Transcript Fluency with Information Technology: an Introduction

Fluency with Information
Technology: an Introduction
CMPT 109
Montclair State University
Why fluency?
• Traditional computer literacy emphasized
immediately useful skills, like using a word
processor or a web browser.
• Fluency with Information Technology
(FITness) includes literacy, but also
comprises concepts and capabilities that
will (we hope) help you deal with changes
in technology throughout your life.
What is FITness?
• Skills means proficiency with current
applications, for example e-mail, word
processors, web browsers, spreadsheets, and
databases.
• As applications change, the necessary skills
also change.
– New applications
– New versions of existing applications
What is FITness? (2)
• Concepts refers to fundamental knowledge
underlying information technology.
Examples include the following:
– How computers work
– How information is represented internally
– How information is transmitted over a
computer network
• Concepts change more slowly than skills.
What is fluency? (3)
• Capabilities refers to the higher-level thinking
abilities needed to use a computer effectively.
Here are some examples:
– Troubleshooting an operating-system problem
– Organizing a research report using a word processor.
– Setting up a spreadsheet to perform a what-if
calculation.
• Concepts and skills are necessary but not
sufficient conditions for using IT effectively. One
also needs higher-level capabilities.
FITness in CMPT 109 (examples)
Computer hardware Operating systems
Skills
Avoiding loss
of information
Launching
programs
Concepts
Major hardware
components
Functions of an
operating system
Capabilities Troubleshooting
problems
Organizing a file
system
FITness in CMPT 109 (2)
Skills
Concepts
Web Browsing
Word Processing
Navigating
hypertext links
Formatting text
in a document
Packet-switched
networks.
Protocols (TCP/IP)
Capabilities Finding/evaluating
information on the
WWW
Internal
representation of
document
Preparing a
research report
FITness in CMPT 109 (3)
Skills
Concepts
Spreadsheets
Databases
Entering data and
formulas
Creating a
database table
Absolute and
relative cell
references
Capabilities Constructing a
model for a what-if
calculation
Relations between
tables
Structural
modeling of a
real-world system