Definition of Technology Literacy
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Implications
One of the goals of higher education is to insure that every high school student that wants to continue their education has access to post secondary learning, whether it is a local community college or Harvard. “Education,” according to Kennedy and Agron in their 1999 article, Bridging the digital Divide, “is one of the most accessible avenues for society’s disadvantaged to get a chance at equal opportunity, but our schools have often fallen short.” Technology is one of the areas in which education often falls short.
If the desired outcome is technology literate students, putting a computer in an elementary school classroom isn’t beneficial if 20 students have to share it, or if it is the only computer these students have access to, because none of their homes contain a personal computer. It isn’t helpful if the educational software that it runs doesn’t address issues of gender divide in learning, or if the computer isn’t connected to the internet. It also isn’t helpful if the teacher isn’t comfortable using technology, or isn’t able to give clear directions to his or her classroom regarding the use of technology as a means to facilitate learning, or if students only understand computers in terms of playing games. For teachers over the age of 40, it is likely that personal computers did not play a significant role in their own educational experience, which means that they may not have much experience in using technology as a research tool. If the teacher is female, digital divide research suggests that she may experience anxiety over using a computer in the presence of others.
Often the very idea that today’s young adults may not have the computer skills necessary to succeed in a tertiary academic environment seems far fetched to administrators. Many administrators want to pretend the divide doesn’t exist, and when confronted with the statistics about the digital divide and computer access will state that everyone has free access to computers at their local library. This is a simplistic view of the situation. One doesn’t learn the skills necessary to be computer literate without either significant access time or training specifically aimed at learning computer/software skills and a great deal of exposure to the internet and world wide web. Simply having access to a building with computers in it doesn’t suddenly change anyone’s computer skill level, or anxiety level.
As colleges increasingly rely on the internet and world wide web to deliver data to students, technology literacy becomes more and more important. Many colleges waive application fees to prospective students as long as they use the common application, an online form. Entering freshmen at many schools must complete an online course called alcohol.edu before they are allowed to register. Admissions office and Student Transitions personnel often host online chats for entering and prospective freshmen. Most housing offices use online application forms and contracting software. Increasingly, schools request students to use email as their primary form of communication, and when freshmen call offices on campus, they are often directed to check specific college web sites for further information.
Duke University recently announced that they were giving all incoming freshmen Ipods loaded with all the information they needed to successfully navigate their freshman year. The assumption, unstated, is that all entering freshmen know how to use an Ipod, understand how to navigate the software necessary to sync up an Ipod to their desktop or laptop, own a desktop or laptop to use with the Ipod, understand how file sharing works and can identify file sharing software, have a clear understanding of why using an Ipod is going to directly benefit their educational experience, and have the confidence necessary to master the skills needed to use this tool.
What happens to young adults who don’t have access to the internet to fill out online forms, don’t have the technology literacy necessary to complete the alcohol course online, or who were sent an Ipod but have never owned a personal computer, or don’t have the skills necessary to use an Ipod?
Most importantly, what can we do as higher education administrators to help span the digital divide for our student populations? To find the answer to that question, click the link on the left marked 'solutions'.