Literacy A "Lesser" Kind...makes me think of aliens for some reason...

The term 'Literacy A "Lesser" Kind' makes me think of Close Encounters of the Third Kind for some reason. Although, I suppose the internet generation and our reading are like new kind of being. Our generation thinks differently, comprehends differently, and apparently reads differently because of our access to the internet, but is that necessarily a bad thing?

In my opinion, no. We, as human beings, are meant to change. We are meant to develop new ways of doing things. Just because we are not thinking, comprehending, and reading as college students before us have, doesn't mean we do so any less efficiently. We are creating a new way of learning. Scanning, picking up the details and going back for more if it is important, paying attention more so at some points than others; it is simply our way of doing things. I could argue that it is, in fact, more efficient. Instead of trudging through endless details and unnecessary points we are able to pick up on the main issue. We can quickly comprehend ideas in less time if necessary.

That is not to say that skimming everything is the way to go. Our ability to scan should not impede our actually reading process if use correctly. I for one often read things in full that our on the internet. When it comes to literature, articles, and various other mediums that require study, I can focus with the best of them. I can read just as well as college students before me. The only difference between us is that I can also scan (perhaps more efficiently, perhaps not) and I know when to employ both.

I could be one among few who can do such a thing, but I doubt it. I have faith in my generation. We are pioneers of new media. We are learning, evolving, and succeeding where no other generation has. This development should not be hampered. Technology should not be taken out of schools to further 'traditional reading'. By doing so, the educational system would be depriving millions of students the ability to learn a new way of doing things.

For those who worry about the integrity of reading and education falling, I believe a compromise should be reached; both types of reading can co-exist peacefully. Maybe the internet generation just needs a little guidance to do so. I believe that students should learn how to employ both types; examples of when each is appropriate should be given. By doing so, neither one nor the other will fall into disuse.

Just like in the end of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, both sides should return their captives, create a communication between the two, and co-exist despite their differences. One does not have to destroy the other.