Sunday, November 07, 2010

TechnoLiteracy


Kevin Kelly, a writer who's work I respect, wrote a terrific piece titled Achieving Technoliteracy in the NYTimes discussing the home education of his 8th grader prior to sending him to high school. Funny, personal and wise, his take on parenting, education and tech is right on.

"But the computer was only one tool of many. Technology helped us learn, but it was not the medium of learning. It was summoned when needed. Technology is strange that way. Education, at least in the K-12 range, is more about child rearing than knowledge acquisition. And since child rearing is primarily about forming character, instilling values and cultivating habits, it may be the last area to be directly augmented by technology.


Even so, as technology floods the rest of our lives, one of the chief habits a student needs to acquire is technological literacy — and we made sure it was part of our curriculum. By technological literacy, I mean the latest in a series of proficiencies children should accumulate in school. Students begin with mastering the alphabet and numbers, then transition into critical thinking, logic and absorption of the scientific method. Technological literacy is something different: proficiency with the larger system of our invented world."

The recommendations he lists to become technically literate should be on the to do list of everyone in the world as tech is a 24/7 pervasive entity that impacts every aspect of our lives.
Works for me.

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