Hardware

• State of the art equipment and connections. These are needed to take full advantage of leading edge software and all the potential of the World Wide Web as an instructional tool. Community literacy programs often rely on donated equipment that doesn't prove useful because it is too old and out-of-date and even college programs often have trailing edge equipment lacking essential features such as CD-ROM drives and high speed processors. When computers respond slowly, students become frustrated and do not have positive learning experiences.

Training and technical support

• Training and professional development for instructors. Training to build the technical knowledge and skills of practitioners is an essential investment if we are to realize all the potential benefits of technology in literacy education. Training should include how to select and evaluate appropriate software for adult learners and how to integrate it effectively into programs.

• Technical maintenance and upgrading. Cost-effective methods of securing technical maintenance and upgrading are required. Few literacy practitioners have the kind of extensive technical knowledge required and few communitybased literacy programs have the funding to hire technical staff at competitive rates.

Access

• Access by programs. Access to “state-of-the-art” technology is an issue for many literacy programs with limited funding. For many rural, remote and northern communities, where computer and information technology is still inaccessible, the issue is not “state-of-the-art” but rather the development of an electronic infrastructure that most southern communities take for granted.

• Access by learners. Access to computers and the Internet are important issues for literacy students. Studies show that computer ownership is related to income. A recent study in Ontario found that 80% of the instructors surveyed owned a personal computer, compared to only 30% of the students. Less than half of the students surveyed reporting using computers to access the Internet, compared to more than 80% of the instructors. Many students do not have a computer at home and rely on schools and libraries for access.