Did you know that every year, December 2 is recognized as World Computer Literacy Day? Cool Fact: NIIT (National Institute of Information Technology) Limited, a company focused on IT and computer training, founded the day over 20 years ago. Their aim was to increase IT knowledge and computer use among women after discovering the majority of computer users around the world were men. Now, World Computer Literacy Day has a similar but more general mission: "to create awareness and drive digital literacy in underserved communities worldwide."
You’ve likely had a parent or teacher annoyingly respond to your critique of someone else with the phrase “charity begins at home.” Like most adages though, even the annoying ones are based in truth. So with that in mind, we put together a few ways we can increase our own computer literacy as well as help others do the same. (My third grade teacher Ms. Mackenzie would be so proud.)
At the risk of becoming the annoying teacher in this scenario, here’s another adage: “you don’t know what you don’t know.” While it’s not always true, a lot of the knowledge that we lack—well, we don’t know that we’re lacking it! The solution? We use an external source to test our knowledge and discover where we may fall a bit short. Digitalliteracyassessment.org is the perfect tool for this.
The number of terms—and their abbreviations—used in relation to computers and IT can be overwhelming. This is especially true when it comes to internet lingo. This is in no small part thanks to the confusing marketing-speak some internet providers use. We believe in keeping things simple—so much so that we’ve created an internet lingo crash course and quiz!
From tech manufacturers to city policymakers wishing to make their residents more employable, everyone benefits from a more computer-literate society. This may well be part of the reason why it’s easier than ever to find free computer skills courses. A quick Google search will point you to both online options and in-person courses (tip: try your local library). There are even free classes at your nearest Apple store. That’s right—someone else is willing to take on the daunting task of teaching your grandma how to use a smartphone.
Beyond putting them to use, a great thing to do with these improved skills is to help others develop them! If you’re truly passionate about computer literacy, you could even seek out volunteer tutor opportunities. It’s important to remember that not everyone was fortunate enough to grow up with digital technology and that everyone learns at their own pace. When helping someone on their digital journey, patience and compassion are key. If a certain topic is challenging for the learner, take the time to help them feel confident in their knowledge of it before moving on. And taking frequent breaks will make the learning and teaching process easier.
One of Ting Internet’s goals is to lessen the unequal access to digital technology known as the digital divide. Some of the ways we do this are by bringing our lightning-fast fiber internet to smaller communities. We also highlight and frequently donate to organizations working to close other technology gaps like Girls Who Code.