According to the National Literacy Act of 1991, literacy is defined as “an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society to achieve one’s goals, and develop one’s knowledge and potential” (National Literacy Act of 1991, Sec. 3). However, in today’s world literacy is far more than just reading and writing; it includes attaining proficiency in technology and gain a deep understanding of all forms of information (En Gauge, 2003). As an individual living at full fast forward into an era where technological advancements provide people with the best means to gain more literacy skills, I, too, widely use literacy practices.
Learning through traditional reading and writing have been a part of my daily life for many years and truth is, I have always managed to find new ways to enhance and develop my literacy skills, by embracing new practices and communications technologies. That way, I am always up-to-date with the latest literacy practices and exercise myself to be open-minded and allow something holistic, innovative and promising to replace an old practice, especially if that means that I save myself time and effort during my learning process and acquire transferable skills that I could benefit from, later on in my life.
Usually, reading and writing takes me about four to five hours per day, including Saturdays and sometimes even Sundays, depending on my class’ assignment or level of difficulty and/or bulk of a project I have at school. Other than reading and writing for academic reasons, I read for leisure. I fancy an old practice that is widely taught in colleges and universities across the country called “The Bucket List”, where we are all supposed to write down all the things we would want to do before we die; the most important things we considers that worth experiencing in life. So, I try to keep on adding thoughts and desires in my own Bucket List and have it pinned on a board I have in my room. Just a reminder of the dreams I have over time! What is more, I like reading magazines on health and fitness, while I have no particular interest on the economical magazines that my father receives every month. Other than that, a very favorite habit of mine is to read my little cousin fairy tale stories, just before she goes to bed, every weekend, when she comes home and stays overnight. I let her pick her favorite book by reading out the titles for her. It is an old custom running in my family; we were always sleeping over our uncle and aunt’s house’s when we were younger. After high school, we have barbeques with the rest of the family and back-yard picnics where we make up poems that rhythm and have fun.
Communication technologies play an important role in organizing my life, like every other teenager my age, I suppose. I use my computer to download CDs and create track lists that I can listen to whenever I feel like relaxing, or during breaks in between studying. Sometimes, I listen to music while I am writing, as I have noticed that there are times that music helps me form mental “pictures” of what I am writing or reading, which helps me engage better in my reading material.
Moreover, I have just opened a bank account that I monitor via web banking services. I print every transaction I perform, just to be sure everything is alright, and keep all my paper statements in one big folder. Like everything else in my life, my financial statements need to be organized, and the same applies to my homework. As a matter of fact, I use the MS Calendar, an application that helps you keep all your responsibilities and tasks well organized and have set reminders on, so I won’t forget anything important. In general, web-based applications are very appealing. I tend to book my grandparents’ visit to our place, through a travel agency, where my cousin works that offers booking options on their online site.
I have recently purchased a motor scooter, for which I gave an upfront and the remaining amount will be paid with monthly installments. I try to keep a file with all my savings and my expenses per month and make sure my files are updated properly, so I can ensure I will always have the money to pay for my installments. Of course, that practice will allow me to estimate if I can pay off my scooter earlier. At times when I get “stuck”, I always have my father helping me out with my calculations!
Last month, my family and our neighbors, with whom we have been friends since forever, decided to go on vacation together. Me and my mother used the road atlas, figured out gas stations and food take outs and while me father was driving I was reading the map, which is typical of me ever since I was a small child.
I remember when we bought our current dog. She is a pedigree and we registered ourselves as her owners, after filling lots of paper work, so as to have a microchip placed on her. We received her pet insurance and a detailed report considering her microchip placement and use, which were all paper-based. Supplementary, I used the internet to retrieve information about Griffon-Maltese dogs. My mother, who loves reading, bought a book for me to read about Griffons; I have taken a look, but I prefer the updated information I find over the net.
In my personal communication, I use literacy practices all the time. I usually keep in touch with my friends via sending emails or use our cell phones to send text messages, because they are a cost-effective way to communicate and much more preferable than talking on the phone. In order to save time and money, we also use abbreviations in out text messages; however, if we communicate via emails abbreviations are not used or preferred. I even text my mother, if I want her to pick me up from somewhere or if something comes up. I consider myself a “cell-whiz”, as I always find my way to understand how each cell phone works. At some point, I even wrote instructions down for my mother to review and manage to use her cell phone, when she first got it. Now she is brilliant with technologies!
If narrative skills are listed among the six early literary skills, which comprise the foundation for better reading and writing (multcolib.org), then I have just earned my way with this narrative!
References:
En Gauge (2003), enGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age. Retrieved Sep. 18, 2013, from: http://pict.sdsu.edu/engauge21st.pdf
Multnomah County Library (n.d), Six early literacy skills. Retrieved Sep. 18, 2013, from: https://multcolib.org/parents/early-literacy/six-early-literacy-skills
National Literacy Act of 1991, Pub. L. 102-73, 105 Stat. 333 (1991). Retrieved Sep. 18, 2013, from http://novel.nifl.gov/public-law.html
