Week 1 - The what & why of literacies in the 21st century

Reading, writing, spelling tests and comprehension activities, these are the words which sprang into my mind when our lecture was asked the opening question, what is literacy? Little did I realise that this was just a small slice of the many topping pizza that is literacy.  Literacy is not simply a subject, or mound of information for people to learn, it is a wide range of practices and knowledge, usually used in social situations in order for us to make meaning (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012).

Our concept of literacy in today’s society has changed enormously to now include the viewing and creation of a wide range of texts, as well as listening, speaking, reading and writing. Perhaps the greatest change we have seen is the growing importance and recognition of the variations in language, culture and socioeconomic status worldwide, specifically the various ways in which these members of the population make meaning and the practices they employ to communicate (Ashton, Arthur, & Beecher, 2014; Walsh, 2010).

The reason for this growing recognition of importance is that people’s social and cultural influences will determine the way in which they see best to communicate, showing us that literacy practices are dependent on context (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012).

So what are literacy practices? Literacy practices refer to the ways in which people speak, listen, read and write and the way in which these practices relate to each other. (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012)

The use of these social practices, or literacies, in 2015 in a way in which is socially compliant has never been of more vital importance (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). It is an unfortunate and unfair fact but with the emergence of what has been coined a ‘knowledge society’, those who do not comply with the mainstream literacies which are expected of us will be much more likely to experience a downfall in socioeconomic status. One of the major aspects of this transition is the significance of computing devices, which are used in nearly all sectors of employment and require a wide range of literacies to operate efficiently (Ashton, Arthur, & Beecher, 2014; Walsh, 2010). 

This form of representation and communication has caused a massive change in the communication environment and has forced a massive change in the ways literacy is now taught and learnt. (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012)

Acquiring and developing new literacies is about much more than just developing new ways of communicating in a social environment (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). It is a multifaceted skill which can increase employment prospects, help make sense of the ever-changing world, encourage higher forms of thinking, develop more effective learning and allow all to participate in the broader community allowing for a more fulfilling lifestyle (Ashton, Arthur, & Beecher, 2014; Walsh, 2010).

 If social justice is to be achieved and upheld, it is essential that all persons regardless of their background be able to understand, participate and communicate on a social level. With a society such as ours which is highly literate, it is obvious that literacy is at the heart of this goal; which highlights the importance of being literate and the need for this skill to be viewed as a basic human right, rather than a rare commodity (Ashton, Arthur, & Beecher, 2014; Walsh, 2010).