Computer literacy

 

What Is Computer Literacy?

Computer literacy is the ability to use computers and software. In an age where education, jobs, news, and entertainment are all available via computer, this is becoming an extremely common skill. Improving computer literacy skills can be an important part of expanding job qualifications, taking advantage of the conveniences offered by the modern computer, and even preventing identity theft or computer security breaches.

As with language fluency, there are different degrees of computer literacy. A beginner on the computer will likely know how to start up the machine, operate the mouse, keyboard, and speakers, open basic programs, save programs, and use simple accessories, such as printers. Someone with moderate computer literacy will have good Internet skills, understand the basics of software installation and use, and know basic security management techniques. An expert in computers will likely be highly proficient in dealing with all aspects of computers, may be able to repair serious computer problems, and even perform computer programming tasks.

There are many different ways to develop computer literacy. Many books offer training in specific programs for users of every level, from novice to expert. Recreation and community centers frequently offer short training courses about basic computer use, maintenance, and security issues. Local colleges may offer longer courses that cover basic computer skills, as well as classes that train students to be experts in specific programs. Finally, the Internet can be a great source for quick answers and tutorials on using software; many computer and software manufacturers operate websites with extensive help sections and user guides.

Computers receive information as input by human beings. They then store, process, retrieve, and provide results in the form of displayed or printed output. All computer operations transpire in accordance with instructions that are written by human beings. At the most basic level, computer literacy means having the aptitude to manipulate these sets of instructions—rendered as programs or applications—to tell computers to process digital data in ways that serve human ends. Mastery of a word-processing program affords one the ability to create, edit, format, display, or print a document in record time. Computer literacy enables a person to exploit the computer's capacity for calculation and representation through use of spreadsheet and database applications. Computer literacy is critical for easy and immediate sorting, management, and association of a mixture of information that can be used for financial or inventory purposes. In their role as communication tools, computers serve to transfer information through programs that shift information from computer to computer, allowing it to be displayed as text or in graphic form. The concept can also include knowing how to connect to storehouses of information to satisfy curiosity or be entertained.

A person who is computer literate should be able to use computers to perform a few tasks such as writing letters or reports, calculating and comparing numbers or objects, or communicating via connections that support e-mail or (perhaps) a web-page, as personal, business, or educational circumstances require. A modest definition of individual computer literacy turns, therefore, on knowing how to use computers to personal advantage. It means using computers to do what they do best—storing, accessing, and repetitively and rapidly processing massive quantities of data for human interpretation, which adds value that turns data into information. The definition might include knowing how to connect to storehouses of information to satisfy curiosity or be entertained.

Computer literacy is not corroborated through a tidy checklist that enumerates how many and which functions an individual can complete using the tool. It occurs in the intersection of knowing how to do or find what one needs or wants in a particular place, at a particular time, for particular reasons. Similar to the driver's understanding of the need for basic car maintenance, a rudimentary definition of computer literacy would also include awareness of the basic elements of, and forces associated with, this machine. The coincidence of computer use and connectivity have brought about a changed atmosphere wherein users, regardless of their level of know-how, are aware that terms such as "hardware," "byte," "monitor," "modem," "bandwidth," "virus," and "protocol" have distinct meanings. Even if a user does not fully understand all of the vocabulary that comes with computer use, these words permeate public consciousness and emphasize a presumed need for computer literacy. Fundamental understanding of computer capabilities and configuration in networks suggests an expanded definition of computer literacy that recognizes the effect that computers have had on society. The notion of computer literacy thus grows to include access to means of improving one's computer skills through education or additional experience.

Within the United States, widespread computer use and networked exchange of information prompted the realization that most citizens should know how to work with applications that are used for writing, calculating, displaying, finding, and communicating information in digital form. A brief overview of the way in which computers became so pervasive in this, the information age, sets the stage for understanding collective computer literacy. By the mid-1970s, microcomputers were powerful enough and low enough in cost to be introduced into a variety of work settings. By the early 1980s, IBM had produced a personal computer that found its way into industry, schools, and homes. Other manufacturers modeled IBM, and micro (personal) computer use grew as prices decreased within an ever-expanding market. Computers became smaller and more powerful, replacing typewriters, cash registers, and (sometimes) human beings. Apple's Macintosh entered the market in 1984 with an easier-touse, graphically based operating system that freed users from the need to input complex lines of instructions in order to tell the computer what to do. As a result, computer use continued to soar.

By the 1990s, the full force of networking— computers linked to one another so users could easily send and receive messages—could be felt throughout the world. In the United States, faster and cheaper networked computing moved out from under the umbrella of government and scholarship. More computers permeated the workplace, and more people had computers at home. Computers were linked in local-area networks in offices and factories and by wires and telephone lines from residence to residence. Worldwide connections ultimately flowed throughout the world to form the Internet—one massive network of computers that permits global exchange of information. With the conception of hypertext (providing fast links from one information source to another), graphical World Wide Web browsing capability (popularized in 1994 with the transcendence of Netscape), and the web's delivery of hypermedia, computer use and connectivity fused and heralded the need for computer literacy as a new competency to be addressed by educational and employment policies. These circumstances combined to spawn growing concern about how new generations could become conversant with the new information technology.