Final thoughts.

   The last fifteen weeks of learning have been rich and rewarding.  Besides comprehensive and fascinating travels through the development of the spoken and written word, and its differences, we have also delved into the significance of the advent of print and the printing press. I felt like I was looking at the back of a tidal wave, as it roared past me, arching monstrously over the landscape, pulling everything in its undertow up and into its enormous maw...stupefying. And what we looked at was only a glimpse...
   Other observations: As the printing press brought a revolution of simultaneous journeys inside one's own psyche and interiority, and outside to the world of man and mystery, we also gained the means to exponentially study, categorize, analyze, synthesize, dialogue, and experiment with every aspect of inner and outer life. Like population explosion.
   Now, we are at another juncture of enormity yawning in front of us: will we continue endlessly dissecting life down into its micro-micro elements? Will we learn to pull back and choose a different form of generalized synthesis, like a new, visual iconic language, divorced from academic, over-specialized language? Will something heretofore unimaginable develop organically, unexpectedly? Or will it all keep multiplying so endlessly the best an individual can do in the future will be to make a choice early on to participate in one of many gigantic umbrellas of language contexts, never able to traverse to the next umbrella, as the distance, linguistically, is too great? Or will we converge completely, learning how to have so many forms of linguistic approaches it will be like living in an enormous glass tower, with access to everything all around you at your fingertips? We are already somewhat there, aren't we?
   The challenges to educators who wish to open worlds for students through language, reading and writing are a little intimidating. Those too, have grown with light-speed, as the complexity of our society, our world, our lives is shaped by a shrinking world and an expanding consciousness of cultural and communal differences. How do we educators use our time and resources wisely? How do we stay abreast of the changes? What is my strategic approach to a digital and technological world that can barely keep up with its own changes? I feel, again, like I am asking myself to be a surfer on this enormous tsunami, and only extreme vigilance, flexibility, awareness and good balance will keep me from going under.
Looking at the last few decades in regards to literacy theory and its development as it has been practiced and promoted in its broadest sense, I am relieved to see that change is the order of the day; therefore it is not my responsibility to designate one or another approach or orientation as "the answer". There are no answers. Just exploration, experimentation with approaches, and a keen interest and attention to our students, their needs and an integration of what they bring to the table, to create an environment of meaningful learning for everyone.