Literacy:

• More than the ability to read and write.
• Ability to comprehend secondary discourse (Gee).
• Ability to interpret text.
• Multimodality
  • technology in the digital age.
  • Graffiti.
  • Critical thinking.
  • Reading the world (Freire) using life experience.
• NLS (new literacy studies) (Street) new conceptualization power on the screen rather than the book.
  • Connected to social context.
• Functional Literacy — Skill to read and write.
• Ideologies.

Illiteracy:

• Inability to comprehend secondary discourse (Gee).
  • distance from dominant discourse.
• New social environment – communicative competence.
• Lack of power, voice, rights.
• Inability to communicate with verbal (written) resources
• Illiteracy marginalizes people.
• If you do not take action we are not literate.

Characteristics:

• Power (cow video). Leverage over the farmer.
• Knowledgeable in/about specific contexts/areas.
• Educated but not necessarily in school (Gee).
• Voice.

Example:

• Amal’s story: wrote a story in 3^rd grade where she imagined herself as a stamp
  • Imagination
• Nouf’s story: stories from grandma from Egypt (war, KSA)
• Ghost stories (all of us)
• Playing dress up, role play, dolls, house – socializing