Comments on: Prensky — Redefining Literacy OR Is the Print Culture Going the Way of the Oral Culture? http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/ Language learning and technology for teachers and technologists, K-16 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:17:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Steven Sharp http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9253 Steven Sharp Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:26:24 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9253 I think if you read Prensky's article, he talks about the fact that 'programming' is becoming easier, because of this it will become more necessary. You need to be able to control the devices that you are using, i.e. your cell phone, your vcr, even your web page. But as people become more competent in the "programming" literacy, they feel more of a need to go to that next level. html->xml->php->?? Of course I'm quoting him here, but I think it is relevant. I know we've all seen the problem some people have with setting up simple devices (to us) which seem so complicated to others. I used to get into fights with my staff when they said they couldn't set up their laptop with a projector to give a presentation. This level of "programming" literacy should be basic! I think if you read Prensky’s article, he talks about the fact that ‘programming’ is becoming easier, because of this it will become more necessary. You need to be able to control the devices that you are using, i.e. your cell phone, your vcr, even your web page. But as people become more competent in the “programming” literacy, they feel more of a need to go to that next level. html->xml->php->?? Of course I’m quoting him here, but I think it is relevant. I know we’ve all seen the problem some people have with setting up simple devices (to us) which seem so complicated to others. I used to get into fights with my staff when they said they couldn’t set up their laptop with a projector to give a presentation. This level of “programming” literacy should be basic!

]]> By: Benjamin http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9247 Benjamin Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:19:19 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9247 I’ll have to disagree. “Mastering” technology is really not the issue if one means building computer-type programming competencies. Software becomes more user-friendly each generation, creating more accessibility to individuals with fewer computer skills; I believe this trend will continue. As educators, I think the real issue is how to design educational designs that uses technology to create a dynamic that is both engaging and effective for all learners. It doesn’t demand computer programmers, but it does demand of level of creativity. I believe if educators fail to “master” technology as an educational “tool” to be used within a given lesson plan, they are doing a great disservice to the learner, only to be left behind in the end. Benjamin I’ll have to disagree. “Mastering” technology is really not the issue if one means building computer-type programming competencies. Software becomes more user-friendly each generation, creating more accessibility to individuals with fewer computer skills; I believe this trend will continue. As educators, I think the real issue is how to design educational designs that uses technology to create a dynamic that is both engaging and effective for all learners. It doesn’t demand computer programmers, but it does demand of level of creativity. I believe if educators fail to “master” technology as an educational “tool” to be used within a given lesson plan, they are doing a great disservice to the learner, only to be left behind in the end.

Benjamin

]]> By: Barry http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9243 Barry Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:14:01 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9243 According to Ned Davis from NJECC, Marc Prensky was taken to St. Joe's Hospital in Patterson, NJ and he did not have a stroke. It was a combination of an infection, the medication he was taking and a very, very high level of blood sugar causing a diabetic-like problem. None of this is life threatening. He remains hospitalized. Barry According to Ned Davis from NJECC, Marc Prensky was taken to St. Joe’s Hospital in Patterson, NJ and he did not have a stroke. It was a combination of an infection, the medication he was taking and a very, very high level of blood sugar causing a diabetic-like problem. None of this is life threatening. He remains hospitalized.

Barry

]]> By: itsalljustaride http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9241 itsalljustaride Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:56:07 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9241 I think I'm gonna have to disagree here. Even though I love learning about programming, I don't think the analogy of "literacy" is apt. Actual programming is still, and appears that it will stay for the foreseeable future, in the hands of technicians, and to a limited sense, hobbyists. No one should expect someone who has a 9-5 job to learn C++ or even Ruby or VB. Much like someone who knows how to change the oil in their car, or change a flat tire, you might pick up some scripting tricks or HTML here and there, but actually doing something in a programming language takes a lot of effort that most people don't have time for. I think I'd fall into his middle category that the new "literacy" will be more in the realm of media creation and competance, not the itty bits of programming minutia. There was a day when health professionals had to learn to program in a Unix shell just to get test results. Now technology is such that if it needs done, you hire someone to write an interface to plug into some database or another. Unless we magically come up with a functional programming language that can understand, "put this data here, and when you do, calculate it this way" I'm afraid most people aren't going to bother. I think I’m gonna have to disagree here. Even though I love learning about programming, I don’t think the analogy of “literacy” is apt. Actual programming is still, and appears that it will stay for the foreseeable future, in the hands of technicians, and to a limited sense, hobbyists. No one should expect someone who has a 9-5 job to learn C++ or even Ruby or VB. Much like someone who knows how to change the oil in their car, or change a flat tire, you might pick up some scripting tricks or HTML here and there, but actually doing something in a programming language takes a lot of effort that most people don’t have time for. I think I’d fall into his middle category that the new “literacy” will be more in the realm of media creation and competance, not the itty bits of programming minutia. There was a day when health professionals had to learn to program in a Unix shell just to get test results. Now technology is such that if it needs done, you hire someone to write an interface to plug into some database or another. Unless we magically come up with a functional programming language that can understand, “put this data here, and when you do, calculate it this way” I’m afraid most people aren’t going to bother.

]]> By: Barbara http://languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9240 Barbara Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:55:07 +0000 http://www.languagelabunleashed.org/2008/03/19/prensky-%e2%80%94-redefining-literacy-or-is-the-print-culture-going-the-way-of-the-oral-culture/#comment-9240 I am still stuck on the thought that Prensky possibly had a stroke during a keynote...yikes. Any form of ingesting and interpreting information and making it relevant to your reality (uh oh is this acquisition theory rearing its head?), I guess, is a form of literacy. Yes? B I am still stuck on the thought that Prensky possibly had a stroke during a keynote…yikes.

Any form of ingesting and interpreting information and making it relevant to your reality (uh oh is this acquisition theory rearing its head?), I guess, is a form of literacy. Yes?

B

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