From primary school levels and secondary school to post-secondary education, computer literacy skills are more important than ever before. The 21st century, the Digital Age, is in full swing, but where are you? Have you missed the boat, so to speak? Here we detail what to do if you're still behind.
Computer Literacy Skills in Foreign Language Teachers
Are you one of those semi-computer literate teachers who may only use a PC for sending an occasional e-mail, reading news updates, or even (gasp!) playing solitaire or some other basic computer game online when you’re bored? Then you need to wake up and smell the coffee, as they say. This is now the twenty-first century, in case you haven’t been paying attention. There is a definite need for computer literacy skills in foreign language teachers. Not only are computer literacy skills like using Twitter and Facebook important to have, but the list of essential computer skills keeps growing. How far could you get in society without being able to read and write? Soon, computer literacy skills will be added to the trilogy. In many areas of endeavor, it already has. If you have to ask what Twitter is, you’re in more trouble than you know. Is your school on Facebook? Without a growing cadre of computer skills, you’ll not only miss the boat; likely, you’ll never even see the boat. Even my students tweet, language learners especially. Do your language learners use Twitter in school? It's very likely that they do. Do you?
What are basic computer literacy skills then? Exactly what types of skills should you as a foreign language teacher consider?
Types of Computer Literacy Skills to Consider
Some of the basic skills you’ll need to consider and improve on depending on the areas of expertise, ages, and language levels of your learners include:
- Keyboarding (typing at 80 to 100 words per minute [wpm] or faster)
- Using MS Office or Open Office software packages
- Using PDF reading, packaging, and production software
- Social media websites accounts and use (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, My Space, etc.)
- File and document converters (.txt to PDF, Ipod, MP3 and MP4, etc.)
- Video production and editing software such as Camtasia, ULead, etc.
- Using web cams, screen capture, and other audio-visual media software packages
- Setup RSS feeds to your e-mail, blog, or website
- Manage a personal blog or website
Possession of this type of knowledge and these skills can quickly and easily position you well in your particular niche or area of expertise. Did you know that “the average Twitter user can influence about 500 people each day” according to online marketer Perry Belcher? They don’t even have to be people that you personally know either. Many blogs and vlogs can regularly tap into hundreds and even thousands of people worldwide every week or every month.
How and Where to Acquire Computer Literacy Skills
What are basic computer literacy skills? Check around locally for technical-vocational schools, community colleges, and, of course, online for available short courses, tutorials, and how-to videos for learning those computer skills you feel you need most. Does your school or institute offer in-house training?
Here are a few suggested sites to start off with:
- MIT Open Courseware: The leader in free online university level courses, MIT has thousands of high-level courses in hundreds of topic themes and academic subjects online.
- Master list of free online college courses: If you're feeling a bit lost, start off here.
- Free-ed Net has hundreds of free online courses in dozens of categories.
- Education Portal offers a list of colleges and universities that offer free courses online.
- Learn Out Loud offers an extensive selection of audio college-level courses which can be downloaded free and listened to at your leisure.
Do a quick Google search, and you’ll likely come up with dozens more depending on your specific needs and interests.
Computer Literacy Skills for Using Twitter and Facebook
To get up to speed on using Twitter, there are tons of tutorials online starting at the Twitter homepage. To get a Facebook login, simply go to the Facebook homepage where you can sign up for free and view online tutorials, too. If you’d like video tutorials, then search YouTube, and you’ll find plenty of video step-by-step instruction.