Is digital literacy the new general literacy?

[GENCOF]

In "Orchestrating the Media Collage" author Jason Oehler says that "a strong case can be made that commanding new media constitutes the current form of general literacy and that adding the modifier digital is simply not necessary anymore." Do you agree with this? I find that I had a strong reaction to this. I found myself strongly disagreeing with this statement when I first saw it. As I reflected on this, I'm realizing that while I'm feel that I'm generally very positive about the idea of incorporating more technology into my teaching practices...somewhere in the back of my head there is a slightly grumpy version of me that feels like we're going overboard with all this technology business. I don't think I like to admit that she's in there...but she is. I am finding as I study more about the new literacies it is both exposing me to new ideas about teaching and bringing out of the shadows some attitudes I didn't realize I had...

Anyone else feeling this way?

[Count-A-Strong]

I have no Idea how old you are but, if like me, you are beyond your 30's and have therefore not a 'digital' generation person, I think there is a natural inclination toward asking this question. I have to say however, that anyone who, for a second, fails to embrace technology they will fast become the Luddites of their generation. The failure of one in the education 'business' to embrace and adopt new innovation would be doing themselves and their students a major disservice.

[bibblebub]

I've been using computers for 40 years and they have been part of my everyday living for at least 80% of that time. The technologies involved have developed continually during my life and I accept those advances as inevitable as well as welcome, they are not just for the benefit of younger generations. Emphasizing the term 'digital' seemed necessary whilst the new technologies were encroaching into the world of analogue, but, because of its current ubiquity, I would agree that it is otiose in the majority of everyday use.

[fredpuli47]

True. I'm with the Count (we're both over thirty!).And I start what seems like 100 years between myself and my 22 year old daughter, who in turn is surprised at the skills of youngsters viz. 'They can do far more than I could at that age '[about 7!]. I never thought that I'd feel illiterate simply because I type with one finger. Typing is for typists and journalists, not for children, surely ?
And progress has been so fast the time is already here, not far away, when 'computer literate' and 'digital literate' equate to 'literate'.A little alarming for us old people, 30 plus, in our quieter moments of reflection and even at the lowest level. Kids today! I don't know. In my day we had log tables and slide rules, had encyclopedias, and photos were changed in the dark room. Now where did I put that fixer...

[bibblebub]

One of the most useful skills to have learnt in the pre-digital age was playing the piano. Apart from the pleasure of making music, it doesn't half enable you to type quicker than most other people.