This recent NPR story caught my attention, not because of the higher cost of the GED test, (which could be taken care of quite easily with an income based test fee), but because of the following statement found at the end of the article:
The New Haven Adult and Continuing Education Center has begun to ramp up its computer capabilities to prepare for the online exam. But Walker says the change presents another hurdle to students here: Fewer than 20 percent of them have computers at home.
"So if we don't show them how to use a computer, they're never going to be able to pass the GED, because they won't be able to do it online — and that's the way they're going to be delivering the test," Walker says.
If we don't start looking at technological literacy as a vital part of literacy, we really are going to be leaving people behind without a chance to flourish in the modern world. Though the test will be more difficult for some people, it is a good thing that the GED tests will be given on a computer, and it is a good thing that those taking the test will need to have at least a rudimentary understanding of computers in order to pass.
You don't have to have a computer at home to have access to a computer. The library is a good place to start. People should be encouraged to "get in the game."
