From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies

"Andrew Sledd (1988) pessimistically views the computer as actually reducing the amount of literacy needed for the low end of the workplace: "As for ordinary kids, they will get jobs at Jewel, dragging computerized Cheerios boxes across computerized checkout counters".83,From Pencils to Pixels: The Stage of Literacy Technologies, Dennis Baron. Here the author quotes Sledd who believes that the average person will only be involved with the computer when he uses the computer at work. Here the person is a checkout cashier at a Jewel's supermarket and the scanning of boxes is the main use the cashier has for a computer is her life. The quote states the belief that ordinary kids don't really have much use for the computer unless it is used at work. Here a computer is part of the job and it's usage is only because it is needed to complete the job. Is this quote true for the youth of today?

I disagree, because today you need to use a computer to find a job, and to apply for the job before, you begin to use it on the job. The computer is sometimes used to communicate with the Human Resource Dept. to schedule an interview for a job. After obtaining the job the computer is used to complete your job duties, this is standard today for most jobs involve using a computer to various degrees when at work. The youth of today begin at an early age using the computer in school, and at home with video games. Using a computer is standard for the children of today who learn to use the computer in the second grade. It is harder for those who are older to relate to the using of computers in their daily activities. For many years I truly avoided a computer but I was exactly forced to learn, understand and use the computer to exist in my daily life. Because finding a job, attending school, communicating with others, are all done by using a computer. I am still learning the who's, what's and where's of computer usage, but I am beginning to enjoy my time using a computer.