EXTENT OF COMPUTER LITERACY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ABAKALIKI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EBONYI STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

          Over the years, most schools across the nation have been joining the technology revolution. Today, students have at least some form of technology available to them in school. This trend is not likely to change, so there is an increasing need for teachers who are literate in the use of the various types of technology. Manson and McMorow (2006) suggested that there are two distinct components to computer literacy; “awareness and competence”.

Awareness requires that a person should have understanding of how computer affect their daily life or society at large, and competence requires that a person should be able to exhibit a hands on expertise with a software application. Both of these components should be evaluated when looking at computer literacy within the classroom setting.

In modern classrooms, teachers and students have access to wide variety of technology. Various types of technology including computers, projectors, handhelds, television and digital cameras are more accessible now than ever before. This type of technology also called instructional technology has helped in moving the classroom from a teacher-centered environment to a more student centered one (Trotter, 2008). Through the use of technology necessary information is transmitted widely within the shortest possible time. Through the use of these technologies researchers, scholars, and professionals are able to meet, interact and exchange ideas in the field of education.

Lu and Miller (2012) also stated that instructional technology encompass a wide variety of technologies as well as systems used to deliver information. Many secondary schools science classroom are integrating technology to help students better understand the concepts that are being taught (Croxall and Cumming, 2010).         While teachers are trying to implement new types of instructional technology into their classrooms, many of them are faced with barriers that hinder their attempt to advance. Beyond mere awareness and competence, anxieties, lack of training, and absolute equipment are barriers faced by the teacher on a daily basis (Redmann andKotrlik, 2008). Through various research studies that have been conducted with secondary school science teachers, researcher has found out that teachers have negative attitude about technology inspite the role playedby technology in the modern classroom setting. Because of their general wrong perceptions about technology, they face various barriers when trying to become literate in the functioning of the equipment. If the problems faced by the teachers are tackled, they will better fully integrate more technologies into the classroom, thus giving students a wide learning opportunities and help them to become technologically prepared for their problem solving in the future.

EXTENT OF COMPUTER LITERACY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ ABAKALIKI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EBONYI STATE