Studying with a computer
IN PHOTO: Secondary school students use computers to enhance learning Reuters

Ontario students in Canada excel in computing compared to their global peers. An international test has showed that Ontario students are among the most computer literate. The International Computer and Information Literacy Study was administered in 2013 to some 60,000 Grade 8 students in 20 countries.

The study evaluated the ability of students to collect, manage, produce and exchange information using a computer. It also assessed the attitude of teachers and principals on technology in the school setting. It was the first international test of its kind, reported Cbc. Ca News

Inspiring Result

The Ontario grade 8 students scored an average of 547 points out of 600, which is 47 points higher than the international average of 500. Within Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador scored 528 points. Ontario teachers also stood out well in teaching technology. The students showed high confidence levels in tasks like attaching files to emails, online shopping and installing software.

Brian Desbiens, chairman, EQAO Board, said "it inspires both pride and confidence that Ontario students fared so well on the study, given the importance of computer literacy to life in the digital age." In the study, about 3,700 randomly selected students from 200 schools in Ontario participated. The report said, all Ontario students enjoyed using computers and they had been using them for at least three years. Both these characteristics correlated in their high computer literacy scores, reported The Star..

English Schools Ahead

Within the Ontario students, the interesting point was that female students performed better in computer literacy than males by 25 points. Also the students in the English school system outperformed French school system by 30 points. Students born outside Canada performed better than students born in Canada.

But Ontario students still have areas to improve and could not outperform the international peers in every category. The scores were moderate or slightly below the international average on advanced tasks like creating a program or database, setting up a network using software and fixing of viruses. The International Computer and Information Literacy Study is spearheaded by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.

In the results, two other countries, Czech Republic and Australia, tied with Ontario students for best performance in computers. The Education Quality and Accountability Office, which arranged Ontario's participation in the test, claimed that the results were a proof that the province's efforts to integrate technology into the classroom are paying off.