"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who
cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and
relearn."-Alvin Toffler
According to the definition
of illiterate, the word refers to a person who cannot read or write. However, I
wonder if this definition is restrictive in the sense that it only refers to
books. Now here is the question that I want to ask: can someone be illiterate
in any other way other than just books? The answer is, yes!
Now we've all seen an older
person who types with their face about an inch away from the screen and
occasionally types at approximately 1 mph. Or the person who sees an IPad and
uses all five fingers to navigate. And the examples go on and on. I would label
all these people computer illiterate, or better yet technology illiterate.
However, who does the blame lie upon, these people or the type of education
that they experienced who failed to integrate them and equip them with the
skills needed to survive this society's advancement? I can't imagine how much
pain someone goes through when they can't use a certain type of technology. To
feel left out, and left on your own to figure things out. But we can't point
the finger at them. The level of blame is too intricate and too deep.
When I came across the quote at the top, a seed of hope was planted in me. Even though there will be a lot of
time invested in catching these types of people up (technology illiterate
people that is) with current trends, there is still a piece of hope. A hope to revive
them into society. A hope to learn something new, while unlearning a habit of
not trying. A hope to relearn something you should have known, and have the
right to know as a citizen of a global world.

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