THE LEVEL OF COMPUTER LITERACY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN EZZA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EBONYI STATE

Introduction Of recent, electronic information systems have shown that they offer great opportunities for teachers and students in various disciplines. The use of electronic information systems enables teachers to access the necessary information on learning instruction materials through the internet. Electronic information systems can be defined as the combination of hardware and software used to store the needed information from external and internal sources for more accessible data bases towards the accomplishment of organizational goals. Through the use of electronic information systems (EIS) necessary information is transmitted widely within the shortest possible time. Thus enabling researchers, scholars, and professionals to meet, interact and exchange ideas in the field of education. Lawal (2012) noted that, the assumption of the public that students that study computer education, computer science, and computer technology in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions are usually adjusted or well acquainted to the use of electronic information system is not true. This is because there are various electronic information system resources that come on the market as new systems in acquiring knowledge and information with ease. EIS in education is generally used to introduce students and teachers to the use and working principles of computer systems that enhance teachers’ job effectiveness in their records keeping and teaching learning processes in the schools. EIS in education aids the following: introduction of simulations and games pedagogical strategies, computer based instructions, administrative effectiveness, school discipline, research publications facilities, and effective teaching-learning processes. Also, of recent, teachers log into internet websites to access necessary information for research and assignments. Computers can be described as scientific machines that are used to perform tasks or calculating according to set instructions or programs. Etejere and Ogundele (2008) observed that electronic information system enables the teachers, researchers, school administrators, and students to acquire, process, store and disseminate vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by electronic based systems. However, adequate use of electronic information systems in the schools demands effective computer literacy skills and acquisition. Computers also work through the interaction of hardware and software. The hardware is part of computer that one can see and touch. The part of computer that helps to translate instructions and performs calculations is called the central processing unit. While software refers to the instructions and programs that tell the computer hardware what to do through the operating system. Examples of hardware are monitor, keyboard, mouse, and printer etc. Computers in education are used in the classroom teaching learning processes through computer aided instruction (cai), computer assisted learning (cal), and e-learning. The uses of computers by the teachers however assist in the curriculum contact delivery. Computers in the school system assist in the academic environment to store, display, transmit, and analyze data by the educational researchers. A couple of examples of these uses are helpful. For instance, Kpolovie (2006) observed that the use of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software for advanced statistics aids academicians, teachers, administrators, and researchers by overcoming the rigor of manual analysis of primary data. He explained further that the use of computers enables researchers to share and chat among each other through use of internet. Also, Opue (2003) described the internet as an electronic library (e-library) where vast amounts of information are provided through different sources and displayed. The use of the internet through the computer enables researcher and teachers to access the relevant information needed for research and teaching they conduct. Both these authors strongly stated that meaningful and quality research work proceeds with great difficulty without computer usage. Computer literacy is therefore, inevitable for both the teachers and principals, if schools are to be effective and if their academic goals are to be achieved. The Nigeria National Policy on Education (2004) cited the importance of computer literacy in teacher education programs, exposure to changes in the methodologies, curriculum reform, and that innovation in the professions is very important. In addition, it is noted that computer literacy skills enable teachers to implement effective record keeping strategies, and computer assisted instruction and communication. The rationale for this study therefore is to investigate the influence of computer literacy skills as it impacts teachers’ effectiveness in secondary schools, especially in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.