User:Minhan Cai/sandbox

Computer literacy is the ability to use computers and related technology efficiently, with a range of skills covering levels from elementary use to programming and advanced problem solving. By another measure, computer literacy requires some understanding of computer programming and how computers work. The term "computer literacy" can have several meanings. Kenneth Ruthven, a faculty from Department of Education of University of Cambridge, provided an appropriate connotation for the term computer literacy: "On the one hand, the allusion to scientific, technological and economic literacies suggests a layperson's knowledge and understanding of a specialized field. On the other, perhaps because until recently most computer users required a knowledge of specialized computer languages, there is the suggestion of a concern, similar to that of language literacy, for competence in communication."

In the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the BBC Computer Literacy Project, which ran from 1980 to 1989, educated a generation of coders in schools and at home, prior to the development of mass market PCs in the 1990s.

The ZX Spectrum, released in 1982, helped to popularize home computing, coding and gaming in Britain and was also popular in other countries.

See also: Education in the United Kingdom

Computer programing skills were introduced into the National Curriculum in 2014.

The government published a 'digital skills strategy' in 2017.

In the United States
In the United States, students are introduced to tablet computers in preschool or kindergarten. Tablet computers are preferred for their small size and touchscreens. The touch user interface of a tablet computer is more accessible to the under-developed motor skills of young children. Early childhood educators use student-centered instruction to guide the young student through various activities on the tablet computer. Often this includes web browsing and the use of applications, familiarizing the young student with a basic level of computer proficiency.

Teaching computer literacy to students in secondary school may improve their thinking skills and employability, but most teachers lack the understanding and classroom time to teach computer programming.

In higher education
Computer literacy is a crucial 21st century skill for college students and instructors. Students will need to complete many assignments that require technology use, such as a laptop and iPad. Students can benefit a lot in their social and academic life if they can understand and use technology intelligently. However, a research suggests that even though students are exposed to technological products before entering a college, their computer literacy level still varies a lot. According to a study conducted by Bayrak and Yurdugul aimed to investigate first year students' readiness level of computer literacy in Turkey according to their genders and faculties by testing on seven modules, within 1685 first year college students, it was found that male students' computer literacy readiness level is higher than female students'. Additionally, students' majors also have some connections with their readiness level of computer literacy. Data of the experiment shows that "there is a statistically significant difference between groups of faculties...... faculty of education students' computer literacy readiness level is lower than faculty of dentistry, faculty of engineering, faculty of medicine..."

Seven modules to test on computer literacy by ECDL (a computer literacy certification program)

·Module 1. Basic concepts of information technology (XP);

·Module 2. Using the computer and managing files (XP);

·Module 3. Word processing (2003);

·Module 4. Spreadsheets (2003);

·Module 5. Database (2003);

·Module 6. Presentation (2003);

·Module 7. Section 1 - Information (XP/2003);

·Module 7. Section 2 - Communication (XP/2003).

University instructors also play important roles in computer literacy in higher education. "Globally, many universities use e-Learning tools such as electronic boards, blogs and microblogs, collaborative wiki pages, social bookmarking (e.g. Delicious or CiteULike), content organization and tagging tools (e.g. Mendeley), audiovisual material (e.g. iTunesU and YouTube), photograph collections (e.g. Flickr), and social networks (e.g. Facebook, Google Plus, Ning). Each one of these technologies requires a slightly different set of skills for educators and students to be considered digitally literate. Some of these tools are specifically designed for the classroom, such as Blackboard or Moodle", co-authored journal "Overcoming digital divides in higher education: Digital literacy beyond Facebook" lists several online learning tools. With the rapid development of technology, a high-tech classroom is welcome and popular in schools. The changes of teaching methods require instructors to have basic computer literacy skills that enable them to present an efficient lecture. Not only limited to instructors and professors in school, computer literacy skill is also applied to university staff, including staff in administrative and managing office.