The Cant of Computer Literacy

Cant is an old English word for insincere or meaningless talk used merely from convention or habit. Originally it referred to the singsong chant of street beggars during the Middle Ages.

Computer literacy is one of the cant phrases of our age. We hear it everywhere, from local school board meetings to national studies such as A Nation at Risk and Academic Preparation for College of The College Board. More often than not the litany of computer literacyw stems from habit instead of from careful thought, reflecting more the supplications of a public seduced by high-tech hype than any considered policy of experienced educators.