The Building Blocks for Enhanced Technological Literacy

Abstract

Many students have experience with smart phones, internet browsing, and social networking. Although exposure to these types of technologies are pure indicators of society’s evolution towards a more integrated and pervasive computing environment, they do not serve as accurate indicators of technological literacy. With the advent and rapid expansion of knowledge and technology intensive industries, these skills do not provide a sufficient core/foundational literacy to the development of characteristics possessed by technologically literate students. Gonzales and Renshaw (2005) identified six computing competency skill areas for pre-engineering majors – 1) Computer use and file management, 2) Word processing, 3) Spreadsheets, 4)Databases, 5) Presentations, and 6) Information and Communications. These competencies, previously the focus of engineers, have now transferred to society at large with 38% of all the value created in the U.S. requiring the skills of a technologically literate workforce (National Science Board, 2010). The widespread use of technology in society and everyday life has forced the need of technological literacy amongst non-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors, hence the need for a comprehensive course that provides the building blocks for technological literacy. However, there is still skepticism on the value of classes that focus on the introduction of computers. These classes lay the foundation that is crucial for non-STEM majors to become technologically literate. The goal of this paper is to show that there is still a need for these types of classes and also that they provide a gateway for these students to become technologically literate before their graduation. By reviewing the performance of 130 students in an introductory level computing course at Indiana State University the need for such a class will be evidenced.