As a child, I heard the words "literate" and "illiterate". I knew that literate people can read and write, but illiterate people cannot. I remember trying to imagine what it would be like to navigate the world as an illiterate person. How would you get from place to place if you didn't know how to read street signs? How could you cook if you couldn't read the recipe? How do you know if a particular drug is safe to take if you cannot read the label? These were some of the many questions that occupied me as a child. Literacy today means something different from 10, 20 or 30 years ago. I equate literacy with access to information and opportunity. In the past, people who knew how to read and write could take the newspaper and read the news, pursue careers in almost any field, or go to college.

Technology is changing what it means to be literate. Literacy is developing rapidly and encompasses skills that go beyond reading and writing with pen and paper. Students today must be able to navigate the online space in order to successfully access information and opportunities.

http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/media_and_information_literacy_curriculum_for_teachers_en.pdf