Explain What It Means To Be Literate In The 21st Century

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To be able to define what it means to be literate in the 21st century you first have to understand that ‘literacy’ is a skill that you acquire which is constantly changing and evolving. It is the ability to not only read and write, but to listen, view and speak as well. This plays an important role for students’ development in both written and spoken language, sound, vocabulary, reading texts out aloud and also the ability to understand and create meaning from what you read. Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (2010, p. 6) define literacy as a “flexible and sustained set of capabilities in the use of traditional texts and new communication technologies using spoken language, print and multimedia” (ACARA, 2010, p. 6). Now, as a result of new technological advances, there are new literacies.

Within recent times, digital, print and visual texts have become extremely important in 21st century teaching. It is important for teachers to teach literacy applicable to their teaching area as well as current discourses of literacy in the 21st century, such as digital …show more content…

31). Reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing tasks and skills are evident throughout the curriculum in the New South Wales Board of Studies syllabus. Developing literacy skills in the area of history enables students to explain and communicate - develop texts, particularly narratives (ACHHS070, ACHHS086), to use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies (ACHHS071, ACHHS087), also allowing students to respond, read and write and show understanding of historical matters. (NSW BOS, 2012, pp.1-2). Students will learn to use language features and text structures to comprehend and compose cohesive texts about the past, present and