The term literacy has been used for several years in Greek literature instead of the older term alphabetism, but it has a broader content. It does not simply indicate the ability to read and write, but also the ability to comprehend, produce, and critically engage with various forms of oral and written texts, depending on the specific communicative contexts. It is difficult to provide a definition of literacy that has universal validity, because literacy means different things in different times, for different individuals, and for different societies.

Literacy and its acquisition are very important and critical issues, especially in today's era where rapid technological advancements lead to dramatic changes that affect people's private, social, and professional lives, and constantly create new demands in terms of understanding and producing new types of texts. The approach to this critical issue has been approached from many different perspectives that have highlighted its many different aspects.

This volume brings together five key texts by J.P. Gee, G. Wells, R. Hasan, and C. Luke, which, contrary to traditional approaches, study literacy within the framework of social practices, emphasize the interaction between society and schooling, examine perceptions, and seek new definitions in order for literacy to involve production rather than reproduction of knowledge, and finally explore the new needs arising from the dissemination and use of new technologies in relation to education and literacy.