Computer Literacy for Everybody

Computer literacy compared with Math competency

• Math competency considered fundamental and required for gruduation
• Why is computer literacy considered less fundamental and not as important when our lives are so intimately connected with computers?
  • Most universities do not require a computer literacy course in the core curriculum. Critical information technology competencies are often taken for granted, to the detriment of students who lack basic computer and Internet skills. (Educause 2007) http://portal.acm.org/ft_gateway.cfm?id=1352423&type=pdf&coll=ACM&dl=ACM&CFID=15151515&CFTOKEN=6184618

What Computer Literacy to teach?

• Empowering and enabling technologies
• Fundamentals

What Computer Literacy do we teach? I

• Empowering and enabling technologies
  • Client/Server
    • The Internet
      • Publish to the web using Dreamweaver, iWeb, editors, FileZilla, ssh ...
      • Tabbing and Extensible browser such as Firefox
      • Google family of software such as Calendar, Mailgroups, Picasaweb, Blog, Doc & Spreadsheets
      • Server-side and social bookmarking with http://del.icio.us
      • Telephony/Teleconferencing with Skype
      • iTune/iPod/podcasts/audiobooks/NYT/WSJ/TV talk shows
  • Software tools
    • Microsoft Office Suite & Alternatives
      • Mail Merge and Templating
      • Spreadsheets: pros and cons; Spreadsheet design
    • Open Source and Free software (Putty, Cygwin, Linux, Gimp, ...)

What Computer Literacy do we teach? II

• Fundamentals
  • programming
    • An addition tutor
    • An alarm clock simulator
    • A rudimentary Blackjack game
  • Best practice
    • Don't close applications. Buy more memory.
    • Avoid using spaces or funy characters in file names
    • Use keyboard shortcuts
  • Good attitude and habits
    • Schedule backup automatically
    • if you can do a job with one key stroke, don't do it in two
    • INBOXes should not contain more than a handful of messages
    • Life-long learning

What Computer Literacy should not be

• It should not be software training
  • It should be education
    • Don't train people to use Excel. Instead, educate them about its strength and weakness.
    • Don't train people to use Word. Show them that Word is not good for collaboration.
    • In many universities, the distinction between training and CS education is unclear.
• It should not be computer appreciation
  • It should be useful and empowering

Conclusion

• Computer literacy is critical
• Should be a graduation requirement

Thank you !

• Questions?
• Comments?
• Feel free to write me at liao@sandiego.edu