There are endless discussions about how technology is changing the whole world. Countless articles have been written about how the biggest inventions of mankind have had their far-reaching effects on every aspect of life.
However this article specifically talks about one invention that has been a progenitor of the biggest changes in the way human lives, sees and perceives things. Computers are undoubtedly the most important invention of not only 21st century, but since the industrial revolution took place.
It is an invention that has increased the pace of human progression and made him truly superior than all other races combined. Although it is said that a human brain is fastest supercomputer in the world, but the technological advancement has been at such a rapid pace that within 60 years of being invented, today’s computer replicate the human brain in every single sense.
Considering all these facts, it is easy to realise that compute literacy is one of the biggest thrust areas of human development and prominently figures in any short-term as well as long-term development plan of an organization, a business, or even a whole country.
Computer Literacy: Means, needs and methods
The know-how and ability to operate computers and related technology efficiently, ranging from primary to advanced skills is inclusive of Computer Literacy. This is a definition that can vary from person to person, as some do not consider a person who by and large is only limited to using computers for data-entry purposes using programs like MS Word or Notepad a true computer literate person.
The ability to handle new programs, understand their functioning without spending too much time in specialised training also proves the computer aptitude of a person. There is a level of computer literacy that one must achieve to become significantly superior to the computer-ignorant person. This level depends on the society, economy and one’s place in social hierarchy.
Not every country has the same levels of technology penetration and society standards; therefore the need of computer literates also varies accordingly. Developed countries consider computer literacy as one of the basic requirement to be employed as the dependency on computers for work is very high there. Many traditional work like writing, reading, which generally do not require any digital medium are now performed using computing devices.
This means that computers have become more and more common-place and the concept of computer literacy now encompasses more than the knowledge of just basic functionalities. These countries now consider multimedia literacy as a more relevant concept.
India: Disrupting the Digital World
The computer is such a ubiquitous device that it is hard to imagine a city, an office, a country still carrying on without it. India has been particularly impressive in adopting the latest technologies and has almost a comparable level of computer literacy with some of the developed countries. Although still considered a third world country, the country has progressed by leaps and bounds in the field of technology.
Most of the engineers at top technological firms like Google and others in the Silicon Valley are of Indian origin or a part of the brain drain from India. It would not be wrong to assume that its India’s upper hand in technology which has led to its inclusion in exclusive groups such as G8, which were a bastion for only so called first world countries. Much of the credit to this enhanced level of computer awareness can be given to the crop of top educational institutes like IITs, NITs.
These educational institutions produce the next crop of world class engineers. Even if a student is not able to make it to professional engineering courses, institutes like Aptech Computer Education come to their rescue offering affordable and cutting-edge computer training of all sorts giving a head-start to their career in computer, which in turn reflects in the country’s technological and economic development.
What Else Needs To Be Done?
The technology is growing at a pace, that in few years from now, it would be difficult even for the computer aware people itself to catch up with the progress. Therefore it is necessary to ensure that each and every person of the young generation gets his or her due share of computer literacy. It is a necessity borne out of contemporary trends and economic scenario.
Various programmes with the aide of government can help, along-with opening of more private training centres. In this online era, when every daily chore is made convenient by Internet, having no knowledge of computers is nothing short than a sin.
Everyday we hear of online exams, online shopping, online gaming and so much more that it seems that a world without any physical boundaries leveraging just on the power of internet is eminent. Therefore is computer literacy is not given its due than playing the catching up game with competitors would be tough.
Saurabh Tyagi loves to write on topics related to career, education, real estate, Law Colleges in Noida, Management Courses and technology. He is a specialist writer, with an experience of over 4 years in writing content.
