The Abilities of the Computer Literate Student

In his introduction for Multiliteracies for a Digital Age, Stuart A. Selber discusses several questions that should be on the forefront of the minds of composition teachers as technology continues to progress. One of these questions is “What should a computer literate student be able to do?” (Selber xi). This particular question got me to thinking about what are my expectations of computer literacy in my own composition classroom. In fact, I worry that I have too high of expectations for these students that I don’t explain in thorough detail how to do what I consider basic computer knowledge. A prime example of this idea is when I had to explain to my students how to attach files to emails by the using the paper-clip icon in Microsoft Outlook. What I thought was common sense was proven to be wrong. So, I decided to list the three basic abilities that in my head would count towards computer literacy. They are, to me:

• Computer literate people should know the basics of operating a computer. I don’t expect many to know coding lingo, but I do expect them to know how to turn on a computer, charge it, and turn it off without asking for help. They also know how to mess with basic controls on the computer like sound and volume.
• Computer literate people should be able to use some form of word processing software in order to type. In line with that, people should be able to save, print, and edit their work. This particular aspect of computer literacy would be this most relevant to the composition classroom because it shows that they can write papers using technology.
• Computer literate people should be able to know how to access the Internet. Not only does this theory apply to what web browser to use, but also that people know how to check email, search for basic information, and keep in contact with friends along with other Internet skills.

Some may notice that I did not bring up other digital devices like cellphones and tablets. That is because most of the same aspects of basic computer literacy could apply to other forms of digital literacy. To me, there is not much difference. Do you agree?

Work Cited

Selber, Stuart A. Multiliteracies for a Digital Age. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2004. Print.