KEY COMPONENTS FOR A NATIONAL COMPUTER LITERACY PROGRAM

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the key components for a national computer literacy program. A computer-literate workforce is necessary to maintain the national defense of a country and to improve its national productivity. At the individual level, computer literacy enables participation in a knowledge society. To ensure equality of opportunity, all citizens must have access to these skills and tools. Following are the reasons for the need for computer literacy (1) the recognition that the concept of computer literacy is multifaceted; (2) the need for knowledgeable people who can create new tools and materials and to effectively use them; (3) the involvement of the home, workplace, community, and the school in creating a computer-literate society; (4) the presence of computers for instruction in all schools for all students; (5) the availability of a critical mass of high-quality curricula and courseware; and (6) continued innovation, research, and development to identify new opportunities for the use of computers. The term “computer literate” has many different definitions, many of which are a matter of perspective.