Computer Literacy in the Information Age

Talk to any of the teachers from the Suva area about educational technology and very quickly the conversation turns to computers. This is where they are planning to spend their money if they have not done so already. Mention other forms of instructional technology such as audio, video or the overhead projector and the answer seems to be the same; it is either broken, under-used or locked away to make it impractical to use. Something more than just convincing sales hyperbole has built a strong belief in teachers that computers will be different. However, this difference needs to be integrated into any strategic planning on how computers will be used in education or in the training of the people expected to use them. Without careful thought as to how they will fit across the curriculum, computers are destined to join the list of technology which teachers see as being too impractical to use in the classroom. A sign of the times is how quickly this rapidly changing technology has embedded itself in education. Of greatest concern is the fact that we hav