5 ms·

I'm probably an outlier, but I learned BASIC at 4 years old (under my own initiative), and began to grasp essential concepts well enough that I was programming

I'm probably an outlier, but I learned BASIC at 4 years old (under my own initiative), and began to grasp essential concepts well enough that I was programming 6502 assembly on my C-64 with an EPYX FastLoad cartridge, at the age of 6. Why shouldn't kids be presented with the opportunity to learn these things at an early age?

wavefunction 13y ago
Come on, you're definitely an outlier. How many 6 year olds had a C-64?
- clavalle 13y ago
  Well, my parents and my uncles did. My uncle conscripted me to enter in Basic games printed in magazines when I was about 8. I've been hooked ever since (on coding...I don't really game much anymore).
  - wavefunction 13y ago
    I was lucky in that my father purchased a ti99-4a but kids with exposure to PCs, let alone programming in those days were definitely rare! We had a "gently used" *86 in 6th grade classroom, which I think was the first PC exposure for most of my fellow classmates.
    - chinpokomon 13y ago
      That was my first computer. Unfortunately I didn't have any kind of persistent storage, so I while I dabbled in BASIC I didn't really get into programming until I owned an XT. I wish schools had taught computer programming in my youth. Once a week we'd go to the "computer lab" and play "Oregon Trail " or something that at least provided exposure to computers, but little was done to educate us on how computers work. The tragedy is that today, fewer kids are learning the how. Using a computer isn't a black art, it is now pedestrian like teaching typing. While it may be a very serviceable skill to learn, it doesn't prepare students for truly valuable skills like logic and basic problem solving. I'm glad that there is renewed interest in exposing children to programming. While a programming language isn't a foreign language like Latin, it certainly has its own grammar and rules that can affect critical thinking in the same way. As long as the bill doesn't mandate that a particular programming language is the "Language of the Land," I believe that this could be a good measure.
- busterarm 13y ago
  I did.
Crito 13y ago
According to this page, most 6 year olds are still figuring out the whole "counting" thing, and only have some basic addition and subtraction. Logo seems like it would be a good fit for a typical 6 year old, but not much more. You seem like an incredibly exceptional outlier. http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/mathematics.html http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/mathe...

wavefunction 13y ago

Come on, you're definitely an outlier. How many 6 year olds had a C-64?

clavalle 13y ago
Well, my parents and my uncles did. My uncle conscripted me to enter in Basic games printed in magazines when I was about 8. I've been hooked ever since (on coding...I don't really game much anymore).
- wavefunction 13y ago
  I was lucky in that my father purchased a ti99-4a but kids with exposure to PCs, let alone programming in those days were definitely rare! We had a "gently used" *86 in 6th grade classroom, which I think was the first PC exposure for most of my fellow classmates.
  - chinpokomon 13y ago
    That was my first computer. Unfortunately I didn't have any kind of persistent storage, so I while I dabbled in BASIC I didn't really get into programming until I owned an XT. I wish schools had taught computer programming in my youth. Once a week we'd go to the "computer lab" and play "Oregon Trail " or something that at least provided exposure to computers, but little was done to educate us on how computers work. The tragedy is that today, fewer kids are learning the how. Using a computer isn't a black art, it is now pedestrian like teaching typing. While it may be a very serviceable skill to learn, it doesn't prepare students for truly valuable skills like logic and basic problem solving. I'm glad that there is renewed interest in exposing children to programming. While a programming language isn't a foreign language like Latin, it certainly has its own grammar and rules that can affect critical thinking in the same way. As long as the bill doesn't mandate that a particular programming language is the "Language of the Land," I believe that this could be a good measure.
busterarm 13y ago
I did.

Crito 13y ago

According to this page, most 6 year olds are still figuring out the whole "counting" thing, and only have some basic addition and subtraction. Logo seems like it would be a good fit for a typical 6 year old, but not much more. You seem like an incredibly exceptional outlier. http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/mathematics.html http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/mathe...