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What Should One Know to be Truly Computer Literate?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the where's-the-on-switch dept.

rbannon asks: "Computer literacy is becoming an increasingly used term in education, and more and more schools are being asked to set computer literacy goals for their students. Unfortunately for too many, it means being able to use Microsoft products, and that's all. However, I see it much differently, and I cannot help but think that computer literacy is all about using computers to be able to communicate more effectively. With that in mind does anyone have any recommendations for computer literacy goals, and how to measure them?"

2 of 629 comments (clear)

  1. Re:context: education by anagama · · Score: -1, Troll
    What does this sort of literacy entail?
    What kinds of kids make up the class? If this is a class of future technology workers, it will mean something much different than if it's a class of future secretarys. I was reading through the comments and tending to favor the ones that would require more knowledge, but then it occured to me that none of that even came into my head when I was interviewing people to be a secretary. All I cared about was whether she could use email, browser, word processor, and calendar (FN1). It's now suddenly obvious to me that "literate" refers only to the basics. By extension, when we say a person is "literate" (in the reading and writing context), we usually mean the person has the essential basic reading/writing skills (although a Ph.D. in English Lit. may be praised for a literate work -- the context clearly differentiates that use of "literate"). Teach to your students' future roles in life, whatever they may be.

    (FN1) As an aside, it turns out that using the basic MS office apps is training enough for making the transition to the apps you'd find in a recent Gnome based DE. I didn't even bring up the fact she wouldn't be using windows in the interview. Stuck her in front of the machine and spent 15 minutes or so saying "this is your email application, and this your ...". Jeez, computers are just too easy anymore. It's depressing.
    --
    What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
  2. Re:context: education by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Why is this marked flamebait? It's only slightly off topic, mainly in that it is proactive and not a discussion.