Fluency with Information Technology: an Introduction CMPT 109 Montclair State University.
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Fluency with Information Technology: an Introduction CMPT 109 Montclair State University
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Transcript of Fluency with Information Technology: an Introduction CMPT 109 Montclair State University.
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 lossof information
Launching programs
Concepts Major hardware components
Functions of an operating system
Capabilities Troubleshooting problems
Organizing a file system
FITness in CMPT 109 (2)
Web Browsing Word Processing
Skills Navigating hypertext links
Formatting text in a document
Concepts Packet-switched networks.Protocols (TCP/IP)
Internal representation of document
Capabilities Finding/evaluating information on the WWW
Preparing a research report
FITness in CMPT 109 (3)
Spreadsheets Databases
Skills Entering data and formulas
Creating a database table
Concepts Absolute and relative cell references
Relations between tables
Capabilities Constructing a model for a what-if calculation
Structural modeling of a real-world system
