WHAT IS LITERACY

IN THE 21ST
CENTURY?

Often, literacy is thought of as the ability to read and write. But

with the ever-evolving nature of technology in the 21st century, are
those the only skills that adolescents need to learn in school?

A CHANGING
CAN ONE BE
DEFINITION
ILLITERATE?
From century to century and even
person to person, literacy varies. With the constantly shifting
Within the umbrella of literacy, there definitions of literacy, rather than
are several sub-types that one can thinking of someone as "illiterate",
specialize in (Davenport, 2018). In the they should instead be considered to
21st century, literacy often involves be proficient in some areas and
technological, critical, and social weaker in others (Sherriff, 2018).
skills, among others (NCTE, 2019).

WHAT ARE SOME DIFFERENT TYPES

OF LITERACY?
Due to the prevalence of technology in the 21st century, digital literacy is one of the most
common competencies that students should learn. The vast availability of information on the
Internet has also made critical literacy and media literacy necessary skills (Koterba, 2018).
Others consider speaking, reading, listening, and writing to be different forms of literacy
(Davenport, 2018). As with general literacy, there are multiple definitions, considerations, and
skills associated with each individual type of literacy. With new technologies and changing
societies, new literacies may still emerge (Compton, 2018).

COMMON LITERACY &

LITERACY SKILLS LEARNING
As aforementioned, there are fluctuating Learning should be a lifelong process (IFTF,
definitions of literacy. However, there are 2013). As possibilities expand with technology
some skills that are commonly associated growth, one must continually learn how to
with literacy in the 21st century. Such skills navigate technology. Effective technology use
include the abilitycommunicate can alter how people approach information
to
effectively, critically analyze multimedia, and consumption and communicate globally to
adapt to new situations (NCTE, 2019). solve problems and share ideas (NCTE, 2019).

References
Compton, B. (2018, October 21). Critical Literacy and Adolescents. Medium. https://medium.com/@brcompt?source=collection_archive--------
-4-----------------------
Davenport, K. (2018, September 19). What Does Literacy Mean in the 21st Century? Medium. https://medium.com/literate-schools/what-does-
literacy-mean-in-the-21st-century-7b6459a38c45?source=user_profile---------2----------------------------
Institute for the Future (2013). From Educational Institutions to Learning Flows.
https://www.iftf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/ourwork/SR-1580-IFTF_Future_of_Learning.pdf
Koterba, K. (2018, October 21). Critical Digital Literacy: What's Real and What's Not Real? Medium. https://medium.com/literate-schools/critical-
digital-literacy-whats-real-and-not-real-849f09db635a
National Council of Teachers of English. (2019, November 7). Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age. https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-
literacy-digital-age/
Sherriff, M. (2018, September 21). What does it mean to be literate in the 21st century? Medium. https://medium.com/literate-schools/what-
does-it-mean-to-be-literate-in-the-21st-century-e4072b6f251c
 HOW CAN
TEACHERS HELP
IMPROVE
STUDENTS'
LITERACY?
In order to help guide students toward becoming literate in the 21st century, teachers
must work toward developing literacy lessons (Morris, 2018). Skills learned in these
lessons can benefit students both inside and outside the classroom (Ausborn, 2018).

HELPFUL TOOLS LITERACY AS

There are many resources available for
becoming more literate in the 21st
century; navigating these resources is
one way to become more literate. Online
tools, such as Wolfram-Alpha,
augment students' learning with specific
features that help students immediately
(IFTF, 2013).
A LENS
Though teachers should highlight
literacy in their classrooms, it is not a
can one-and-done topic. Instead, literacy
practices should be integrated within
several lessons to help students use
the skills more frequently (Peterson,
2018).

WHY ARE TEACHERS RESPONSIBLE

FOR TEACHING LITERACY?
With technological developments and the increasing spread of information, students need to
learn literacy practices that they can apply to their future careers and the outside world
(Ausborn, 2018). In order to have deeper understanding of concepts and ascertain truth from
falsehood, students need to be able to analyze claims, recognize biases that may affect the
presentation of information, and critique authors (Peterson, 2018; DeWitt, 2018). Teachers can
also give critical feedback to help students improve their communication foundations as they
practice creating their own media forms (Compton, 2018). Finally, with increased access to
technology, students need to learn how to manage and handle virtual risks (Morris, 2018).

MULTIMODAL LITERACY &

LITERACY COLLABORATION
In good practice, teachers should implement Part of literacy is the ability to collaborate with
differentiated instruction to ensure that they others, including in cross-cultural contexts
meet their students' unique needs. Similarly, (Compton, 2018). The classroom provides an
students must practice understanding and environment that thrives on collaboration and
creating multiple modes of communication cooperation in different contexts. By
(Koterba, 2018). Even more important is the connecting students with each other, teachers
knowledge that these modes function can demonstrate effective social practices that
together to present information (Compton, can be applied both physically and virtually
2018). (Compton, 2018).

References
Ausborn, K. (2018, October 21). Critically Analyzing Digital Media. Medium. https://medium.com/literate-schools/critically-analyzing-digital-
media-a8319e9b43f6
Compton, B. (2018, October 21). Critical Literacy and Adolescents. Medium. https://medium.com/@brcompt?source=collection_archive--------
-4-----------------------
DeWitt, K. (2018, October 21). Importance of critical literacy. Medium. https://medium.com/literate-schools/importance-of-critical-literacy-
42caf8a03196
Institute for the Future (2013). From Educational Institutions to Learning Flows.
https://www.iftf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/ourwork/SR-1580-IFTF_Future_of_Learning.pdf
Koterba, K. (2018, October 21). Critical Digital Literacy: What's Real and What's Not Real? Medium. https://medium.com/literate-schools/critical-
digital-literacy-whats-real-and-not-real-849f09db635a
Morris, W. (2018, September 21). Why is it important to be Digitally Literate in the 21st century. Medium. https://medium.com/literate-
schools/why-it-is-important-to-be-digitally-literate-in-the-21st-century-583000ac8fc0
Peterson, H. (2018, October 21). What is Critical Literacy and Why the Need? Medium. https://medium.com/literate-schools/what-is-critical-
literacy-and-why-the-need-9d2c07591f98