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This whole issue of adding programming / computer science to the curriculum is overstepping and even outright ignoring the problems with our education system. I

This whole issue of adding programming / computer science to the curriculum is overstepping and even outright ignoring the problems with our education system. If huge numbers of students graduate from high school without being able to do algebra, what do you think will come of these schools trying to teach kids to program? Imo, this is just the wrong issue to be focusing on. Though it does make for plenty of good PR for the people and companies involved.

lwan 13y ago
So you're saying it's wrong for an independent organization to focus its efforts on a particular topic? This is a completely invalid argument. Should you be working your day job while there's still hunger in the first world?
- vezzy-fnord 13y ago
  Yes, but your analogy is flawed. This is more akin to dumping extra cargo on an overloaded donkey because of its supposed utility. When education rankings are already so poor, adding another layer to the compulsory curriculum complicates the mess even further. What's more is that all of the school districts that are rushing to implement this first (like Chicago) all struggle with low results and inefficient, highly bureaucratic teaching. Something tells me that adding coding (while erroneously calling it "computer science" to make it sound grandiose) will only lead to further mediocrity, deterioration and a lot of kids coming out with false and butchered ideas of what programming entails. It's not that teaching programming is bad, so much as trusting that the compulsory school system will get it right is laughable and a recipe for disaster. This has the potential to go very wrong, or even be ultimately useless if it's just entry-level procedural constructs being repeated ad nauseam. The camp here appears to be divided between people who highly support it at all costs and people who criticize all aspects. I'm more leaning to the latter camp, quite frankly, but one thing we really should all be focusing on is what the hell will they be actually teaching. I have yet to see a conclusive answer.

lwan 13y ago

So you're saying it's wrong for an independent organization to focus its efforts on a particular topic? This is a completely invalid argument. Should you be working your day job while there's still hunger in the first world?

vezzy-fnord 13y ago
Yes, but your analogy is flawed. This is more akin to dumping extra cargo on an overloaded donkey because of its supposed utility. When education rankings are already so poor, adding another layer to the compulsory curriculum complicates the mess even further. What's more is that all of the school districts that are rushing to implement this first (like Chicago) all struggle with low results and inefficient, highly bureaucratic teaching. Something tells me that adding coding (while erroneously calling it "computer science" to make it sound grandiose) will only lead to further mediocrity, deterioration and a lot of kids coming out with false and butchered ideas of what programming entails. It's not that teaching programming is bad, so much as trusting that the compulsory school system will get it right is laughable and a recipe for disaster. This has the potential to go very wrong, or even be ultimately useless if it's just entry-level procedural constructs being repeated ad nauseam. The camp here appears to be divided between people who highly support it at all costs and people who criticize all aspects. I'm more leaning to the latter camp, quite frankly, but one thing we really should all be focusing on is what the hell will they be actually teaching. I have yet to see a conclusive answer.