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We use "Myth"
in the context of the Mirriam -Webster definition:
a
popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something
or someone
Merriam-Webster Dictinary: http://www.m-w.com
What are the popular beliefs
that have grown up around "computer literacy"? There
are many conflicting views on this. Let's allow ourselves
a brief diversion in an attempt to understand some of the
debate going on about computer literacy.
Remember to be critical about
your reading and do not accept opinions as fact. The
VirtualBill website offers a technocentric view of computer
literacy. It could be suggested that the authors of this
view are computer engineers. They certainly represent a school
of thought that insists on teaching about ICT. It is interesting
that they use the analogy of driving a car. One could note
that most people can drive motor cars without really understanding
how the engine works.
You will often notice how the
debate about the definition of computer literacy is influenced
by technocentric backgrounds.
Click
here to read an extract on Notions of Computer Literacy in
the Educational Press
Computer literacy is certainly
a very widely interpreted concept - it would seem to be most
often defined with some kind of technical competency in mind.
It has also been abused by employers who seek employees with
computer skills, despite (or possibly because of) its being
vague to define. The need for proof of IT skills has therefore
spawned an industry of certificate-generating IT training,
the ICDL being a well-known example. The problem is that many
of these courses are worthless in what they actually teach
you, given our understanding of what makes effective learning
and teaching. They do not teach you how to apply ICT as a
resource for your learning and teaching. They assume that
you will work that out on your own - is that what you want
from an ICT course?
In terms of the value
of computer literacy, much of the rhetoric about jobs
and skills just doesn't hold up under close examination.
The vast numbers of jobs that computers are supposed to
create for the "post-industrial" society simply
do not exist. If anything, computers eliminated many jobs
and degraded the required intelligence needed to perform
many others (Shaiken 1986). As for those people who expect
to see more jobs in the future, based on the introduction
of computers in new fields, Noble notes that they are
guilty of falsely equating the superficial kinds of skills
gained in computer literacy programs with the highly technical
kinds of knowledge necessary for taking what jobs there
will be in computerized industries.
Although teacher development frameworks
may suggest certain basic ICT competencies it is probably
best to limit these to no more than just a few very basic
skills. These do not make teachers computer literate, but
do give teachers the confidence to explore appropriate uses
for their personal and professional needs. The outcome of
teacher ICT training should be to develop a user's
confidence to use the computer in appropriate ways to achieve
objectives that could not be better achieved without the computer.
What computer literacy
really means for those people who do need it, is going
to be determined by the specifics of the situations where
they find themselves. People can learn whatever they need
or want to about computers [as the need arises and without]
having to be prepared or "literate" beforehand.
The idea of computer literacy as preparation for later
application, seen, for example, in comparisons between
computer literacy and music appreciation, fits nicely
within a "basic-skill" mentality that refuses
to allow that fundamental knowledge is best acquired in
the process of useful activity, not beforehand in useless
introduction" (Noble 1984a:603).
To what extent
do we offer meaningless courses at schools in the name of
Computer Literacy?
Given what we have read and
reflected on in the last two activities, and accepting the
limitations of the term, how do we conduct a "computer
literacy" programme in a school? Do we have to teach
about ICT before we can learn with
ICT?
Do the following background
reading with this question in mind, before tackling Activity
5:
Click
here to read about Best Practice Approaches to Computer Literacy
Click
here to read The knowledge curriculum – learning with
context Click
here to read about just-in-time learning
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