April, 2000
This document was written in late 1996 as a set of guidelines for technical expertise, or "competencies," for Adult Basic Education teachers to be included in the Massachusetts State Adult Literacy and Basic Education Technology Plan. The goal was to provide a set of tangible guidelines for developing technical expertise in teachers, and to provide a sort of "menu" of what was possible, since technology plans are often vague on such points.
I was surprised and gratified to see how far this document traveled. I began to encounter it in packets at technical conferences I was attending or presenting at, and its online component on the now-defunct HALO Center website (where I taught) was among the most popular and linked-to pages on the site.
A lot has changed in technology over the last four years (as is to be expected!), and this document was long overdue for a revision. Some categories have been removed altogether (like "telnet," no longer necessary for most users), some have been added, and most have been revised somewhat.
Disclaimer: this document is, of course, only one person's view, and there is by necessity a degree of arbitrariness in all of the criteria and their measurements. Any of the points could be disputed by experts, certainly, and nobody should regard this document as a stone tablet of any sort. I welcome any comments, feedback, suggestions or corrections at steve@silicon-goblin.com.
This document has been placed under the Open Content License, which grants broad rights for redistribution and reworking, and is basically an open-source license for content, ensuring that the document may be easily shared and improved by interested parties. The copyright statement is in the page footer.
Finally, I'd like to thank David Rosen for his insightful comments and suggestions on several drafts of this document, and Kenny Tamarkin for useful feedback on the first draft back in 1996.
I hope you find this document useful.
- Steve Linberg
There are four levels of competencies for most of the categories: Tin, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
The Tin level was not part of the original document; it was added after a number of requests from people who felt that the Bronze level was too advanced in some categories. It reflects a level of competency wherein a very limited set of tasks -- perhaps one or two -- can be used without a basic knowledge of the subject matter.
Bronze indicates the basic level of competency necessary to get basic use of the system. Every competent user should have at least Bronze level in the areas s/he will be using.
Silver indicates a more advanced level of comfort and understanding of the system; users with Silver level should be able to tutor users up to Bronze, and should be able to troubleshoot any questions that might arise out of Bronze-level usage. A Silver-level user, in other words, should see him/herself as a potential mentor for other users.
Gold indicates a "Wizard" in the respective area - a user who is able to manage most, if not all, levels of the system; put out fires, run seminars and instruct to large groups, and replace system hardware or software when necessary.
There remains some question as to the extent to which we should recommend practitioners achieve these levels. It would probably not be realistic, for example, to require practitioners to achieve Bronze across the board; rather, it might be better to require that programs have at least one person (ideally two or more) on the staff with Bronze or Silver in each category which is important to them. Collectively, a program's staff could achieve Bronze or Silver level across the board; this might be a more realistic and desirable goal.
| Storage of information | Can use an application's "Open" and "Save" commands (generally from a "File" menu) to save and work with data; Know to save files before quitting | Understand difference between RAM and physical storage media (disks); know how to back up data onto removable media (e.g. floppy diskettes, Jaz, Zip, CR-RW); understand good backup philosophy | Know how to use backup software to make large-scale archives on large-capacity removable media (tape backups, removable hard disks, writeable CDs, etc); know how to use compression software (PKZIP, Stuffit, GZIP, etc) as appropriate | Understand capacities of different media (diskettes, hard disks, optical disks, removable hard disks (Syquest, Jaz, Zip, ORB, etc), CD/DVD-ROM, tape backups); know how to choose appropriate media for specific tasks; how to repair damaged media, use tools to resurrect "crashed" disks & recover information |
| Differences between platforms | Know that there are differences between operating system platforms; know which platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, BeOS, etc) they use | Know that applications are generally platform-dependent, but data is "typed" (e.g. text, binary data, wp, image, voice, video) and is generally platform-independent but application-type-dependent | Can transfer data between platforms; can perform conversions to text file formats when needed | Can maintain simultaneous, parallel environments with machines of different platforms (particularly Macintosh, Windows 95/98/2000) |
| Computer usage | Can use a computer that's on with an application launched and do specific tasks | Can turn on & off safely; launch and quit applications; type, use mouse and interface (windows, menus) | Can connect/disconnect basic components (mouse, keyboard, monitor, printer); perform basic maintenance (e.g. clean mouse) | Can install cards, drivers, perform intermediate maintenance/troubleshooting (e.g. examine cards for secure connections, test components & peripherals for functionality) |
| General Troubleshooting | Can recognize situations where service is needed and call for help | Can verify computer, monitor & components plugged in (to electricity) and powered on | Can check to verify components (printer, scanner, speakers, etc) properly connected to appropriate computer ports/plugs | Can test drives, media, video, sound; run diagnostic utilities to get additional information |
