Consumption is not enough

"You go outside without clothes, you get arrested," Karl stated emphatically. To clarify Karl's point, Jesse added, "Arrested for not following social norms."

These summary comments were delivered after a brief discussion about three key ideas posed in Douglas Rushkoff's book Present Shock (2013): restlessness with anything that isn't "right now," balancing between virtual and physical worlds simultaneously, and skimming surfaces to make inaccurate connections.

Our conversation continued with the idea that society has many expectations. Most recently, this expectation seems to include that all of us must be effective and efficient users of technology. 

The question: "Can you use a computer?" takes on a completely new meaning these days. Being a passive consumer, like checking email or reading online news, is no longer enough.

We are expected to be producers. On the one end, we must pull together other people's ideas and share it with our "social set." On the other end, we must actively seek out information, share it with others, and add new and original thought that, even if for only a moment, grabs and engages the attention of other people. 

What have you produced today that will engage my attention?

"Milkshake" Theory of Literacy

What role does adult literacy
education play in learners' lives?

Clay Shirky in Cognitive Surplus (2010) states that we shouldn't set up a media campaign to promote "milkshake" purchases by just focusing on the qualities of the milkshake - sweetness, coldness, etc. If we do, he says we will be misled.

Why? We'd be looking at the milkshake in isolation. Instead, we need to look at the bigger picture. What role does the milkshake fill for the people buying the milkshakes - alone at 8 AM, never consuming them in the store, or buying anything else.

Shirky suggests that these milkshakes are purchased as sources of sustenance and amusement for morning commutes. This insight produces an extremely different basis for any potential media campaign.

How does this idea of consumption of milkshakes play out in the delivery - or consumption - of adult literacy instruction? What role does literacy instruction play in our learners' lives? Is the role different depending on the time of day? What's the impact of the person's perceived support system (inside and outside of our center)?

What other questions should we be exploring to get a more complete picture?