ANN ARBOR—Johnny can’t read, they say. But he can watch videos and understand the message. Johnny can’t write, they add. But he knows how to use a digital video camera. Johnny can’t speak clearly, they snicker. But he can tell stories through images and music. Johnny, they say, is not very literate. Others say no, he is literate in ways his critics don’t themselves understand.

That is the crux of the problem educators face: how do you deal with students—K-12 and college-level—who fall into the “multimedia literate” category? One way: you embrace them. Elizabeth M. Daley wishes everyone had the multimedia literacy of some so-called failing students. This fall, she’s coming to the University of Michigan School of Information to deliver the second John Seely Brown Lecture on Technology and Society on “Screen as Vernacular: Expanding Concepts of Literacy.” Daley, dean of the School of Cinema-Television and executive director of the Annenberg Center for Communication at the University of Southern California, will speak at 3 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Michigan League Ballroom. A reception will follow. Daley champions literacy as a total package of “nontext writing,”or two-way communication that incorporates sound and visuals. In nontext writing, various forms of low-cost technology become an instrumental part of the learning process.

As society moves toward immersion in text, audio, and video communication, the truly literate—no matter their age—must be fluent in all forms of expression. Daley will outline what this means for you, your children, your schools, and your work place. Multimedia literacy may not only be the coming Information Age standard, but the foundation that all information professionals must be willing to understand. The free symposium will include two other public components. A presidential panel from 9-11 a.m. Oct. 4 will discuss the implications of expanded concepts of literacy for higher education. Panelists will include President Mary Sue Coleman; Robben Fleming and James J. Duderstadt, former presidents; and Homer A. Neal, former interim president. John Seely Brown, Elizabeth M. Daley, and Professor Daniel E. Atkins of the School of Information will also participate. At 10:30 a.m. Oct. 5, Hideo Mabuchi, associate professor at the California Institute of Technology, will participate in a special Saturday Morning Physics program being held in conjunction with the U-M Department of Physics in 170 Dennison. The popular Saturday Morning Physics presentations take highly scientific topics and present them for a lay audience. Mabuchi’s talk will address quantum physics in conjunction with multimedia literacy. The symposium is named for John Seely Brown, retired chief scientist of Xerox Corporation and former director of its Palo Alto Research Center. Details about all symposium events are at si.umich.edu/jsb or by calling (734) 763-2285.