From Pencils to Pixels

The main argument of this text is that the technology and the computer has changed the way we read and write and therefore has altered literacy.  We must adjust to the new technological advances and society as it develops new things.  

Literacy, as defined in this article, is someone’s ability to be technologically in tune with modern advancements in society.  It is an implicit definition of literacy.
The author talks about what he believes is the gateway to literacy, which is technology and in particular the computer. I fully agree with this statement, because as we evolve more and more technology is becoming prevalent in our everyday lives. If we do not take the time to learn how to work and understand these advances, we will become the few who can not evolve with the world as it does. Also, the computer provides us massive amounts of information with the click of a button and therefore we can learn more faster.
The pencil is technology because it allows us to create ideas, stories, plans, etc. in a visual image which helps us to organize our thoughts and also share these thoughts with others.
Plato disliked writing/written word because he thought that it took something away from us. He believed that it weakened us because it took away oral conversation and and the exchanging of ideas.
Thoreau believed that pencil technology was the best because he thought that other technologies were just an illusion and not actual hard evidence of ideas.
The telephone combined both talking and writing and made it easier for people to communicate with one another. People's tones of voice could be more easily recognized and understood but it did not express facial expressions and gestures which also changed the way we communicate.

Yancey's Writing in the 21st Century

In Yancey's article, he addresses three challenges and opportunities of writing in the 21st century.  These include developing a new method or model of writing, coming up with a curriculum to support such methods, and then creating models to teach the methods.  This article urges Americans to write more and also wants us to encourage others around us to write more so that we can create a more literate society.  Yancey's article addresses the problems within our culture that underrate writing and its influence.  Yancey also discusses the emotions attached with writing and reading.  Reading has a positive connotation that invokes pleasure but writing has gained a negativity around it that is often referred to as painful and isolating.  The 21st century is becoming the Age of Composition because people are starting to involve themselves a lot more heavily in writing.  Could the 21st century come even closer to closing the literacy gap that is so prevalent in America?

Brave New World of Digital Intimacy

In Thompson's article, he argues that social media and things like Facebook are both destroying and also building literacy, in different aspects.  His main claim is that the way that we interact with one another, make friends, and keep in touch with those friends is changing due to the presence of social media in our lives.  With things like Facebook we can instantly know who is doing what with whom, who is in a relationship with whom, and also what their likes and dislikes are.  We keep tabs on everyone no matter how close we may be with the person we "Facebook stalk".   This social media is aiding literacy in that it is expanding communication and the way that we pass on culture, knowledge, and experience.  But it is also limiting literacy because it has taken away the reading and writing that is so prominent in the literal definition.  Also, it is not making us go out and research information instead we are skimming through a newsfeed of people we may not actually care about.  Although the article argues both defending and attacking how social media affects literacy, it defines literacy in a whole new way.  Thompson defines literacy as the ability to create and expand friendships through communication on social media and by reading what someone posts.

Gin, Television, and Cognitive Surplus

In this article, Shirky's main point is that we should do something productive with our free time versus watching television and wasting the time away not thinking.  He tries to argue that we waste so much time doing things that are not making a difference in the world when we should be trying to use our free time to its fullest advantage.  In this article I found more than one definition of literacy.  Illiteracy can be defined as the ignorance of people to the time that they waste watching countless hours of television and spending an unlimited amount of time on the computer.  But also, literacy can be defined as someone's ability to understand information and not go any deeper into its meaning.  Also, throughout the article he brings forth facts about the millions, billions, and trillion hours people spend watching television, playing on the computer, or doing nothing.  He may keep reiterating this as to point out to the reader that this time can be better used in making a difference in the world, like the millions of hours spent creating Wikipedia articles that help to further people's knowledge.