Abstract

PAEZ, Haydée. Digital literacy for graduate education professors. Paradìgma [online]. 2008, vol.29, n.2, pp.7-34. ISSN 1011-2251.

It was an exploratory, pilot, field study, with the purpose to teach digital literacy to graduate professors, Faculty of Education, Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela. 39 professors were randomly selected. Since action research process by Kemmis and MCTaggart (1992) was assumed, four stages were planned: (a) initial reflection, (b) planning, (c) implementation and observation, and (d) reflection. Initial reflection leaded to the planning of a digital literacy project based on a diagnostic study, not only about professor knowledge on computers, but also on their personal computer skills and abilities. Diagnostic results showed that they are knowledgeable about computers but they do not know much about internet tools. For that reason, three workshops were carried out to train them through learning by doing. Implementation allowed to observe that a reduced number of professors used the studied learning platforms to mediate the learning process in the graduate courses they were responsible to through Internet. This study arose the need to study the role of factors such as motivation, enthusiasm, attitude toward Internet assisted education and traditional thought patterns which may have affected desertion.

Keywords : Professors digital literacy; Learning platforms; Internet and education; Computer- assisted education.