ERIC Number: EJ839198
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1528-5324
EISSN: N/A
Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century
Jones-Kavalier, Barbara R.; Flannigan, Suzanne L.
EDUCAUSE Quarterly, v29 n2 p8-10 2006
Prior to the 21st century, "literate" defined a person's ability to read and write, separating the educated from the uneducated. With the advent of a new millennium and the rapidity with which technology has changed society, the concept of literacy has assumed new meanings. Experts in the field suggest that the current generation of teenagers--sometimes referred to as the E-Generation--possesses digital competencies to effectively navigate the multidimensional and fast-paced digital environment. For generations of adults who grew up in a world of books, traveling through cyberspace seems as treacherous and intimidating as speaking a new language. In the 21st century society--accelerated, media-saturated, and automated--a new literacy is required, one more broadly defined than the ability to read and write. The authors contend that the world today is about connecting the digital dots. The challenge is in dealing with the complexity--the dots are multidimensional, of varying sizes and colors, continuously changing, and linked to other, as yet unimagined dots. Nonetheless, to successfully connect the dots at any level in cyberspace means people must be literate, both digitally and visually. Literacy today depends on understanding the multiple media that make up the high-tech reality and developing the skills to use them effectively. (Contains 9 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Influence of Technology, Media Literacy, Age Differences, Strategic Planning, Adjustment (to Environment), Electronic Publishing, Perspective Taking
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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