|
 In
the information and knowledge economies of the 21st century,
everyone depends on information and communications
technologies. We use computers to get work done, do research
and communicate with others. We use telephones, cell phones
and other devices for communications. We use online tools and
resources to manage our lives, get information and participate
in society. We use a wide variety of ICT systems, tools,
applications and techniques to be productive in the workplace
and at school.
In the same way schools help students
develop and enter the world with a basic level of
understanding and abilities with mathematics and the English
language, we now need to assure that students have a basic
user level of literacy and competency with information and
communications technologies.
Having an assurance of ICT
literacy associated with college degrees and certifications
adds value to those credentials. It assures employers and
educational institutions receiving transfer students that
program graduates are competent enough with ICT to succeed in
new environments where ICT knowledge and skills are needed.
MPICT is not inventing this need. Many recognize it
already. A variety of efforts are underway to address this
very real need, such as ETS’
iSkills, the
International
Computer Driver’s License,
Information Literacy efforts by the University of California
Libraries,
Stanford’s Key to Information Literacy (SKIL),
California State University’s Information Competence
Initiative, a variety of Information
Competency efforts at California Community Colleges, an
ICT
Digital Literacy collaborative, the California Emerging
Technology Fund’s
Digital Literacy efforts, RAND’s study of
Generic Skills for Information Technology Literacy, a
WikiEducator course on
Information Technology Literacy, and many others.
Like many issues MPICT could engage with, there are many
efforts under way to address the problem, but there is
tremendous duplication of effort across schools, systems and
commercial efforts, and there are many differences in results,
language, and knowledge and skills covered. Efforts from the
library science areas tend not to include computer and
communications technologies. Efforts from industry often come
with test fee models that do not scale realistically for
public educational institutions…
This is a very
important issue, and it should be addressed comprehensively,
to avoid market confusion and competing credentials. MPICT
could help in many ways, including:
- Championing the issue
- Serving as a clearinghouse for regional educational
institutional engagement
- Having representatives participate in external efforts
to address this issue
- Disseminating quality practices and information on the
issue
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