of the future and becoming proficient in it.  Becoming aware of the new technologies that are out there and their uses is part of our contemporary literacy.  We must be adaptive and versatile because change happens overnight with the new innovations in our world.  Keeping up to date with new technologies will be the wave of the future.  What's next? We will have to stay engaged to find out.