Can Technology Solve America's Literacy Problem?

Of course technology can solve literacy problems in America....technology can solve ANYTHING!!!!!

Without an elementary knowledge of the language, this huge portion of the adult population faces a struggle to get by. Finding a job and generally progressing in a career is an obvious issue, but everyday tasks are also difficult. Understanding taxes, helping a child with homework, filling out health care forms or following instructions on medication; these are skills that anyone reading this article takes for granted, but many others toil over daily.

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I still believe the biggest problem is public schools, the teachers, the curriculum, and the push to not hold anybody back because it might hurt their feelings.

A large chunk of the blame also lies with the parents who have no desire to teach, much less care about their children.

Even 10-12 years ago I was seeing 6th and 7th graders that could barely read.

So lets try to teach people how to read with a mobile platform "game".. Yeah, that is going to work.... people are NOT going to want to play a game where they actually have to work at it to progress, much less a "reading" game.

The "geniuses" that control how the public schools are run need to be fired and people with an IQ of more than 2 need to be put in charge so some actual learning takes place instead of the "push the kids through the grades no matter what they actually know" mentality.

The children's parents also need to step up.. but of course that isn't going to happen. They would just rather them and their children feed off the government's tits forever.

I dunno, I used to remember tens of phone numbers and could spell and do long division

computers make us stupid

I wasn't even aware there was a serious literacy problem. Everyone I've ever met above the age of 7 is literate.

cyclone3d said:

I still believe the biggest problem is public schools, the teachers, the curriculum, and the push to not hold anybody back because it might hurt their feelings.

A large chunk of the blame also lies with the parents who have no desire to teach, much less care about their children.

Even 10-12 years ago I was seeing 6th and 7th graders that could barely read.

So lets try to teach people how to read with a mobile platform "game".. Yeah, that is going to work.... people are NOT going to want to play a game where they actually have to work at it to progress, much less a "reading" game.

The "geniuses" that control how the public schools are run need to be fired and people with an IQ of more than 2 need to be put in charge so some actual learning takes place instead of the "push the kids through the grades no matter what they actually know" mentality.

The children's parents also need to step up.. but of course that isn't going to happen. They would just rather them and their children feed off the government's tits forever.

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I think the biggest problem is parents. If they took enough interest in their children public schools would not be in the shape that they are. They elect politicians that don't care, they vote down bonds and levies for school funding, and they take no responsibility to make sure their children are actually learning or to supplement their child's education. They leave everything to some damn stranger and go on about their business.

I beleive it can!

No, it won't. If anything it will make it worse by giving the real source of the problem a reason to detach even more. The problem isn't the material or the method of delivery.

I'll put it as simple as possible, you cannot help people who don't want help. There are some areas where there is a culture that glorifies ignorance instead of eschewing it. Until that culture is changed, nothing else has a chance.

Dekoth-E- said:

No, it won't. If anything it will make it worse by giving the real source of the problem a reason to detach even more. The problem isn't the material or the method of delivery.

I'll put it as simple as possible, you cannot help people who don't want help. There are some areas where there is a culture that glorifies ignorance instead of eschewing it. Until that culture is changed, nothing else has a chance.

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"Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. "

Technology is a tool. When the tool becomes the objective then it becomes counter productive.

We need more science in schools. What I mean is that we need to teach more science in schools.

There are tools but the issue usually is too many of their illiterate friends do not want them to read. Typing of the dead for the words, comic books and ya novels, would get more kids reading. When I was growing up we had scholastic, and you got rewarded with pizza for reading... I know reading kids is more of a matter of perspective than any flashy gimmick.

But to put things in real perspective newspapers are printed at a fourth grade reading level because the majority of Americans never advance past that. Intellectuals design and develop 95% of the technology you use but only make up about 3% of the population. They may be sold and actually assembled by the dullest knife in the drawer but they people made fun of by shows like the big bang are the reason you have less advancements between 1995 and today than you had between 1980 and 1990. For so scary perspective most of our bombers were designed in 1950's there are three air-frames that are new and all are pre-1995. The new designs are all older designs that are modified to make them more cost effective. Telsa one of my favorite companies is still using a bank of car batteries to use a fuel. The capacitor was invented with the first main frames to control the vacuum tubes... but it requires selling the concept to bunch of guys who do not read sci-fi, whose reading level often stops at fourth grade where their newspaper stops... when you do get the tech savvy guy they tend to keep quit while secretly investing in the stuff that they can understand.

Dekoth-E- said:

No, it won't. If anything it will make it worse by giving the real source of the problem a reason to detach even more. The problem isn't the material or the method of delivery.

I'll put it as simple as possible, you cannot help people who don't want help. There are some areas where there is a culture that glorifies ignorance instead of eschewing it. Until that culture is changed, nothing else has a chance.

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It's the parents of the children that don't give a flying F about their kid's education. There are so many illiterate people that I have met it is alarming. And each time the parents were more interested in getting their hair done, drugs, chasing women in another household instead of taking care of their current brood, lazy, or just bastards.

100% of the children I have met early enough in their lives all want to learn and emulate the people around them. No amount of computer donations to the needy can change this culture. Parents that take the time to assist their children with their schoolwork is what creates great minds. There needs to be a change in culture. It's not about a color of skin. I have Black and White friends that I literally have to translate concepts from this forum to. I know a White guy that has never picked up a book other than to carry it in a Nike backpack to school for the coolness factor. It's all about your culture at home.

