Dubai: The presence of smart devices can deprive school-going children from acquiring the competence to learn and attain necessary skills needed to excel in school, university and work, an industry expert said.
To begin with, Jamil Ezzo, director general of ICDL GCC Foundation, said a smart device takes more time to perform tasks generally completed in no time on a PC.
“There are certain functions that can either only be done on a PC or done more efficiently such as content creation, word processing, graphic features, photo and video editing, animated creations, and PowerPoint presentations while a PC can perform all the functions that tablets, smart phones, and even laptops cannot do,” he said.
Ezzo believes that there is a need for a gradual transformation from basic e-Literacy to advanced e-Competency; seeing it as an essential driver in empowering people to operate effectively in a knowledge-based society.
Making the successful shift to e-Competency will enable them to “acquire proficiency in ICT skills to get meaningful employment and carve a successful career, creating a smart generation.”
“The approach to achieving e-Competency should then be dynamic with the flexibility to learn more as technology progresses. ICT is an important tool not only for leisure but also for employment, learning and self-development. Therefore, creative, critical and confident use of these digital tools should start early on where utmost attention to security, safety and privacy is given for building of a digitally competent society,” he said.
