A take on Michigan
Tech’s computer literacy.
There are many conceptions coming into a technological
university, especially one such as Michigan Tech.
I hear from people down state all the time, “Oh you go to school way up there?
You must have a good head on your shoulders,” or something along those lines. Having the word technological in a title
often gives people the impression that all students up here are magically
gifted with super human computer knowledge. I can tell you that after two and a
half years of tech support on Tech’s campus that that is very far from the
truth. Not everyone, as Palfrey and Gasser would put it, is a “Digital Native” (1).
I admit that there are some extremely bright incoming freshmen with computer
knowledge but not every student is so lucky. Before we begin we need a way to define
knowledge with computers. Let’s break down this kind of tech knowledge into
terms of literacy and fluency.
According to Williams “literacy is defined as
a particular capacity and mode of behavior: the ability to understand and
employ printed information in daily activities at home, at work and in the
community – to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and
potential,”(5). With literature,
literacy is more than just being able to read a simple text. Can the student
decode the meaning out of the text, are they able to comprehend it. Applying
this concept to computers we can gather that it’s the ability to understand
digital material and use it their everyday lives effectively. If a student is reading a PDF instruction on
their computer about how to install a program in a step by step format, their
computer literacy will be tested as they attempt to decode the instructions.
For this reason written literacy and computer literacy are very closely
related.
Moving
onto the next part of this computer knowledge, what does it mean to have Information
Technology (IT) fluency? This is a little trickier. It isn’t the basic skills
such as knowing how to read the text on the computer screen, it’s deeper than
that. Blackmon helps explain by breaking down fluency into the following:
material, confidence, competency, and comfort (154). We can apply these concepts to these any
incoming freshman class. I’ve seen it year after year, walk into a new
residence room to help with their connection issue and there is a brand new
laptop just out of the box, and a student staring blankly at the screen.
The
first concept that we can look at is material. From firsthand knowledge, a surprising amount
of incoming students have never owned their own personal computer before coming
to college. The United States 2009 census
indicates 78% of households have an internet connection (BI:208). So it’s
likely that they have a computer in their family living room however it can be
intimidating when it’s your own. This
can lead to a literary deficiency when it comes to computers. Some of these students have the most basic
problems of even checking e-mail, or following simple digital instructions to
connect to a site. This lack of primary knowledge often leads to frustration
and doubt, the two killers when it comes to working with computers. Even from
Tech’s admission site:
“The computer you’re most comfortable with is the one we recommend,” (¶ 1). Just like a young student starting to read, if
they don’t have the confidence to explore, try something know, or troubleshoot
these kids/young adults are held back by their own fear of the unknown leading
them to a lagging start.
It’s
not that these kids aren’t smart cookies or don’t have the cognitive capacity
to learn computers, it’s just that they haven’t had the time to sit down and
learn. This also comes down to specific knowledge. Just as an example an incoming student could
be very adept at mechanical knowledge, however computers are a completely
different beast. They may have great visualization skills about moving arms, joints
or drive shafts. Things don’t move inside a computer (an exception for the hard
drive), this I think is the biggest problem for most people. How do you
conceptualize how to check your e-mail if you’re lacking confidence to get
started? Through other skills a student can show that they have competency, but
not necessarily with IT. Competency and confidence will eventually lead to
comfort. Only after they gain a bit of preliminary knowledge, primary literacy,
do the start to understand and are able to conceptualize how to use their
laptop or desktop, then all the other fluency and literary skills fall into
place and the student feels comfort with trying something brand new.
It is
my hope as an IT professional is that I can help lead these kids and jump start
their literacy and fluency with computers. I want to break this misconception
that all tech students are great with technology. This is a dangerous mindset
can cause frustration in bright students who fear asking for help because it
could lead to condescension from other students. These students have a tough enough
intellectual career ahead of them and they will need confident fluency and
literacy with IT computing to help build a strong base for their future.
-Comrade Chris
Work Cited:
Williams, Kate. "Literacy and computer literacy:
Analyzing the NRC's 'Being Fluent with Information Technolog'yf." Literacy
and Technology. 3.1 (2003): 20. Web. 23 May. 2012.
<http://www.literacyandtechnology.org/volume3/literacy.katewilliams.pdf>.
Blackmon, Samantha. (Cyber)Conspiracy Theories?; African
American Students in the Computerized Writing Enciroment. Cresskill, NJ:
Hampton Press, 2007. 2007. Print.
Michigan Technological
University Admissions. N.d. www.mtu.edu, Houghton. Web. 23 May
2012. <http://www.mtu.edu/admissions/accepted/computers/>.
"United States Census ." (2009): n.pag. Web. 26
May 2012.
<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/information_communications/telecommunications.html>.
Palfrey, , and Gasser. "Born Digital." . N.p.,
2009. Web. 26 May 2012. <http://www.perinternet.org/Reports/2009/10-Home-Broadband-Adoption_2009/1-Summary-of-findings.aspx
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