20 Basic Skills EVERY educator should have for the 21st century. (First 5)
During the last 15 years, we in education have moved at light speed in the area of educational technology. Whether you are involved in higher ed, secondary ed, elementary ed, or special ed, all of us find it difficult to catch up, keep up, and put up with fast-moving computer-based technology. Not since the introduction of the blackboard have we seen a piece of equipment make such a difference in how we teach. Today, not only do we use computers, but we also have laptops, wireless laptops, and tablet PCs. In addition, we have the World Wide Web, scanners, CD burners, USB drives, digital cameras and digital video cameras, PDAs, as well as video and DVD players. And most educators use a variety of tools-including video, e-mail, desktop conferencing, online programs such as WebCT and Blackboard, as well as video conferencing-to teach. Thus, it is no longer acceptable for educators to be technology illiterate.
With that in mind, here is a comprehensive listing of the technology skills that every educator should have. Because as computer and associated technologies continue to change and evolve, educators must continue to strive for excellence in their work. Today that includes continued time and effort to maintain and improve their technology skills (as much as some educators do not want to admit).
Here are 20 basic technology skills that all educators should now have:
Word Processing Skills
Spreadsheets Skills
Database Skills
Electronic Presentation Skills
Web Navigation Skills
Web Site Design Skills
E-Mail Management Skills
Digital Cameras
Computer Network Knowledge Applicable to your School System
File Management & Windows Explorer Skills
Downloading Software From the Web (Knowledge including eBooks)
Installing Computer Software onto a Computer System
WebCT or Blackboard Teaching Skills
Videoconferencing skills
Computer-Related Storage Devices (Knowledge: disks, CDs, USB drives, zip disks, DVDs, etc.)
Scanner Knowledge
Knowledge of PDAs
Deep Web Knowledge
Educational Copyright Knowledge
Computer Security Knowledge
1. Word Processing Skills
Educators should be able to use some type of word processing program to complete written tasks in a timely manner. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials.
University of Alberta: Online Word Processing Tutorials
- www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edpy202/tutorial/wptut/wpweb.htm
- This page is a collection of Internet links that provide word processing instruction.
Tutorialfind.com: Word Processing Tutorials
- www.tutorialfind.com/tutorials/computerbasics/wordprocessing
- This site has a number of word processing tutorials, and is also a portal for a variety of other tutorials.
2Learn.ca Education Society: Word Processing Teacher Tools
- www.2learn.ca/teachertools/Wordprocessing/wphow2.html
- Word processing tutorials for Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, and Appleworks.
Essential Microsoft Office 2000: Tutorials for Teachers: Word
- www.pitt.edu/~poole/Officeindex2.html
- Essential Microsoft Office 2000 tutorials from the University of Pittsburgh’s Bernie Poole and Rebecca L. Randall.
2. Spreadsheets Skills
Educators should be able to use some type of spreadsheet program to compile grades and chart data. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials on these skills.
University of Alberta: Online Spreadsheet Tutorials
- www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edpy202/tutorial/spreadsheet/spreadsheet.htm
- This page is a collection of Internet links that provide instruction on using spreadsheet programs.
Teachnology: Spreadsheets Teaching Theme
- http://teachers.teach-nology.com/themes/comp/spreadsheets
- Spreadsheet tutorials from Teachnology, the Web Portal for Educators
Excel in TutorGig Tutorials
- www.tutorgig.com/showurls.jsp?group=531&index=0
- Spreadsheet tutorials from TutorGig.
Essential Microsoft Office 2000: Tutorials for Teachers: Excel
- www.pitt.edu/~poole/Officeindex2.html
- Essential Microsoft Office 2000 tutorials from the University of Pittsburgh’s Bernie Poole and Rebecca L. Randall.
Black Hills State University: Technology for Teachers: Spreadsheets
- www.bhsu.edu/education/edfaculty/lturner/Technology_for_Teachers.htm#Spreadsheets
- A listing of various Web sites for spreadsheet tutorials and related information.
3. Database Skills
Educators should be able to use some type of database program to create tables, store and retrieve data, and query data. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials on these skills.
University of Alberta: Online Database Tutorials
- www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edit202/tutorial/database/database.htm
- Database tutorials from the University of Alberta.
Technology and Telecommunications for Teachers: Database Tutorial
- www.k12.hi.us/~tethree/01-02/tutorials/db
- This tutorial was created by the Advanced Technology Research Branch of the Hawaii Department of Education to provide supplemental productivity tool information to teachers enrolled in the Technology Telecommunication for Teachers (T3) Program.
Microsoft Access Database Tutes
- www.rd-robotics.com/accesscommunity/tutes
- Microsoft Access database tutorials from R&D Robotics.
Essential Microsoft Office 2000: Tutorials for Teachers: Access
- www.pitt.edu/~poole/Officeindex2.html
- Essential Microsoft Office 2000 tutorials from the University of Pittsburgh’s Bernie Poole and Rebecca L. Randall.
Black Hills State University: Technology for Teachers: Databases
- www.bhsu.edu/education/edfaculty/lturner/Technology_for_Teachers.htm#Databases
- A listing of Web sites for database tutorials, help and related information
4. Electronic Presentation Skills
Educators should be able to use electronic presentation software to create and give electronic presentations. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials on these skills.
PowerPoint in the Classroom
- www.electricteacher.com/tutorial3.htm
- A list of commonly tasks used while working in PowerPoint, and a step-by-step guide on how to perform them.
University of Victoria: PowerPoint I
- www.educ.uvic.ca/compined/Level1/ppoint/ppointI.htm
- PowerPoint tutorials and information from the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Steven Bell’s PowerPoint and Presentation Skills Resource Page
- http://staff.philau.edu/bells/ppt.html
- A list of resources that provide information and technical assistance for developing Power Point slide presentations, as well as information on designing computer-based presentations and mounting PowerPoint files on the Web.
University of California: Presentation/In-Class Software Tutorial & Guides
- www.uctltc.org/toolbox/guides/presentation.html
- Presentation software tutorials and many other related tutorial categories from the University of California Regents.
University of Alberta: Online PowerPoint Tutorials
- www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edpy202/tutorial/PowerPoint/PowerPoint.htm
- Online PowerPoint Tutorials from the University of Alberta.
Essential Microsoft Office 2000: Tutorials for Teachers: PowerPoint
- www.pitt.edu/~poole/Officeindex2.html
- Essential Microsoft Office 2000 tutorials from the University of Pittsburgh’s Bernie Poole and Rebecca L. Randall.
5. World Wide Web Navigation Skills
Educators should be able to navigate the World Wide Web and search effectively for data on the Internet. See the following Web sites for helpful information and tutorials on these skills.
Black Hills State University: Search Engines
- www.bhsu.edu/education/edfaculty/lturner/Search%20Engines.htm
- An educational Web portal that provides links to search engines and searching techniques.
Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial
- www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
- This tutorial presents the substance of the Internet workshops offered by the Teaching Library at the University of California at Berkeley.
Searching the Web in the Yahoo! Directory
- http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/Searching_the_Web
- A listing of the top search engines and directories categorized by Yahoo!
Online Writing Lab: Searching the World Wide Web
- http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_websearch2.html
- Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab Searching the Internet tutorial
How to be a WebHound
- www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/webhound/
- The WebHound site shows you how to use various Web search tools.
ICYouSee: T is for Thinking
- www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html
- A guide to critical thinking about what you see on the Web.