Being Computer Savvy

I am not the most computer savvy person in the world. I know about enough to mess everything up.

The problem is that we live in a world that is almost completely dependent upon a computer. The gas pump, ATM, cash register, and about everything else built in the last 10-20 years has some computer chip in it.

To be successful in any line of work, you need to know how to use a computer. As a teacher at a community college, I am tasked with the job of educating many non-traditional students. These are students who have been out of school for any number of years. I have had students who graduated from high school in the 1970s, before the advent of the four-function calculator. Many of these students are "cyber-phobic." (That is a term coined by my Intro to Computers instructor in college.)

The problem is that many do not have a computer at home. They have worked jobs that did not require the use of computer. Now they are entering a world where computers are all-pervasive.

All of the homework for my classes are on-line. Many students struggle with how to type an Internet address in the bar. Some do not know how to type an e-mail address (i.e. they leave out the "@" or the ".".)

We need better technological integration in our educational system. We need to "force" students to learn and gain computer skills. That goes beyond how to play solitaire.