whoami

What is literacy?

Some will consider you illiterate if you have not traversed the collection of books they do consider 'literature.' Others only think of the word 'literacy' when a person has trouble translating printed words into spoken expressions. To me, it is more "Can you look at any page of text in your language and garnish meaning from it?" This is more a question of comprehension and vocabulary than merely knowing what sounds 'a' and 'b' make. Exceptions are obviously to be made for technical documents; I'm still not sure how a Wheatstone Bridge works (it is an electrical design that amplifies resistance changes), but Wheatstone is likely some place or person and this thing does some sort of bridging.

Digital literacy needs a good definition for a good discussion. It should obviously include such items as "Where's the On switch" and "What's a monitor?" Such manual skills are important fundamentals, as are application skills as discussed in class (Can you type up and print a one-page letter?), yet there is something more to 'literacy' than merely opening a book and pronouncing words correctly, or being able to state the current state of the weather.

This new skillset--well, it's not exactly a skillset. Skills fall under its auspices, but digital literacy is more the ability to get along well in a society built on computers and networks of information. How would YOU find the capital of Myanmar? What is today's news? What are all your friends up to? Do we write letters, author articles for publication, and pass notes in class, or do we send emails, publish blog posts, and send texts?

I personally consider myself to be properly computer literate. I can do just about anything technical you'd like from a text-based computer command interface, from setting up servers to doing Excel-like math on large datasets. I am good friends with Google, Facebook, Blogger, EBSCO, Gmail, Slashdot, Github, and even have a Gravatar. Given any computer program, I can usually start to figure out how to use it right away (with Google helping this process goes much faster :). I have in the past and will in the future assemble my own computer from commercially-available components (and, someday, my own not-so-commercially-available components).

Still, I'm not active on forums (anymore); I don't use Google+, Twitter, or other social media; I don't have the magical voodoo skills some acquire with such programs as Microsoft Office or Final Cut Pro or Photoshop (which still confuses me immensely; I learned on the Gimp); the Apple's interface style is unintuitive and confusing (I can argue this, though I appreciate the opposite sentiment); and I get quite frustrated with OohNewShiny web interfaces, as they run like molasses in January on most of the computers I own and ignore how I like doing things. My coworkers often speak of various technologies as The Way of The Future (in this case, Javascript+HTML5+CSS, which are used to describe web page appearance and functionality) and I scorn them--though they're probably right. I smile when I see a cruise liner's engine controls running a top-of-the-line control system using an interface from the late 80's--MWM has been around long enough and is simple enough it is stable enough for vital systems.

One interesting aspect of literacy that I have noted is the willingness and ability to educate others. I love to jump in any time and show someone how something is done, and I have noticed that most everyone I would consider "literate" is very much willing to do the same. This social/comfort aspect is perhaps one of the most important marks of literacy, as it is a quality that spans the spectrum.

In summation digital literacy includes several components (and perhaps many others):

• Familiarity and capability with the basic physical entity of a computer
• Knowing what can be done
• Knowing how to do it (or at least how to find out how)
• Accepting new things
• Learning new things

I obviously only get partial credit on these. :)