Portfolio:final exam, Frame 1

___Geoffrey Meredith’s argument is that the more technology advances, the more people become illiterate. He says because of this, “[R]eading becomes a survival skill.” He also points out how a majority of the people who do have a formal education, despite their degrees, can’t fill out an employment form. For his last point, he says technology is compensating for illiteracy with programs such as Microsoft word that do automatic spell change along with correct syntax, grammar, paragraph structure, and spell check.
___In recent discussions of American illiteracy, a controversial issue has been whether if the people of America are compensating for illiteracy with technology. On the one hand, some argue that the American people are taking programs such as spell check for granted. From this perspective, people are becoming too dependent on programs such as this, that also suggest correct syntax, grammar and paragraph structure. On the other hand, however, others argue that America is becoming more dependent on literacy, because it is seem as a social standard. In today’s time, it is becoming that universities and colleges will only accept those who have a exceptional education. In the words of one of this main proponents, “[H]igh school and even college graduates, who , despite their degrees, can’t fill out a simple employment form.” According to this view, the American people are loosing their literacy because of technology. In sum then, the issue is whether if America is becoming illiterate because of technology or that the American people are becoming more literate because of it.
___My own view is that people are becoming more literate and education because of it. Though I concede that people shouldn’t be reliable on Microsoft word programs with spell check, I still maintain that because of this technology people are able to research and organize information for their own general principle of knowledge. For example, even though these programs may easy ways out for those who don’t know how to spell quite correctly, the overall purpose for these programs is writing. Although some might object that people need common knowledge for their own good, I reply yes, but technology is a respected resource in our society, giving information to all people. The issue is important because it is making the fine line between technology thinking for us, or us using technology for our own knowledge.