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I really don't understand why it's so critically important we teach our children how to write the next generation of photosharing apps for cats, to the point th

I really don't understand why it's so critically important we teach our children how to write the next generation of photosharing apps for cats, to the point that we're urging them to do it in all forms of mass media and culture. I can understand trying to get children interested in STEM fields in general, but why does our society direly need mass quantities of programmers in particular? Executives like to talk of "shortages" when they have to pay their workers more than they like, but in reality this meme, and it is a meme, makes no sense whatsoever.

bglazer 12y ago
Basic programming literacy would help people in a number of different fields be more productive. I, for one, am getting sick of writing SQL for the marketing folks at my company.
yoha 12y ago
The underlying principle behind teaching (except for higher eduction) is not to make productive workers but knowledgeable and discerning citizens. The number of programmers we need is not relevant here: they may not need to know how to write complex programs, but knowing the basic principles of programming will make them more able in a worlds relying heavily on computers. This is already the reason why we teach basic math, physics, biology, history, geography, English, etc. to kids.
- vezzy-fnord 12y ago
  The "basic principles" of programming are meaningless unless you define concrete paradigms - concatenative, array, functional, object-oriented and so on. I suppose you could talk about data types, data structures, operators, variables and so on, but I do not see how this knowledge will make one "more able" in a digital world. It can certainly impart a false feeling of knowing, however. Actually, writing some ALGOL (or even languages detached from the von Neumann and imperative spheres) to see what it's like will ultimately teach you almost nothing, due to real world computation and software development being remarkably complex and multifaceted, involving tons of abstractions that require plenty of study to grasp. I'd wager teaching people to use a free Unix-like would be much more useful than simply "coding" - which is too broad to have a strict methodology that can be used to teach it. And then expecting the public education system to do it properly is laughable.
Zikes 12y ago
Technical literacy is not a meme, it's a skill that becomes more essential as technology further permeates society and its jobs. The goal isn't to make everyone want to become a programmer as a career, but for more careers to better integrate modern technology.
- fnefnmewfn 12y ago
  But programming isn't necessarily synonymous with technology, it's only one relatively minor subset. Hence the confusion about why we're encouraging interest in programming rather than an overall interest in STEM fields.
  - lern_too_spel 12y ago
    A lawyer can't apply chemistry skills every day. They can apply computing skills, including basic programming to automate some tasks. This is true in almost every profession. Architects write AutoCAD Lisp, and graphic designers write Photoshop scripts. Basic programming is as essential as math for a productive workforce. Even in other STEM fields, programming is very helpful. It's very common for physicists to write programs to analyze their own data. Physics as a field is ahead of the curve here, but economics, chemistry, and all the engineering fields are catching up.
  - jiggy2011 12y ago
    Schools (at least in the UK) already teach chemistry, physics , biology and some electronics / woodwork. Why not add some CS/programming to that?
    - sanderjd 12y ago
      We definitely should. But simpler integrating some programming into educational programs could be a much quieter and humbler endeavor than the current "learn to code" hype. The hype may be because we should have started doing it a long time ago, so we're playing catch-up, or it could be because a lot of people with a lot of money have an interest in seeing the industry commoditized, or it could just be that the people involved think this stuff is really cool and are just really excited about it. I think it's a combination of all of that and probably some other things as well.

bglazer 12y ago

Basic programming literacy would help people in a number of different fields be more productive. I, for one, am getting sick of writing SQL for the marketing folks at my company.

yoha 12y ago

The underlying principle behind teaching (except for higher eduction) is not to make productive workers but knowledgeable and discerning citizens. The number of programmers we need is not relevant here: they may not need to know how to write complex programs, but knowing the basic principles of programming will make them more able in a worlds relying heavily on computers. This is already the reason why we teach basic math, physics, biology, history, geography, English, etc. to kids.

vezzy-fnord 12y ago
The "basic principles" of programming are meaningless unless you define concrete paradigms - concatenative, array, functional, object-oriented and so on. I suppose you could talk about data types, data structures, operators, variables and so on, but I do not see how this knowledge will make one "more able" in a digital world. It can certainly impart a false feeling of knowing, however. Actually, writing some ALGOL (or even languages detached from the von Neumann and imperative spheres) to see what it's like will ultimately teach you almost nothing, due to real world computation and software development being remarkably complex and multifaceted, involving tons of abstractions that require plenty of study to grasp. I'd wager teaching people to use a free Unix-like would be much more useful than simply "coding" - which is too broad to have a strict methodology that can be used to teach it. And then expecting the public education system to do it properly is laughable.

Zikes 12y ago

Technical literacy is not a meme, it's a skill that becomes more essential as technology further permeates society and its jobs. The goal isn't to make everyone want to become a programmer as a career, but for more careers to better integrate modern technology.

fnefnmewfn 12y ago
But programming isn't necessarily synonymous with technology, it's only one relatively minor subset. Hence the confusion about why we're encouraging interest in programming rather than an overall interest in STEM fields.
- lern_too_spel 12y ago
  A lawyer can't apply chemistry skills every day. They can apply computing skills, including basic programming to automate some tasks. This is true in almost every profession. Architects write AutoCAD Lisp, and graphic designers write Photoshop scripts. Basic programming is as essential as math for a productive workforce. Even in other STEM fields, programming is very helpful. It's very common for physicists to write programs to analyze their own data. Physics as a field is ahead of the curve here, but economics, chemistry, and all the engineering fields are catching up.
- jiggy2011 12y ago
  Schools (at least in the UK) already teach chemistry, physics , biology and some electronics / woodwork. Why not add some CS/programming to that?
  - sanderjd 12y ago
    We definitely should. But simpler integrating some programming into educational programs could be a much quieter and humbler endeavor than the current "learn to code" hype. The hype may be because we should have started doing it a long time ago, so we're playing catch-up, or it could be because a lot of people with a lot of money have an interest in seeing the industry commoditized, or it could just be that the people involved think this stuff is really cool and are just really excited about it. I think it's a combination of all of that and probably some other things as well.