Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Fluency in Information Technology (FIT) The latest issue of the online newsletter WCET Frontiers has a lead article by Anne Moore and Louis Fox, "Fluency in Information Technology (FIT): Are We There Yet?" (They draw from the 1999 National Research Council report on Being Fluent with Information Technology.) The authors don't come to sharp conclusions to the question but do say that it is essential that institutions encourage fluency and that there are effective ways to move toward FITness.  _____JH ________ "Demonstrating fluency in information technology and competence in a chosen discipline at the same time will not be an inconsequential task for higher education; this long-term, thoughtful work involves comprehensive development programs for faculty, students and institutions in order to be successful.  Fortunately, the NRC report may provide a useful framework to separate approaches to technology-enabled teaching and learning according to the three general categories identified. Using "basic skills," "foundational concepts," and "intellectual capabilities" as broad rubrics may help differentiate types of development programs--and companion assessments of their efficacy. It may also help sort through the myths and realities of technology-enabled teaching and learning efforts. Finally, it may lead to a recognized set of practices that benefit learning for faculty and students in technology-enabled environments--environments that are, increasingly, important to success in learning and in life. Note:   A free online version of Being Fluent with Information Technology is available from the National Academies Press website (http://www.nap.edu/)."   3:01:22 PM    COMMENT []