"Literacy and Computer Literacy..."

Kate Williams' "Literacy and Computer Literacy: Analyzing the NRC's Being Fluent with Information Technology" is a study of the definition of computer literacy. The discussion is based on the National Research Council's report, "Being Fluent with Information Technology."

The question is at what point is one computer literate? What should schools teach if they want students to be computer literate? Williams' report examines eleven theses on literacy and discusses them in detail. Some which are included in the NRC's report but most separate.

I'm not sure how I would define computer literacy. One point from the reading I would agree with is that literacy is social. The social setting which one resides influences what computer literacy is for them. Computer literacy can change in different situations. It all depends on which types of programs are being used and in what situations.

I think to outline some of the components in Table 1, you could say that in order to be fluent with information technology, you must be able to solve problems. A comical representation of computer literacy is shown below. I think this is true in most situations.

credit:  http://xkcd.com/627/