By B. Veenhof, Y. Clermont and G. Sciadas
1. ICT use in a time of change
The widespread diffusion of information and communications technologies (ICTs) has been a source of change on many fronts. Spurred by the rapid pace of this evolution, people have learned to develop new - and changing - skill sets to use ICTs effectively. ICTs are now linked with the experiences in many aspects of peoples’ lives (Fanning 2001). Whether using a search engine on the Internet at home, manipulating data on a computer at work, or using a word processor at school, people engage in a process of learning – and sometimes adapting – skills related to these technologies. Some skills may be very specific, while others are generic and transferable (Committee on Information Technology Literacy 1999). Some argue that it is not necessarily application-specific knowledge, but rather generic skills applicable to several applications that equip individuals for the rapid change in the world of ICTs (Anderson and Bikson 1998).
Having basic literacy skills enables individuals to enter various forms of engagement in everyday life. Means of social participation, and the conception of literacy that goes along with it, have changed substantially over time (Meyer and Rose 2000, Leu Jr. 2000). At some point, literacy for the majority of the population consisted of little more than being able to sign a legal document. In time, the ability to read became critical to an individual’s awareness and understanding of society, and this ability became intertwined with today’s concept of literacy (International ICT Literacy Panel 2002).
Possessing the skills to use ICTs effectively allows individuals to function in the digital world, much like basic literacy enables various forms of engagement in other parts of everyday life. This link underpins the notion that ICT skills are an integral part of an emerging concept of literacy (Irish Information Society 2000), or form distinct sets of skills (BECTA 2002, Asha and Ramachandran 2001) or “workplace competencies” (OECD 2001a, OECD 2002). These skills are sometimes referred to as “foundation” skills because they are often not specific to any one job or task but are needed across many activities and provide the base upon which other skills are built (HRDC 2002, Conference Board of Canada 2000). However, there is currently no commonly-adopted definition of ICT skills (OECD 2004). While progress has been made in properly situating ICT skills within the overall skills continuum (International ICT Literacy Panel 2002), ICT skills have eluded measurement - with a few exceptions (see, for instance, DfES 2003).
Ben Veenhof and George Sciadas are with the Science, Innovation and Electronic Information Division, and Yvan Clermont is with the Centre for Education Statistics at Statistics Canada.