Rigid notions of literacy are hinged to a straightforward encoding and decoding of print: can I read, do I understand what I’m reading, can I write? Can I process this calculation, can I summon pertinent others as needed? . . . Thinking about the nature of text today and where it fits within our understanding of literacy. Text that moves, that incorporates video and sound and simulations - that is not simply text, but intertextual. In George Landow’s words, "virtual, fluid, adaptable, open, capable of being processed, capable of being moved about rapidly, capable, finally of being networkable - of being joined with other texts." What skills should contemporary literacy measurements be assessing? How do technologies (because we are speaking of technologies) and cultures interact to change ideas about the nature of literacy?
