Discussion of 7-point Expertise
Scale
This section discusses the scale points on the 7-point
expertise scale used throughout this Website.
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Novice; a Beginner
Children are novices or beginners at the time they
encounter each new thing in their environment. It is not
surprising that children can learn to use ICT systems well
before they begin to learn to read and write. Most young
children have little trouble learning to point and click and
follow the pictures and oral instructions given in
age-appropriate games. Young children can learn the
rudiments of word processing at the same time that they are
learning to read and write.
Nowadays, almost all students receive a substantial
introduction to computers well before they complete high
school. This introduction may be informal, through games,
self instruction, and peer instruction. It may also be
formal, through instruction offered by their classroom
teachers and computer specialists in their schools. In such
settings, very few children experience significant
difficulty moving beyond the Novice; a Beginner point
on the 7-point scale.
However, occasionally a preservice teacher falls into the
Novice; a Beginner category. This situation may
occur, for example when a "non traditional" older person
returns to school to pursue a teacher education program of
study.
Very Low
The typical student currently graduating from high school
has had a reasonable level of experience in using a word
processor, Email, and a Web browser. They may have been
self-taught, learned from their peers, or received a modest
amount of formal instruction. Their level of knowledge and
skills may be quite modest, even though it is useful to
them. For example, it takes only a modest number of minutes
of instruction and practice to begin to use a word processor
like an "electronic typewriter with memory." Such a
rudimentary level of knowledge and skill (even if the person
is a skilled typist) does not begin to represent a working
understanding of word processing and desktop publishing as
discussed in Questions 1 and 2 of Self-assessment Instrument
# 1.
Average Current
Teacher
A teacher is faced by the need to deal with: 1) general
purpose ICT tools, such as those that their students have
learned and/or are quite capable of learning; 2) ICT as an
aid to instruction and assessment; 3) ICT hardware and
software that their students use and that they use; 4) ICT
as part of the content of the disciplines the teacher
teaches; and 5) ICT as an aid to personal professional
productivity. Teachers vary widely in their knowledge and
experience in using ICT within these areas. Probably the
"average" (the mean) for current teachers is best described
as Very Low in each of these five areas. However, the
breadth of ICT knowledge and experience moves the average
teacher above the typical person whose Very Low lies
within a narrow range that mainly includes word processor,
Email, and a Web browser.
ISTE NETS for
Teachers
This discussion remains to be written.
This is a huge jump up the scale. ISTE standards for
teachers cover six main areas:
... ... ...
Well Qualified School Computer
Coordinator
This person:
- Meets the ISTE NETS for teachers
- Is an experienced and well qualified teacher
- Has substantial knowledge and experience in detecting
and correcting hardware, software, and connectivity
problems.
- Is skilled in teaching ICT to both teachers and
students.
Well Qualified School
District Computer Coordinator
This discussion remains to be written.
This person meets all of the requirements of a Well
Qualified School Computer Coordinator. In addition, ……… (Works with school CCs, plans ICT at a district level, reports directly to the Superintendent, plans district wide inservices, etc.)
National or World
Class
This discussion remains to be written.
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