Literacy issues have been on my mind lately, in particular since we posted the latest PaperTigers website update. And this morning I had proof, courtesy of the New York Times, of the timely nature of my thoughts and concerns.

“Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?” the second article in the NY Times series by Motoko Rich on the future of reading, points to the fact that the internet has found its way to the heart of our lives and to how, as a result, new literacy skills – and new ways of looking at the world – impose themselves on us.

When it comes to kids, we all know those “new ways” are hardly imposed. It seems to be a natural part of their lives to seamlessly move between different online handles and accounts and to navigate the internet and all its lures better, according to some, than they navigate their own lives. Our youth seem to believe that there’s nothing like the internet (where reading breadth and depth is calibrated according to one’s whims) to provide them with the experience of having the whole world at their fingertips. But what about the equally-whole world that books introduce us to? What of the greater depth of experience to be gained from reading them?

Well, it shouldn’t be a matter of either/or. The definition of literacy is evolving, just as language and communication technologies always have and always will. If in addition to high-quality teaching our literacy concerns encompass information literacy and plenty of questioning skills, I trust that kids will learn to navigate life (and to read books) just as well as they do the internet. Their online ways can teach us important lessons about our literacy future. Let’s pay attention.

More reactions to the NY Times article can be found here.