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Computer literacy is defined as the knowledge and ability to usecomputers and related technology efficiently, with skill levels ranging from elementary use tocomputer programming and advanced problem solving. Computer literacy can also refer to the comfort level someone has with using computer programs and applications. Another valuable component is understanding how computers work and operate. Computer literacy may be distinguished from computer programming, which primarily focuses on the design and coding of computer programs rather than the familiarity and skill in their use.[1] Various countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have created initiatives to improve national computer literacy rates.
Computer literacy differs fromdigital literacy, which is the ability to communicate or find information on digital platforms.[2] Comparatively, computer literacy measures the ability to use computers and to maintain a basic understanding of how they operate.[3]
A person's computer literacy is commonly measured through questionnaires, which test their ability to write and modify text,trouble-shoot minor computer operating issues, and organize and analyze information on a computer.[4][5]
To increase their computer literacy, computer users should distinguish which computer skills they want to improve, and learn to be more purposeful and accurate in their use of these skills. By learning more about computer literacy, users can discover more computer functions that are worth using.[6]
Arguments for the use of computers in classroom settings, and thus for the promotion of computer literacy, are primarilyvocational or practical. Computers are essential in the modern-day workplace.[4] The instruction of computer literacy in education is intended to provide students with employable skills.[1]
Rapid changes in technology make it difficult to predict the next five years of computer literacy. Computer literacy projects have support in many countries because they conform to general political and economic principles of those countries' public and private organizations. The Internet offers great potential for the effective and widespread dissemination of knowledge and for the integration of technological advances. Improvements in computer literacy facilitate this.[7]
The term "computer literacy" is usually attributed to Arthur Luehrmann, a physicist atDartmouth College who was a colleague ofKemeny andKurtz who introduced theBASIC programming language in 1964. Luehrmann became a tireless advocate of computers in teaching. At an April 1972American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) conference, Luehrmann gave a talk titled "Should the computer teach the student, or vice-versa?" The paper is available online. In it he notes:
If the computer is so powerful a resource that it can be programmed to simulate the instructional process, shouldn’t we be teaching our students mastery of this powerful intellectual tool? Is it enough that a student be the subject of computer administered instruction—the enduser of a new technology? Or should his education also include learning to use the computer (1) to get information in the social sciences from a large database inquiry system, or (2) to simulate an ecological system, or (3) to solve problems by using algorithms, or (4) to acquire laboratory data and analyze it, or (5) to represent textual information for editing and analysis, or (6) to represent musical information for analysis, or (7) to create and process graphical information? These uses of computers in education cause students to become masters of computing, not merely its subjects.
In 1978, Andrew Molnar was director of the Office of Computing Activities at theNational Science Foundation in the United States.[8][9] Shortly after its formation, computer literacy was discussed in several academic articles. In 1985 theJournal of Higher Education asserted that being computer literate involved mastering word processing, spreadsheet programs, and retrieving and sharing information on a computer.[10]
Computer science and education researchersSeymour Papert,Cynthia Solomon, andDaniel McCracken advocated for programming as a rich and beneficial activity for young and old learners. In the 1970s and 1980s, creative technical writers includingBob Albrecht,David Ahl,Mitchell Waite,Peter Norton, andDan Gookin created books and materials that taught computer programming to non-specialists and self-taught learners.[11] While programming lost traction in school districts as the core element of computer literacy, it gained ground in computer labs, user groups, community centers and other informal settings, helping to propel the personal computer as a mass-market commercial product.
Plan Calcul was a French governmental program in the 1960s to promote a national or European computer industry that was accompanied with a vast educational effort in programming and computer science.
TheComputing for All plan was aFrench government initiative to introduce computers to all the country's pupils in 1985.
In the United Kingdom, a number of prominent video game developers emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[12] TheZX Spectrum, released in 1982, helped to popularize home computing, coding, and gaming in Britain and Europe.[13][14][15]
TheBBC Computer Literacy Project, using theBBC Micro computer, ran from 1980 to 1989. This initiative educated a generation of coders in schools and at home. This was before the development of mass-market PCs in the 1990s.[16][17] 'Bedroom computer innovation' led to the development of early web-hosting companies aimed at businesses and individuals in the 1990s.[18]
TheBBC Computer Literacy Project 2012 was an initiative to develop students' marketableinformation technology andcomputer science skills.
Computer programming skills were introduced into theNational Curriculum in 2014.[19][20]
It was reported in 2017 that roughly 11.5 million United Kingdom citizens did not have basic computer literacy skills.[21] In response, the United Kingdom government published a 'digital skills strategy' in 2017.[21][22][23]
First released in 2012, theRaspberry Pi is a series of low-cost single-board computers originally intended to promote the teaching of basiccomputer science in schools in the UK.[24][25][26] Later, they became far more popular than anticipated, and have been used in a wide variety of applications.[27] TheRaspberry Pi Foundation promotes the teaching of elementary computer science in UK schools and in developing countries.[28]
In the mid 1960s,Dick Raymond was keenly interested in innovative methods in education, so he established thePortola Institute inMenlo Park (inSilicon Valley). Raymond surmised computers could nurture progress in the education field. Computer-applications specialistBob Albrecht established a computers division in the Institute. Among Portola's numerous offshoots was Bob Albrecht’sCommunity Computer Center, established in 1974.;[29] Albrecht personally introduced computers to school-age children, and discovered a way to teach them to write code.[30] As well, in the early 1970s, the Portola Institute provided some funds to support theHomebrew Computer Club.[31]
In 1978, theNational Science Foundation put out a call to educate young people in computer programming.[32] To introduce students to computing, the U.S. government, private foundations and universities combined to fund and staff summer programs for high school students.[33][32]
Students in the United States are introduced totablet computers in preschool or kindergarten.[34] Tablet computers are preferred for their small size andtouchscreens.[35] Thetouch user interface of a tablet computer is more accessible to the under-developedmotor skills of young children.[36] Early childhood educators use student-centered instruction to guide young students through various activities on the tablet computer.[37] This typically includes Internet browsing and the use of applications, familiarizing the young student with a basic level of computer proficiency.[36]
A concern raised within this topic of discussion is that primary and secondary education teachers are often not equipped with the skills to teach basic computer literacy.[34]
In the United States job market, computer illiteracy severely limits employment options.[38][39] Non-profit organizations such asPer Scholas attempt to reduce the divide by offering free and low-cost computers to children and their families in under-served communities inSouth Bronx, New York,Miami, FL, and inColumbus, OH.[40]
In 2020, world averages in computer literacy, as determined by theWorld Economic Forum, revealed that theOECD countries were not as computer literate as one would expect. About a quarter of individuals did not know how to use a computer. At least 45% were rated poorly, and only 30% were rated as moderately to strongly computer literate.[41]
Computers
Initiatives
The gaming industry as it now exists formed around the same time back in the late 70s early 80s - there were a small number of influential people in programming.
the machines had "spawned a generation" of coders that had helped to establish the UK's reputation as a creative, game-making powerhouse
The success was also driven by videogame sales - the machines were originally marketed as an educational tool but you ensured titles were ready at launch.
Fasthosts was a classic example of the bedroom computer innovation that the UK was so good at in the 80s and 90s.... it also simplified the process of registering domain names and accessing web hosting
we've beaten our wildest dreams by three orders of magnitude
