Deleny Leon DB Post 1

1. Literacy is the ability to read and write or having competence or knowledge in a specific area.

2. Based on activities 4 and 5, my definition of “literacy” is the opposite of illiteracy in which it is the ability to read and having knowledge within a specific area such as within health or science. Interestingly, when researching about the term, “literacy”, I learned that prior to the 1950’s, literacy was associated with alphabetical literacy alone which is the recognition of words and letters. This meaning changing after the 1950’s when “literacy” would be understood as a more complex concept and process which was connected to having competence or knowledge in a specific area. Still being associated with the ability to recognize words and read, but evolving to include knowledge within various topics. 

3. John Trischitti defines literacy as a complex idea which can be associated with knowledge within various fields which he provides examples of. For instance, there is Health literacy, Financial literacy, Computer literacy, and etc. For his TED talk, he mainly focused on the ability to read which is the main definition of literacy apart from competence within a topic. In regards to this focus on the ability to read, Trischitti pinpoints the importance of literacy when it comes to children, especially, because of the potential they have to either make a choice and live a successful life or an unsuccessful life. For Trischitti, traditional education is good for children, but reading is the foundation upon which all other essential skills are built. Basically, the ability to read (literacy) is a fundamental human right which impacts how people go about their day. Illiteracy (being the inability to read) serving to only jeopardize the success, earning potential, health, and daily struggles associated leading to poverty. With this in mind, Trischitti emphasizes how important it is that society contributes to the literacy of many children perhaps by providing books as a present to help them not only open their world to knowledge and success, but learn how much potential they have in their lives. Especially for children facing poverty or daily struggles. I find this idea emphasized by Trischitti as agreeable because of my personal experience in the past. Specifically, as I was growing up, I faced an issue concerning the ability to retain information and my lack of knowledge in fixing it and my lack of interest in classwork left not only my grades to plummet, but left me feeling uncomfortable in life. It wasn’t until I picked up a religious book from the library within my private school did I learn not only about how complex my religion was and the language associated with it, but how there is more to the world than just schoolwork. This sudden realization would lead me to search for more books to read – gaining a passion for literacy. Also, it would help me not only want to focus on my classwork with the thought of graduating and going out into the world to search for more knowledge and books, but it would slowly fix my inability to retain information and lack of interest in learning in general. Apart from this, another reason why I agree with Trischitti’s belief is because of the idea of how illiterate people do face issues in their lives because they have no way of understanding how to perform a task provided to them on paper or take advantage of any opportunities online without the help of another person. Overall, I believe Trischitti’s belief that literacy is the greatest building block to life is true because without it, I wouldn’t have gained what I have today if I had never picked up my first book which began my interest in reading and literacy.