Social software in education can teach cultural literacy

One reason for incorporating social software technologies in a sound way into pedagogical activities is to give students hands-on training in learning how to correctly use and apply the new technologies.

Kolowich advocates that students need to learn how to think critically about emerging technologies and learn how to use judgment and discretion in the technologically-changing world.  These skills are not discipline-specific and will be necessary as they operate in society, regardless of their future job. Failure to incorporate experience with and to teach critical understanding of emerging technologies in education will result in a society that will be ruled by the technologies without critically evaluating them.

Stuart Selber advocates for a cultural literacy that teaches students to critically evaluate technologies as cultural artifacts, asking question such as

• What is lost as well as gained? 
• Who profits? 
• Who is left behind and for what reasons? 
• What is privileged in terms of literacy and learning and cultural capital? 
• What political and cultural values and assumptions are embedded in hardware and software?” 

 In this way, students learn not just the technology itself, but general principles of evaluation which enable them to critically assess any technology they may encounter.