Situates technological literacy in its ideological context of competitive supremacy and conservative politics. In opposition to a "neutral" notion of this construct, negotiates a turn toward "critical" technological literacy, which represents an overtly political turn toward overcoming forms of power that sustain inequities in…

Addresses how first-year students understand the influence of computers by cultural assumptions about technology. Presents three meaning perspectives on technology that students expressed based on formative experiences they have had with it. Discusses implications for how computers and composition scholars incorporate computer technology into…

Outlines steps developmental educators need to take to win the cooperation of more students. Argues also that developmental educators must include computer literacy in their understanding of literacy. (SR)

A study of 357 university employees who received computer training showed that self-efficacy levels remained stable over 2.5 years. Previous training and computer use on the job predicted computer self-efficacy and transfer of training. (SK)

Of 175 freshmen agriculture students, 74% had prior computer courses, 62% owned computers. The number of computer topics studied predicted both computer self-efficacy and computer knowledge. A substantial positive correlation was found between self-efficacy and computer knowledge. (SK)

Discusses the goal of K-12 education to have students learn to use technology, defines computer literacy, and describes the Big6 process model that helps solve information problems. Highlights include examples of technology in Big6 contexts, Big6 and the Internet, and the Big6 as a conceptual framework for meaningful technology use. (LRW)

Adult literacy learners face uses of funding, access and lack of expertise and time related to technology use. Issues for literacy programs include funding, access, staff development, assessment, and maintenance. Technology can individualize literacy learning, allow privacy and asynchronous participation, and provide immediate feedback. (Contains…

Details the kind of information technology-related experiences that all curricula should share. Gives examples from elementary and middle schools. Lists goals, subgoals, and activities from the National Educational Technology Standards for Students. (JOW)

This brief article explains that effective professional development: (1) Involves teachers in the planning and selection, but balances the needs of individual educators with the needs of the campus and district; (2) Provides a practical, utilitarian component to all efforts; (3) Links educators to each other to create a larger learning community;…

One of the truisms about computers is that they're difficult. Despite the fact that the PC Revolution is now well into its third decade and the continuing improvements in the user friendliness of PCs and Macs, printers and scanners, and software and the Internet, using a personal computer can still be a hair-raising experience. This is…

Community action and social change have roots in personal family narratives that connect members within the same household, between families and schools, and between families across national borders. In two northern California communities, the value of computer literacy lies in the personal narratives that unite these families to each other,…

This article provides suggestions for developing a laboratory-based research methods course using computers. We describe important considerations for creating this type of course including selecting software, choosing experiments, and teaching students with different levels of computer skill. We also include 3 model projects that required…

In this article, we discuss the literacy narratives of coauthors Melissa Pearson and Brittney Moraski, who came to computers almost a generation apart. Our goal is to demonstrate the importance of situating literacies of technology--and literacies more generally--within specific cultural, material, educational, and familial contexts that…

Little research has been done examining the role of errors in learning computer software. It is argued, though, that understanding the errors that people make while learning new software is important to improving instruction. The purpose of the current study was to (a) develop a meaningful and practical system for classifying computer software…

From recent doctoral research into information literacy and workplace learning, an understanding of information literacy as a complex constellation of experiences and relationships with a range of information modalities is emerging. It is constituted through the connections among people, artifacts, texts, and bodily experiences that draw a person…