Programming: The New Literacy

This article began by asking what the definition of literacy actually is. Some people believe that literacy is the ability to read and write a spoken language. While other people expand the definition of literacy to include multimedia skills as well as the ability to read and write. I agree that literacy includes all of these things. With the impact and importance of technology in society today, it is important that students are able to use multimedia technologies. The author, Marc Prensky, takes the definition of literacy one step farther to include programming. He defines programming as.. “the ability to make digital technology do whatever, within the possible one wants it to do—to bend digital technology to one’s needs, purposes, and will, just as in the present we bend words and images” (Prensky,2008, 2). Programming is becoming more relevant today, and it is important that not only do the students realize its importance but teachers as well. You may not realize how much programming that you are actually doing. According to Prensky, whenever you search the web, check your Facebook, download a ringtone, or buy something on eBay, you are programming. These are things that I do regularly without much thought, and so will many of my students. Some students may be more "literate" than their teachers according to this article. Teachers need to be informed and up to date with the latest technology trends students are pursuing. Prensky ends the article with a question “If programming is indeed the key of literacy in this century, how do we, as educators, make our students literate?” (p.6). He states that the answer is not that clear yet but I think that there are several possibilities. Educators should make sure to come up with creative lessons incorporating these new programming skills. Include technology don’t avoid it. If using new forms of technology actually engages our students, why would we want to avoid it?