10 (or 11) Computer Skills

I recently read a blog post by David Andrade, who writes the Educational Technology Guy blog.  He wrote,

“Earlier this month, I wrote “10 Important Skills Students Need for the Future.” After reading a few articles about specific tech skills, I thought I write what I think are the 10 Important Tech Skills Students Need.”

Here are the 10 skills he lists.

 1. Internet Search – students need to know how to do a proper internet search, using search terms and modifiers. This skill is needed for school, work and life in general. 

 2. Office Suite Skills – students need to now how to create, edit, and modify documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. Businesses still use MS Office for the most part, but iWorks, OpenOffice / LibreOffice, and Google Docs are all getting more popular. They all work similarly so the learning curve when switching isn’t that big. 

3. Self learning of tech and where to go for help – knowing how to search a help menu on software or hardware, where to go to find user forums for help, and where to find the manual for technology is a huge skill that many do not know about. 

4. Typing – yes, typing. I can get much more work done since I know how to type, than people who don’t. It’s a skill that is necessary for any kind of writing 

5. Social Media – how to properly use social media for school and work, how to protect yourself on it, the issues of cyberbullying, connecting with others in your profession (PLN). 

6. Netiquette – Internet/Email/Social Media etiquette – proper way to use the internet, write professional emails, use social media in relation to your job (not complaining about the boss). 

7. Security and Safety – antivirus, spam, phishing, too much personal information sharing, stalkers, and more are all issues they need to know about. 

8. Hardware basics and troubleshooting – knowing what different parts of technology are called, how to make minor fixes, and how to do basic troubleshooting for WiFi, networks, OS won’t load, etc. 

9. Backup data – with all of the data that students create for school and work, it is important to back it up and have access to it at any time. 

10. Finding apps and software – how to find, evaluate, and use apps for school and business. Also, how to find quality, free alternatives to paid software, apps and services.

and

11. Copyright and Citing Sources – students need to understand copyright laws and rules, how to cite a resource, and how to integrate someone else’s work into their’s properly.

I think these aren’t just skills for students – teachers should have these skills, too.  For that matter, anyone who uses a computer should know these things.  How are you doing with these 11?

If you want to find out more about any of these categories, click back to the original article for links to more posts about each section.

Cross-posted from Using ICTs @ ISOCS