Post Literacy Are Reading and Writing Things of the Past? Ontario Library Association February 5, 2005 Michael Ridley Chief Information Officer & Chief Librarian University of Guelph

Post Literacy Agenda The Premise The Course I Taught Key Concepts & Ideas Post Literacy What Does All This Mean? (if anything) Post Literacy Are Reading and Writing Things of the Past? Ontario Library Association February 5, 2005 Michael Ridley Chief Information Officer & Chief Librarian University of Guelph

CAUTION WACKO ZONE AHEAD First Things First

Just as the powerful capabilities of literacy effectively displaced primary orality, so too is it not only likely but inevitable that literacy will be displaced by a more powerful tool, capability or capacity. The Premise

Just as the powerful capabilities of literacy effectively displaced primary orality, so too is it not only likely but inevitable that literacy will be displaced by a more powerful tool, capability or capacity. The Premise

vehicle for student learning in a small group setting 1st year seminar course vehicle for student learning in a small group setting multidisciplinary focus provocative ideas & active learning research program model UNIV1200 The Past and Future of Ideas: Orality, Literacy and Post Literacy

The Alphabet

Disruptive Technologies Disruptive Cognition / Culture “When simple change becomes transformational change, the desire for continuity becomes a dysfunctional mirage.” The Mirage of Continuity (1999) Hawkins & Battin Disruptive Technologies Disruptive Cognition / Culture

The Scholarly Record (Scratch & Sniff Version) Eric Havelock – Preface to Plato Jack Goody – The Domestication of the Savage Mind Walter Ong – Orality and Literacy Ivan Illich and Barry Sander – ABC: the Alphabetization of the Popular Mind Christopher Dewdney – Last Flesh David Olson – The World on Paper Steve Mann – Cyborg: Digital Destiny and Human Possibility The Scholarly Record (Scratch & Sniff Version)

The “always on” Internet Collaborative, computer mediated reality The future of the human is the cyborg

Steve Mann – Cyborg & Uof T Professor

Printed & Digital Texts Orality Written Language Evolving Literacy Printed & Digital Texts Secondary Orality Post Literacy

Other Literacies Image/IconographySound/Music Movement/Dance Orality Written Language Printed & Digital Texts Post Literacy Secondary Orality L a n g u a g e Other Literacies Image/IconographySound/Music Movement/Dance

Orality Literacy stories and song words and texts speakers (poets) and audience objects (books) and readers memory & performance logic & composition active, external, temporal, physical (body) passive, internal, persistent, physical (object) “magical” “rational”

Post literacy is not a decline from literacy The Nature of Post Literacy

The Nature of Post Literacy clarity & precision expressive & nuanced persistent time & space active & passive a means to understand & to provide understanding create community & enable individual identity (collective & personal) advantageous The Nature of Post Literacy

Transition Disruption Suspicion & Distrust Loss Unsophisticated Early adopters Elitism & Power Mainstream Transition

Candidates for Post Literacy Bio-Computing Unused Capacity of the Brain Telepathy / Collective Unconscious Genetic Memory Post Humans Candidates for Post Literacy

Neutrally interfaced computer technology complementing natural telepathy supported by genetic memory. Post Literacy

Candidates for Post Literacy Aliens

“Language is a virus from outer space.” Agenda William Burroughs

What, if anything, does all this mean? Literacy is over Profound new capability & capacity A very difficult period of transition

Post Literacy Comments? Questions? Are Reading and Writing Things of the Past? Ontario Library Association February 5, 2005 Michael Ridley Chief Information Officer & Chief Librarian, University of Guelph