Response to Christa's Blog

I definitely agree with my colleagues regarding literacy's constant changes and I believe there is no way ever becoming "literate" in every sense of the word. Even referring to literacy within more specialized genres such as "medical literacy" would be far too vast of a category to become fully literate in. A human brain surgeon does not need to be literate in the kinds of medical jargon a reptile veterinarian would need to know. I must take some exception to the notion that "we, as a society, are never fully literate." I believe that a society is the only way to even come close to being "fully literate." Since literacy is a social practice, including the entire society and every one of each individual's literacy practices is to be fully literate. Individuals cannot be fully literate, but the entirety of society (I should point out that I am referring here to the world's population as a society) takes each individual's literacy as a contribution to its overall level of literacy. This, I feel, is the only way of determining how anything can be completely literate...Include everything!

Almost any voluntary learning requires an environment in which the learner can feel safe. I agree that if a student feels insecure about their lack of knowledge or the environment they are in, learning is going to be bumped out of the water and self-protection will be the primary goal, whether it is just from embarrasment at lack of knowledge or for self-preservation.

I think Christa nails it when she says that the factors which inhibit or allow for "degree of access to literacy practices...are interdependent." I think every aspect of social interaction exerts influence on what extent of literacy each individual is able to obtain. It is definitely amazing that individuals are even as literate as they are now with all of the factors that could so easily prohibit it.