Chapter 23 A Fluency Summary

Learning Objectives Discuss how being Fluent affects your ability to remember IT details and ideas Discuss lifelong IT learning through finding new uses, asking for help, and noticing new technology Discuss the benefits of achieving Fluency now and in the future

Information Structuring Remember collections of information are structured hierarchically –Organized by descriptive metadata into groups and subgroups –Assists in locating specific items Specifying structure is as essential as specifying content

Information Structuring Value of information depends on how effectively it can be used! How will YOU collect and store YOUR digital information? –What will its structure be? –How will it be organized? –The computer won’t know the structure…but YOU will!

Strategies for Nonalgorithmic Tasks What guidelines will you have or use as you move forward? What steps will you take for a rational approach to a task? Precision and the directed application of logical reasoning can solve problems great and small, algorithmic and nonalgorithmic

Fluency: Less is More Fluency knowledge is compartmentalized into three components: 1.Skills—competency with contemporary IT applications like word processing 2.Concepts—understanding the foundations on which computing is built 3.Capabilities—facility with higher-level thinking processes like reasoning These components co-equal and interdependent

1. Skills The skills all require much detailed knowledge The computer demands that we are exactly right; it is unforgiving! We can’t use computers without knowing such facts, or researching about them

2. Concepts The concepts might be quite detailed, but the “basic ideas” are not Computing concepts are like other scientific information –Ideas must be explained in full to be understood; but after they’re learned, only the ideas themselves, not the particulars, are important for the non-specialist

3. Capabilities The capabilities are the least detailed of all Capabilities are mainly approaches to thinking Capabilities require you to remember almost no detail whatsoever!

Moving Forward… Thinking abstractly about technology implies an adaptive approach to learning Don’t memorize the tool’s details, learn details as you need them

Lifelong IT Learning Information technology learning is a process of lifelong learning To learn computing throughout life requires three activities: 1.Pursue new IT uses that fulfill your personal needs 2.Be rational about asking for help 3.Notice new ideas and technology as they arise

1. Pursuing New Uses Learning becomes easier the more you know Learn IT on your own When engaged in information processing tasks, determine whether you should use IT to help you

2. Asking for Help You are becoming or have become a self- reliant computer and information user But, we all still need expert help You can troubleshoot some of your problems, but we may need assistance –If you figure it out, you’ve become more experienced at troubleshooting –If someone else helps, you may learn some new facts or skills

3. Noticing New Technology To learn about and apply the upcoming advances requires YOUR attention –Is it real or just hype? Be willing to learn about it Adopt a technology as soon as there’s a high probability that it will assist you, but expect the technology to continue to improve

Shifting for Yourself Fluency enables us, the users, to shift gears For technology users, the ability to manipulate the levers of IT is not an ability to deplore