Let's Mix It Up

Literacy is the ability to read, write and use language without difficulty. As a Florida State student in the 21st century, obviously it is important to be literate in order to succeed in school, but I feel literacy for us exceeds the traditional ability to read and write and expands into technology and creativity as well. Not only is tech-savvy part of literacy, so is street knowledge to a certain extent, its more about thinking outside the box now. I feel traditional literacy was based on whether or not a person was able to read something or write a paragraph, today with such an advanced society our literacy should match our way of life. Since the world runs off computers and other fun, convenient equipment English classrooms should adventure outside the basic text-based writing forms to others. At this point, hopefully we would assume students are traditionally and more modernly literate, text-based lesson plans in a way could hold back possible exploration of newer, more appealing methods of learning. Scholarly writing of course is important, so basic knowledge of how to find it and analyze it is essential, yet I feel we go much more beyond that these days. There is much more creativity and minds think differently then traditional outlines. I think it is essential to break out of basic genres and explore other options. In all honesty, most students do not enjoy English classes as much as they could, if it wasn’t such a basic structure of reading, writing, researching. In my opinion it is more demanding to have more options and choices, it might be said our generation is “spoiled” which is certain aspects is true, but our minds aren’t set conventionally in past times, we constantly see the discovery and invention of more color, shapes and movements in medias, so we thrive on it. I don’t think we can continue to maintain a Standard English classroom; it has to adjust to the students in it, which changes as society does. Just like we don’t dress like our grandparents did at age 18, we don’t necessarily learn like they did, maybe the same concepts, but if we have the technology and opportunity to crank up our English classroom learning experience, why wouldn’t we? Good writers come and go, but are popular with people of their time who can relate to them and their writing style.