| Word processing | Can type text, make basic corrections to text, use mouse to position cursor, scroll through document | Can use spell checker, save files, print files | Can format text; save in different file formats; import graphics into document -- capable of using most formatting features of word processing program | Can automate repetitive tasks (e.g. use macros), transfer data of different types between applications, import other data types (e.g. spreadsheet data into WP doc); can understand and teach document design |
| Spreadsheets | Understand basic grid representation of data; know that cells can contain data and the spreadsheet can do things with that data | Can enter data into cells; use simple forumas (i.e. @sum) | Can use basic formulas, basic arithmetic routines; set up spreadsheets for appropriate tasks | Can use macros, import/export data; can understand and teach spreadsheet design |
| Graphics | Know what is meant by "graphics", can distinguish graphics from text as basic data types | Can use paint/image-processing programs, basic tools; save files; print files | Can use advanced tools (e.g. gradients, bezier curves), use basic drawing package and understand difference between bitmaps & objects, export graphics to WP & other apps | Can combine paint & drawing, import & export to different file formats (PICT, JPEG, GIF, PNG, etc) dependent on destination and need (printing, web pages, b&w / color, resolution & bit depth) |
| Database | Can enter data into forms | Understand difference between field, record, and database, and navigate among them | Can search, sort, use wildcards using database query tools; can set up a basic flat-file database | Can import/export to/from text, tab- or other-delimited formats; translate loose, unformatted text into importable data; Can design, debug, and implement a relational database |
| Tools/utilities | (N/A) | (N/A) | Can run basic diagnostic applications (MSD, Norton Utilities, etc), use anti-virus software | Can perform advanced diagnostic/repair functions, repair damaged files & disks, back up & recover damaged disks, etc |
| Instruction: tutorials, simulations, practice | (N/A) | Following on-screen directions, can use and supervise student use of tutorial or simulation software | Can install and customize Tutorial/simulation software | Can appropriately integrate tutorial/simulation software into the curriculum, can evaluate the quality of tutorial/simulation software and assist instructors in selecting appropriate and useful programs |
| Internet connectivity | Understand that connections to the Internet must be set up for internet applications to work | Can sign on and establish connection; can recognize a bad or lost connection and reconnect | Can follow installation prompts to set up service; understand & specify IP numbers when needed; set modem correctly | Can troubleshoot connection, verify IP#s and TCP/IP settings, use higher-speed connections (ISDN, T1, T3, etc), manage multiple accounts |
| Web browser | Can launch a web browser and use hyperlinks and basic navigation | Can enter URLs manually, do basic searches, print pages | Can use & manage bookmarks, download web documents & images for offline use; can upgrade browser via downloading; can do advanced search engine and database searches | Can find, install and use plug-ins; use secure space, manage advanced browser features (cache, cookies, etc) |
| Web Authoring | (N/A) | Can use an HTML editor or a word processor with "Save as HTML" functionality to create a basic web page | Can link HTML documents together; can write basic HTML by hand without an editor and know basic HTML tags and properties; understand separation of form from content | Can use advanced HTML elements, stylesheets, troubleshoot browser implementation; can validate and fix invalid HTML documents; keep up with emerging standards (e.g. XHTML, XML) |
| Can send & receive basic email | Can sign up on an electronic list; can describe good list net etiquette | Can forward, quote, import/attach text to message, write offline | Can retreive MIME attachments, decode UUencode, Base64, BinHex and other ascii representations of binary data, mass-mail | |
| Newsreader | (N/A) | Understand usenet hierarchy, access groups, read articles, post simple articles; understand and use basic usenet net etiquitte | Create list of groups, reply via email, mark/unmark articles | Can use filters, killfiles, other advanced features |
| FTP/file downloads | (N/A) | Can download files from the internet with a web browser; can uncompress files when needed | Can do basic ftp-client download, anonymous login, locate & decompress downloaded files | Can download binary files, upload files, execute manual commands |
| Diskettes/removable media | Can save files on removable media; know difference between removable and fixed media (e.g. hard disks) | Can format media, determine available space | Can duplicate diskettes, make backups | Can use tools to repair damaged diskettes |
| Files | Can save and open files | Can copy files to / from removable media | Can create directories, move files, understand heirarchical file system, compress / decompress files | Can manage large heirarchical file system, organize tools, re-order scattered files |
| Applications | Can use basic features of standard applications; mouse, menus, cursor, scrollbars | Can install software by following installation prompts | Can use custom installation features, re-install components | Can uninstall applications (automatically or manually), reconfigure improperly configured / damaged applications |
| Getting help! | Know who to ask | Can read manual or electronic documentation/help first | Can search for answers to questions online | Can devise solutions / workarounds when no help is available, manually fix / patch broken things |
Copyright (c) 1996-2000; by Steve Linberg. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0 or later (the latest version is presently available at http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/).