L1

Literacy
is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and write (Literacy, Literate, n.d)
Traditional or Conventional Literacy
 The word literacy stems from the word "literate" which first appeared in the 15t century and
is in turn derived from the latin word litteratus which means "(aperson) marked with letters"-
that is "distinguised or identified by letters"- and it carried with it the idea that such a person
was culture and educated.
 The ability to read and write is very important since the different subjects to be studied like
grammar, logic, mathematatics had written texts composed of letters.
 Once a person has the ability to read and write, he can be called literate.
3 Sub categories of Conventional Concept of Literacy according to Miller (1973)
1. Basic Literacy- it is the ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken sounds in order to decode
written materials and translate them into oral language.
- it is the ability to recognize letters and words. This would be akin to recognizing that
the sequence of letters "b-a-s-a" forms the word basa in Filipino, even without understanding what it
means.
2. Comprehension Literacy- It is the ability to understand the meaning of what is being read.
-To capitalize on the example above, this would be like knowing that basa can mean
either "to read" or "to be wet".
3. Functional or Practical Literacy- It is the ability to read (decode and comprehend) written materials

needed to perform everyday vocational tasks.
-This is the equivalent of reading the text "Ang bata ay nagbabasa", and being able to
understand that basa here refers to reading and not being wet.
Based on the above, two things for reading should exist:
1. a text- consisting of symbols and grammar to be read
2. a meaning or message being communicated by the text for the reader to extract
Thus: the act of reading implies a level of understanding.

Expanded Views of Literacy
 In 2004,UNESCO formally defined literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret,

create, communicate, and compute using printed and written materials associated with
varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve
their goals, to cevelop their knowledge and potential, an to participate fully in their community
and wider society."
 Here, literacy is defined as knowing about something and what to do with it.
 Mkandawire (2018) said that literacy is a form of knowledge, competence, and skills in a
particular field or area.
 Modern views appear to equate literacy with knowledge
Literacy in the 21st Century
 While traditional literacy and a liberal education are still important (Nussbaum, 1997; Delbanco,
2012; Ferrall, 2011), in the 21st century students need to know more and be able to do more
than they did in the past.
 Students need 21st century literacy. This new literacy includes traditional literacy skills, such
as reading, writing, and arguing.
 21st Century Literacy is more than just reading and writing. It is knowing how to learn and
know. Utilizing scientific research on cognition and meta-cognition, students need to
understand how the brain creates and uses subjective knowledge, and the different processes
that create objective knowledge.
 Students need to know how concepts work to define and categorize knowledge, and how
concepts can be organized into conceptual frameworks that interconnect facts into larger fields
of knowledge (Barber, 2012). Students need to be able to understand concepts as tools, which
can be used to solve real-world problems (Fish, 2011, p. 15, 29).
 21st century literacy is a collection of many higher order skills. Students need to be able to
critically evaluate the reliability of diverse sources of knowledge in order to construct knowledge
with scientific methods. It also entails openly arguing with diverse groups of people in order to
explain and prove the truth.
 But we cannot forget that these 21st century skills are built on the foundation of traditional
literacy: reading, writing, and basic mathematics. Knowledge is the essential first step to good
communication and effective action.
 The so-called "new" literacies arose from the increasing availability of communication
technologies that were once unavailable to the average individual. Technologies like blogging
and vlogging, social networking, and even text messaging change and expand both the extent
and the form of our communication-blending text, sound, and images in ways unforeseen and
unprcendented (Richardson, 2014).
Three things have been critical in the rise of the new literacies:
1. Increased Reach- we are communicating with more people, from more diverse cultures, across
vaster distances than ever before.
2. Increased Means of Communication- we are communicating in more ways and at faster speeds
than even before.
3. Increased Breadth of Content- we are communicating about more things than ever before.
Answering complex questions requires new sets of skills and knowledge- ones that our school system
have never had to teach before. With these changes in with whom, how and why we communicate, new
literacies are required not only to make sense of the changes, but also to use these new technologies
and paradigms in meaningful and productive ways-something required not only of students, but of
teachers as well.
GLOBALIZATION AND MULTICULTURAL LITERACY discusses how our increasing ability to communicate

with almost anyone, anywhere, in real time requires new skills and attitudes in interacting with people
with cultures, perspectives, worldviews and priorities different from our own.
SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL LITERACY explores the need for the ability to navigate our own social networks-
of both online and offline variety-to not only communicate clearly but also to leverage resources which
we ourselves might not possess.
MEDIA AND CYBER/DIGITAL LITERACY explores the emerging need to locate, verify, and ultimately
manage online information, especially in an age where information is power and where having the right
information and the ability to communicate it with others and use it to address real-world problems
easily spell the difference between both personal and career success and failure.
ECO-LITERACY, ARTS AND CREATIVITY LITERACY explores the emerging demands for knowing how to
effectively and sustainably manage the natural resources that our increased industrialization and
demands for productivity are so rapidly eating up.
CRITICAL LITERACY addresses the increasing need to discern the underlying messages behind the new
texts of the 21st century particularly in an ever-increasingly multicultural society where ideas, cultures,
and ideologies vie with one another for poer and dominance in the minds of the masses.
Additional Knowledge:
The latest technological advancements have brought about a new kind of learning, one that is not
dependent on just books and writing. The 21st Century is distinguished for its new innovations and
dependency on technology, in all parts of life. Therefore, digital literacy has become an increasingly
important skill to possess. According to the American Library Association (2017), “digital literacy is the
ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate
information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” In this day and age, it is important to
understand that technology is everywhere around us.
------
One of the ways students can be trained in the new literacies is to engage them in digital storytelling,
wherein the students take part in the traditional process of storytelling, but with some digital
enhancements. They choose a topic, conduct research, write a script, develop a story, and through the
use of multimedia, create something that can be played online or on a computer.
Digital Storytelling can be broken down into following six steps:
1. Writing - write about a particular story from your life. The story must have a central theme.
2. Developing a Script- Develop a script that identifies the important points of your story.
3. Creating a Storyboard- create a storyboard that visually organizes the flow of the story. Assign a
particular image to portions of the script.
4. Locating Multimedia- use search engines to locate photos and videos. Photos and videos from one's
personal collection may also be used.
5. Creating the Digital Story- Record the voice over for your movie. Create the movie using the software
that is available to you.
6. Sharing and Uploading - share your story in class and upload your work online

L1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

L1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

L1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Literacy

Traditional or Conventional Literacy

3 Sub categories of Conventional Concept of Literacy according to Miller (1973)

2. Comprehension Literacy- It is the ability to understand the meaning of what is being read.

3. Functional or Practical Literacy- It is the ability to read (decode and comprehend) written materials

Based on the above, two things for reading should exist:

1. a text- consisting of symbols and grammar to be read

Thus: the act of reading implies a level of understanding.

Expanded Views of Literacy

 In 2004,UNESCO formally defined literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret,

 Modern views appear to equate literacy with knowledge

Literacy in the 21st Century

GLOBALIZATION AND MULTICULTURAL LITERACY discusses how our increasing ability to communicate

Digital Storytelling can be broken down into following six steps:

You might also like