Week 2 - Literacy - Online R U Really Reading?

     The world now relies on the Internet to the extent that makes it necessary for people to be possess digital literacy to be considered literate.  While it is true that reading books is a major factor in literacy as it helps students gain the skills in reading comprehension, for a lot of people, the Internet has made it easier to gain access to education.  The book is now considered just one of the different media for learning.

     There are pros and cons to the use of books and the Internet, and people have differing opinions on which one is better.  One gleaming strength of the Internet is the element of participation involved, whereas reading a book is mostly considered a more or less a passive activity.  Furthermore, one book may be a literary gem, while another book may contain useless or biased information.  On the other hand, a student can spend hours in meaningful online research, or spend all day chatting or playing games.  It is still how we use the media that is of utmost importance, if we intend to gain something from it.

     The advent of the digital age is prompting educators to rethink what literacy is and what should be included in the basic instruction of reading and writing.  Online reading is considered another skill that needs to be learned, as it involves interpretation of visual elements such as graphics.  A person who intends to be an active participant in the online community should be able to acquire writing skills that now include use of Internet to publish written material online in a blog or website.