For over fifty years, beginning with the famous ENIAC, a revolution has been taking place
in the United States and the world. The personal computer has changed the way many
people think and live. With its amazing versatility, it has found its way into every area of
life, and knowing how to operate it is a requirement for today's world. Those who have
not taken the time to learn about computers often do not even know what to do once one
has been turned on, and this problem should be corrected. That is why all high schools
must make a computer literacy course a requirement for graduation.
Although a computer course would take away two or three periods of a high
school student's weekly schedule, it will be well worth it in the real world. With so many
careers today involving a knowledge of a computer's basic functions, computer literacy
plays a big part in job security.
If a potential employee comes along demonstrating
outstanding computer skills, he or she may take a job that formerly belonged to another
employee if that employee doesn't even know how to check his e-mail. A good computer
class would teach the basics of computers: typing a document in a word processor,
running a specified program, and using a modem to check e-mail and access the Internet.
Personal computers now have a tremendous entertainment value due to their
versatility. Not only can a computer do all the things that are unique to computers, it can
be a television and a radio as well. Computers have also attracted millions of people with
games galore. Immersive, three-dimensional games such as Doom 2, Quake, and Duke
Nukem 3D can keep people glued to their computers for hours. With current technology,
two friends can connect from...