The ability to use a computer is a crucial skill in today’s world. We use computers to communicate with each other, to apply for jobs and schools, to submit homework, to do research, to go shopping, and to do many other different things. Computers are an essential resource, and as they grow to be a more important part of our daily lives, the curricula of high schools should increasingly incorporate classes that teach computer literacy. A person who is computer literate knows how to use a computer to find information about desired topics, and how to utilize and process such information. Computer literate people also know the basics of a computer’s different software and hardware components and their functions.
There is a great need for the improvement of computer literacy courses for both students and instructors at different levels of educational instruction in Turkey. In the workforce, the most frequently needed computer skills are knowledge of word processors, such as Microsoft Word, and knowledge of database software (Özsevgeç, 2010). Research by Konan (2010) has found that there is an important difference in the computer literacy of male teachers as compared to the computer literacy of female teachers in Turkey. There is also a significant difference between older and younger teachers. Teachers who received their training “BC” – before computers – are at a disadvantage compared to younger teachers, because of the lack of retraining and continued education, which is not widely available for teachers in Turkey.
The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Report, published by Turkey’s Investment Support and Promotion Agency, reports that currently, 69.5% of Turkish households have internet access. This percentage is expected to increase in the coming decades. The Ministry of Turkey has set a goal for 80% of Turkey’s population to be computer literate by 2023. It plans to reach this goal by expanding government spending in education, as well as increasing spending in “technology development zones.”
In western countries like the United States, programs to increase computer literacy have been introduced, but few of them have been studied for their effectiveness. In many high schools across America, computer science (CS) classes are required for graduation; however, only 25% of schools in the United States offer these classes. For example, as of this year, in the Chicago public school district, which isthe third largest school district in the United States, students must pass a computer science course before graduating. This is supposed to build a “pipeline to both college and career,” according to Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. Not only are these classes supposed to teach students the basics of using a computer, they will also be teaching students about coding and problem solving using computer resources (Dickey, 2016).
If such programs such as the one introduced to Chicago public schools this year were to be implemented in Turkey, we would see an increase in the rate of computer literacy and competence in the young Turkish population. The ICT Report supposes that increasing computer literacy in the young Turkish population will in turn increase their motivation to work in the industrial sector, as well as bring about an increase in the number of jobs available in the ICT sector. For example, there is a growing interest in Turkey in the development of mobile applications. Curricula that incorporate coding education into existing computer literacy programs will have the effect of increasing revenue growth in the mobile market, as more learners are inducted into the industry. Increasing spending on programming and coding education will have a positive net economic effect in Turkey (“Information & Communications Technology”).
References
Dickey, M. R. (2016, February 24). Retrieved July 20, 2016, from https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/24/computer-science-is-now-a-high-school-graduation-requirement-in-chicagos-public-school-district/.
Information & Communications Technology. (2014, January). Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.invest.gov.tr/en-US/infocenter/publications/Documents/ICT.INDUSTRY.pdf.
Konan, N. (2010). Computer literacy levels of teachers. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 2567-2571.
Özsevgeç, T. (2011). Computer literacy of Turkish preservice teachers in different teacher training programs. Asia Pacific Education Review, 12(1), 13-21.
