Selfe pt. 2 - Paying Attention

According to Cynthia Selfe, the “perils of not paying attention” are many, but none as great as risking the link between literacy and technology. In her words, “technology is now inextricably linked to literacy and literacy education in this country” (Selfe, 414). As this nation strives toward higher test scores and better educated students, we simply cannot afford to ignore vital connections like these. Selfe recognizes the growing significance of technology, and the affects it will have on generations to come. Equally important as the link between technology and literacy is the link between technology and jobs. Selfe states that the “cultural influences” of technology reinforces the importance of this link, including the fact that “70% of jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or an advanced college degree now require the use of computers” (Selfe 415). The interlinking between technology and the everyday workings of life are endless.

As previously stated, technology has connections in every facet in life. The focus is so heavy on the political aspect because politics are ever-present and oh-so-important. The government is very involved in schooling, therefore in literacy. According to Selfe, the political involvement is not one that we should forget, as “literacy is always a political act as well as an educational effort” (Selfe, 424). Government funding, grants, and projects are what makes literacy and technology possible and cannot be forgotten. Politics, as acknowledged in the section “Literacy Education is a Political Act,” are a huge factor in the start of technology, and continues to play a potent role it’s continuation.

Despite the powerful points packed in Selfe’s article, the major flaw is the time that it was written. In just the few years’ time since the article’s publication, so much has changed. Those who view technology to be an evil and still fight it are considered to be extremists and are viewed quite negatively. Nearly every school in the States is equipped with a SmartBoard, not to mention each classroom having at least two computers. No longer can educators assign “colleagues interested in the ‘souls of machines’” to a “professional isolation ‘in their own separate world,’ because the majority of educators now are said colleagues (Selfe, 12). Though the exact details of the article may be different, the main arguments and points remain important.