SECTION 2.3 - LEARNING TO USE THE COMPUTER
As computers become increasingly integrated into our everyday lives, the 'technophobia' witnessed in the early days of their appearance is diminishing. Most novices are quite used to using other related technology such as ATM cards, cellular phones, etc., and as such accept the presence of computers to a much greater degree than previous generations. In addition, computers themselves are much more user friendly. They are designed to make the user as comfortable as possible with the process. After all, computer companies make their money this way so it is important for them to do as much as possible to make technology friendly. In view of this, users don't tend to suffer from 'technophobia' as was the case in the past and it is a much easier task to teach the computer.
All programs will need to teach a basic level of skills and knowledge in order to use the computer. However, each program will differ as to what degree they will teach staff/students about using the computer to (i.e., basic, intermediate or advanced). One particularly useful categorization scheme for helping to make the decision about what level to teach to is the Adult Literacy and Basic Education Teacher Technology Competencies v2.1. This was developed for the Massachusetts State ABE Technology Plan and has four levels of mastery in five areas including:
Hardware
Application software
Internet software
Management
Getting help
Once it has been decided what level of mastery a program wishes to achieve and with whom, relevant curriculum is required. Fortunately, programs do not have to spend precious time and resources to develop specific curriculum, as there are many tutorials available on the Internet and within software applications. With a little instructional guidance and support, most users can work their way through these tutorials to learn what they need. Several sites with tutorials and/or relevant curricular information are as follows:
Introducing Students
to Technology
A Beginner's Introduction to the
World Wide Web
Learning about Your
Computer and Using the Internet
Assessing Staff Technology Competence
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