I think that in today’s world literacy means more than just knowing how to read. I think that you have to possess a certain skill level of reading to be considered literate. For example, just because a kindergartner has just learned how to read, I don’t think that this necessarily makes him or her literate. You have to be able to function in the every day world and meet the demands of a literate nation. We encounter reading countless times on a daily basis, and if you are able to meet these demands, everything from ordering off a menu to reading the newspaper, I think that makes you literate. I also think that the definition of literacy encompasses more than just your reading ability, I think it also has to do with your ability to use language to communicate successfully.

 Literacy is important, especially in our nation, because we need to be able to read in order to survive in our every day lives. You need to be able to read the street signs as you drive, the tags on something that you are buying at the store, the book you are reading just for fun, among other things. And the ability to communicate with the people around you is just as important.

  Digital literacy’s are complicating the definition of literacy.  Instead of heading to the local library to check out some books for a report, it is easier to watch a You-Tube video on the subject, or google a few sources. Few people say they enjoy reading for fun anymore. Most of our time as Americans is spent online. While that does count on reading, I think most people browse the articles they are reading more than they actually read the full text. It is so easy to find shortcuts in the digital age, and I think that is part of the reason that things are getting so complicated.

Books are definitely a type of literacy that play a big part in my life. I enjoy spending my free time reading books, especially fiction books. Like most people I skim through the newspaper almost every day and read the latest magazines articles that look interesting. I also spend time on the Internet reading things that interest me. I also work in a library, so books are part of my work life also. My future career as an English teacher will put different forms of literacy to use every day. I think that society as a whole also uses literacy every day without even realizing it , especially their ability to read and write.