Talk Explores Literacy, Technology and Libraries

Matt Ratto, assistant professor of information at the University of Toronto, will present a talk titled, “Why Johnny Can’t Read (an iPhone): Literacy, Maker Spaces, and the Modern Library,” at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 9, in the Hunt Library auditorium. The talk is presented as part of the annual I.T. Littleton Seminar, sponsored by NCSU Libraries.

Ratto will explore how new technologies are dominating the educational landscape and transforming how people experience, share and communicate about the world. Educational institutions and libraries are grappling with how to incorporate and provide access to these technologies, while addressing their critical issues and problems. Ratto suggests that the “maker movement” presents an opportunity for these institutions to engage and promote a socio-technical literacy that emphasizes not just technical skills, but individuals’ ability to make sense of the social aspects of these new technologies.