What if there was one single decision that an American citizen could make that would ensure workplace success? Imagine that understanding this one single principle would help accelerate workplace growth, while decreasing workplace stress at the same rate. Moreover, this decision could equally benefit employers and employees alike, regardless of the business they are in. Perhaps this is beginning to sound too good to be true. Well, happily, it is not. The one decision that every American student, teacher, parent, employee, and employer should make is to become technologically literate.
Our world is rapidly become a global market; one where there are no barriers in commerce. Technology nearly saturates every factor of life, and advancements are taking place at an unprecedented speed all around the world. Our social lives are beginning to be dictated by how well we can e-mail and navigate the internet; schools are turning more and more to online computer learning and teaching mechanisms; textbooks are beginning to be published for student access online; and employers are constantly seeking that next technological advancement to make the workplace more efficient.
So, you have a choice. Either you can step aside and let the world push past you, or you can decide to become technologically literate. Teachers and other experts around the world have recognized that the proper choice is the latter of the two. As a result, many states have begun requiring this objective to be fulfilled in the learning atmosphere.
According to Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology, a publication put out by the International Technology Education Association and its Technology for all Americans Project in 2000, "Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology." The definition is quite broad, to say the least. Nonetheless, a close look at the words shows, without a doubt, that if students are not taught each of these skills, they will not succeed in any 21st Century workplace in America.
The importance of technological literacy should now be obvious to the insightful reader, but this understanding begs another question. How do we ensure these skills are taught properly? The lessons must last a lifetime, and allow students to continually learn as they enter the workforce so they can keep up as technology advances. In order to be successful, there needs to be reliable and objective testing, as well as computerized teaching platforms. Without these, teachers and governments can initiate all they want, but without an accurate means of monitoring success, we can only hope that future American employees will not be left behind in the upcoming global market.
Luckily, there are products that allow for reliable, objective computerized teaching and testing. A program that stands out in achieving this goal is easyCast, a computer-assisted student testing system. One major advantage that it has over its competitors is that it is able to identify strengths and weakness of each student, which allows for better, faster, and more individualized results. The key skill modules include electronic communication (e-mail), word processing, spreadsheets, and database instruction.
As technology permeates more and more of our personal, social, political, and business lives, the need for technological literacy will only increase. So, once again, you have a choice. Either you can step aside and let the world push past you, or you can decide to become technologically literate. Unfortunately, there are no other options.