Response to Literate Lives

Examining the case studies presented in Literate Lives gives us an idea of how people come in contact with literacy as well as how the acquisition of literacy shapes their lives. Many common themes run through the case studies, but what I am most interested in is the idea that technological literacy (in contrast to traditional literacy) is acquired collaboratively. Traditional literacy is passed down or taught in the form of a gift by those who possess knowledge. Technological literacy represents a radical shift. Knowledge in the realm of computers is no longer owned, nor contained by a body of elders, but always already emerging. This shift moves us away from the conception of education that operates in a top down model, where literacy is a constant, held up as an achievable goal, and once attained defines the student as literate. This shift instead presupposes that literacy is defined by all users, and the only constant is change. Because change occurs more frequently as younger generations emerge into and influence the realm of technology, "the old are not expert"(205). This is not to say that the young hold reign over technological literacy or that older people can't be experts, only to say that unlike print literacy, mastery of technological literacy is impossible. As users of technology, we are self taught, taught by peers, taught by teachers, taught by experts and non experts alike, so we engage in "kind of reciprocal learning in which '...the teacher-of-the-students and the students-of-the-teacher cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-students with student-teachers...they become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow'[Freire]"(210). If we can accept both the importance of collaborative learning as well as technological literacy, then students (of all ages) won't have to lead what Selfe and Hawisher term a "double life". This double life comes from two sets of "literacy practices and values"(195) that conflict. The first set of practices is defined by a long tradition of literacy conventions that are meant to challenge the student until s/he becomes masterfully literate. The second set of practices challenges an already literate teacher-student and student-teacher. The key is to allow these practices simultaneous existence, since they are not actually in opposition. As Selfe and Hawisher suggest, traditional literacy shares a direct relationship to all other kinds of literacy, and technological literacy still necessitates the role of teacher (perhaps mentor is a better word) and student. However the teacher must allow for a fluid movement between positions. As Freire indicates, the outcome of this equilibrium of intellectual challenge and collaboration will be growth.