dwc@hou2b.UUCP (D.CHEN) (12/31/84)
i've been reading the recent articles on this topic of computer science in high schools and i can't believe all of the intellectual snobbery that going on. i even see one article suggesting segregation! its unbelievable how some people look for any excuse to voice their prejudices. i've also seen the term techno-phobia used in articles on this topic. how about a new term: techno-centric. that could be an adjective to refer to technically oriented people believing that non-technically oriented people are significantly worse off than them. the philanthropic techno-centric people will want to reach out and give a portion of their wonderful knowledge to people who otherwise wouldn't give a sh*t. i'm just glad some carpenters didn't feel the need to define woodworking as a basic skill and force it into the high school curriculum. however, i also think that its nice that my high school did have woodworking shop for people who were interested in it. and i think thats my point. its ridiculous to force people to learn something they won't absolutely need. but it is nice to offer something that people would be interested in. and i don't think most people will ever need to know a programming language. more importantly, i don't think that most people will ever need to think in terms of the sequential algorithms that are needed for most present day computers. anyway, how many people's fear of math was cured by a course in calculus or analytic geometry or algebra? danny chen ihnp4!hou2b!dwc
draves@harvard.ARPA (Richard Draves) (01/03/85)
> ... i'm > just glad some carpenters didn't feel the need to define woodworking > as a basic skill and force it into the high school curriculum. > however, i also think that its nice that my high school did have > woodworking shop for people who were interested in it. > danny chen > ihnp4!hou2b!dwc My junior high school *did* require woodworking, along with metalworking, cooking, sewing, etc. In any case, I feel kids should be taught to program whether or not they will use it, because it is good training for their minds. Most people never use any math but the most basic arithmetic. Daily life requires only the most rudimentary literacy; look at how many illiterate people survive undetected. Rich
abc@brl-tgr.ARPA (Brint Cooper ) (01/03/85)
> look at how many illiterate people survive undetected. > > Rich Does this qualify as an oxymoron?
marie@harvard.ARPA (Marie desJardins) (01/07/85)
> i've also seen the term techno-phobia used in articles on > this topic. how about a new term: techno-centric. that > could be an adjective to refer to technically oriented people > believing that non-technically oriented people are significantly > worse off than them. the philanthropic techno-centric people > will want to reach out and give a portion of their wonderful > knowledge to people who otherwise wouldn't give a sh*t. i'm > just glad some carpenters didn't feel the need to define woodworking > as a basic skill and force it into the high school curriculum. > however, i also think that its nice that my high school did have > woodworking shop for people who were interested in it. I had to take 'shop' (wood- and metal-working) in junior high. I also had to take Home Economics. And Art. And Music. Why not computer science? Agreed, probably many (most?) people won't need to know how to program. But it can't hurt. And I think a large part of the goals of such a course should be to teach people that computers aren't magic. A case in point: I recently went shopping at a Woodward & Lothrop store. As I was standing in line, something happened to the central computer (it either went down or disconnected all the lines, I think). But the people behind the sales counter absolutely panicked: "Oh my god, all the terminals are offline! Look, there's an offline light! What do we do?" Not only were they totally incapable of figuring out what was going on, but they were so dependent on The Computer that they couldn't figure out that they could just write down the sales and enter them later. (Eventually, a floor manager came around and explained this to them and they were simply amazed.) The problem was that they simply didn't understand what the cash register did! They seemed to be really afraid of the thing, and the fact that it wasn't working completely threw them. I think in cases like this, a little education would have gone a long way. Marie desJardins marie@harvard
gregbo@houxm.UUCP (Greg Skinner) (01/11/85)
harvard!marie makes a good point about the sales register people who panicked
when the computer went offline. If computer science is going to be taught in
high school or any earlier schools, it should not be substituted for basic
training in math and sciences. I have seen too many examples of people who
know how to use calculators to add/subtract etc. but cannot do it themselves,
nor have any conception of how one might go about doing it. The sad thing is
that many of these people start out when they are young ignorant of basic math
and science and grow up still knowing nothing.
--
Baby tie your hair back in a long white bow ...
Meet me in the field, behind the dynamo ...
Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!houxm!gregbo