[COMPUTER] ILLITERACY

http://www.slj.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/856655-427/of_mice_and_mentors_an.html.csp

Here's an article from March 2010 that discusses an inner-city charter school librarian's efforts to teach elementary school students to become "capable computer users." The librarian was surprised by having to start with basics (like how to turn the computer on) when working with this generation that everyone assumes is already familiar with using a computer. The article details some of the things that worked (and didn't work) in helping the kids become more confident using technology in many varied ways.

Although I don't teach computer classes for kids at our public library, I really identified with some of the hurdles she mentioned, as I've noticed some issues while helping kids at the computers. The kids at our branch seem to be highly skilled in playing flash games, so you might think that they could do other things like use the mouse correctly and maybe even begin to navigate the Internet (at least through Google). However, most cannot. Another problem is that many of the kids here can hardly read. Even if they know what it means to "click on" something, giving directions like "click on the word 'games'" may not be adequate assistance. At our branch, we also have a group of teenaged computer users who are wonderfully adept in playing certain MMORPGs but who are also illiterate and thus cannot be said to be computer literate--at least if you believe that literacy is a fundamental part of successful computer use.

When I think about trying to use Web 2.0 in my job, I've been considering mostly how things will help me professionally and how I can connect with colleagues and obtain/share ideas.

I know I need to think more about how to connect kids with computers, and I hope that will also give me ideas about how to connect kids with reading (whether via the computer or through books).