Computer literacy is the ability to use computers and related technology efficiently, with a range of skills covering levels from elementary use to programming and advanced problem solving. By another measure, computer literacy requires some understanding of computer programming and how computers work.
Video Computer literacy
In the United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the BBC Computer Literacy Project, which ran from 1980 to 1989, educated a generation of coders in schools and at home, prior to the development of mass market PCs in the 1990s.
The ZX Spectrum, released in 1982, helped to popularize home computing, coding and gaming.
Primary and secondary education
Computer programing skills were introduced into the National Curriculum in 2014.
Policy
The government published a 'digital skills strategy' in 2017.
Maps Computer literacy
In the United States
Primary and secondary education
In the United States, students are introduced to tablet computers in preschool or kindergarten. Tablet computers are preferred for their small size and touchscreens. The touch user interface of a tablet computer is more accessible to the under-developed motor skills of young children. Early childhood educators use student-centered instruction to guide the young student through various activities on the tablet computer. Often this includes web browsing and the use of applications, familiarizing the young student with a basic level of computer proficiency.
Teaching computer literacy to students in secondary school may improve their thinking skills and employability, but most teachers lack the understanding and classroom time to teach computer programming.
Nataraj (2014) found that many college freshmen in the United States had insufficient computer skills. After freshmen completed a computer literacy course, there was a significant improvement in their understanding of the course material.
Digital divide
In the US job market, computer illiteracy severely limits employment options.
Non-profit organizations such as Per Scholas attempt to reduce the divide by offering free and low-cost computers to children and their families in underserved communities in South Bronx, New York, Miami, Florida, and in Columbus, Ohio.
See also
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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