One thing that has been on my mind lately is how do we increase the computer literacy of the students I serve. If the students at my school are to become competent computer users, ready to compete for higher education and participate in the current and future job market, they need explicit instruction in computer literacy and everyday practice/use with computers. I think of the little that I accomplish with the eight computers in my school library media center. I think about the inconsistent usage of computers in students’ classrooms. And I’m left with one realization. And it’s not about better utilization of resources and better teacher training. Teachers can be trained (of course, by teacher librarians). Resources are just inadequate.
My school has attempted to rectify the deficiency by having a dedicated computer lab room (it’s only been two years). But students only access the room once every two weeks. Usually this means they’re researching online, playing educational games, or word processing. This is not what a contemporary education should look like. When I think about my own computer literacy, I realize that none of it was explicitly taught to me. It has to do with access and use. (And don’t think I don’t believe in computer instruction.)
I firmly believe we need to advocate for greater computer resources for our students. We need to understand that computer literacy needs to take its place alongside traditional subjects to makeup students’ full education. And we need get individuals and the public on this side (even in these times).
One example is One Laptop per Child which provides laptops to the world’s poorest children. I won’t get into the hows of the program (read it for yourself), but just to say that it’s a philosophy that recognizes the centrality of computer literacy in achieving educational opportunity. It’s founder Nicholas Negroponte was highlighted in a 60 Minutes piece about a year ago. And others are competing with One Laptop. Like Intel. So others are getting the message. The only problem with One Laptop is that they are not for students in the U.S. I’m not advocating against other children from around the world, I’m just claiming that there are models out there for us to follow, creating resources for students.
Check out the video below. While it highlights more affluent students, I enjoy hearing from real students and how they use computers in school. I think it shows what education should be like for all students.