Look at this story. 1,000 teachers in one school district quit here in NC. They are tired of being the scapegoat for bad parenting and bad pay. Your kid should at least know their damn colors and 1 - 10 before showing up for school the first day. My dad was raised as a farm worker and was determined to become more literate. When I asked him a question, he wanted to be able to answer it. He was well over the age of 40 when I was born and he gave a damn enough to do that for his family.

I'm not saying that having programs where tech is distributed to poorer households is a bad thing. Hell yes it is a great undertaking and completely worthwhile. But at some point the parents have to man up and take responsibility for their children's education. As my sister says, who is a school teacher in Baltimore, MD, "I'm just here to solidify what you've already learned at home. I can show you new ways of learning and ideas sure. But I can't teach a 12th grader how to understand Chaucer when they are on a third grade reading level."

One wonders how many of those adults are US citizens or legal residents.

gathagan said:

One wonders how many of those adults are US citizens or legal residents.

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More than you would think. It isn't a problem related to race.

First you want to teach technology to drive, now you want to teach it to read? Stop the madness!

I find it extremely unlikely there are a lot of adults with fundamental literacy issues that were educated in the United States. Its far more likely there are adults with ENGLISH literacy issues, because they came over illegally and English isn't their first language.

what litterrecy problem?

Dekoth-E- said:

More than you would think. It isn't a problem related to race.

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No kidding. I grew up in Oklahoma in a predominantly white suburb. There were white kids who couldn't read in my 4th grade class. Think nails on a chalkboard is bad? Imagine having to listen to your classmates struggle to sound out practically every word except 'the'.

I don't think 'technology' is the solution. Access to early-childhood education programs seems to help compensate somewhat for shitty parenting at that age.

Ducman69 said:

I find it extremely unlikely there are a lot of adults with fundamental literacy issues that were educated in the United States. Its far more likely there are adults with ENGLISH literacy issues, because they came over illegally and English isn't their first language.

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We are talking about children, not adults. With that said, it comes down to literacy in general...the actual primary language is almost irrelevant. American children that come from shitty households that don't care about education do poorly because of poor parental involvement. Simply put, they don't get the chance to develop proper literacy skills at home. Want to know something interesting? Spanish speaking children that HAVE A GOOD GRASP OF SPANISH will catch up to their American peers with good English skills. Why is that? They are already literate in their native language, and can pick up English at an astonishing rate when given proper support. My wife (a first grade teacher) sees this all the time. The kids that show the largest growth are almost always the Spanish speakers with good pre-existing Spanish literacy, they are often completely caught up by the second grade. The Spanish speaking children that don't have an age appropriate understanding of their own language are the ones left behind, and quite honestly have about the same achievement level as the American kids that come from shitty households.

And by the way, you would be shocked how many American parents are completely illiterate.

I grew up in another country and have been living in the US for a while, its amazing how much money/resources is spent here for so little return. The 2nd post has it exactly right - parents here are so lazy/entitled and afraid of any real responsibility/hard work, its so much easier to blame someone else and of course sue them - that's the American attitude to a lot of things I find.

No American child could ever hope to pass the basic tests given in most other countries, standards of education here are a joke. And even with what little they have to learn, the kids are taught that they can never 'fail', 'every one is a winner', there are no consequences, and the kids are much more interested in everything else besides studies.

Then the parents whine that foreign/Asian students who work 10x harder succeed. People in this country need to accept personal responsibility and stop looking for scapegoats.

Ducman69 said:

I find it extremely unlikely there are a lot of adults with fundamental literacy issues that were educated in the United States. Its far more likely there are adults with ENGLISH literacy issues, because they came over illegally and English isn't their first language.

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Haven't traveled much have you? Spend some time in the more rural parts of America and much of the inner city. Go ahead and completely avoid the obvious immigrant parts and see if you have that same opinion after spending months in these area's. It isn't a problem exclusive to immigrants illegal or otherwise.

What I see in many cases is technology actually being the primary motivator for kids learning to read properly. Even little kids have cellphones now. Kids used to call each other on the phone, now most just text. No kid is going to pass up the chance to use facebook, etc these days, even if they have to teach themselves how to read.

All I had was a Speak & Spell

MrCrispy said:

I grew up in another country and have been living in the US for a while, its amazing how much money/resources is spent here for so little return. The 2nd post has it exactly right - parents here are so lazy/entitled and afraid of any real responsibility/hard work, its so much easier to blame someone else and of course sue them - that's the American attitude to a lot of things I find.

No American child could ever hope to pass the basic tests given in most other countries, standards of education here are a joke. And even with what little they have to learn, the kids are taught that they can never 'fail', 'every one is a winner', there are no consequences, and the kids are much more interested in everything else besides studies.

Then the parents whine that foreign/Asian students who work 10x harder succeed. People in this country need to accept personal responsibility and stop looking for scapegoats.

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School is for socializing not education, silly. The biggest problem are the parents who want their kids to have school the way they would have liked it to have been when they were that age and even worse live vicariously day to day through their kids.

Dekoth-E- said:

Haven't traveled much have you? Spend some time in the more rural parts of America and much of the inner city. Go ahead and completely avoid the obvious immigrant parts and see if you have that same opinion after spending months in these area's. It isn't a problem exclusive to immigrants illegal or otherwise.

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I've substitute taught at inner city public schools. Immigration is a big factor. But yes. Its not everything. A lot of it is attitude in the schools. The general mindset of the culture kids are brought up in. Parents share a lot of blame. Governments lowest common denominator mentality also. And of course good kids are brought down by bad eggs. Its a symphony dysfunction.

Lets just throw more money and iPads at it, that should work. Forget about instilling values in school, that cant be the answer.