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From: reggie@dinsdale.paradyne.com (George W. Leach)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: Teaching Children about Computers
Message-ID: <905@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Date: 27 Jun 90 23:49:41 GMT
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We are talking about grades K-->8.  Obviously, those in the higher
grades are far better equiped to learn some of these aspects of computing.
But waiting until high school won't kill them.  I felt rather fortunate
that I had a course in BASIC in my senior year of high school (1975), but
somehow quite a few people in the industry somehow managed without it.

> I think it's time we stopped thinking of computers as unimportant and
> started teaching about them like we do the telephone..

I didn't say they are unimportant.  I'm saying that these kids have
other basic skills to learn like reading, spelling, math, basic science,
etc...., that should come first.  There are enough indicators showing
that our schools don't do a very good job of teaching these basics.
If we can improve upon that situation by utilizing computers to augment
the teacher in the classroom to improve the situation, then I am all 
for it.

Using the computer as a tool to aid this process is sufficient to make
them comfortable with one and will set the stage for students to learn
programming, if they so desire later.  Being comfortable with computers
is something I think should be a goal.  Not everyone is equiped to program,
nor should everyone learn how to program in order to use these machines.
Besides we gotta keep the ranks of programmers low, so we don't have as
much competition for jobs :-)

And if we are going to be concerned about adding to the curriculum,
what about learning a second language?  In Europe, it is quite common
for school age children to be learning a second language at an early
age.  Here we wait until high school.  In many parts of the US, it
would be quite an asset to know Spanish, wouldn't it?

> If you don't teach [children] about things like computer ethics at a 
> young age, they will learn about it somewhere else..

Teaching ethics in the schools is certainly something that is desirable.
There are a number of other important social skills that should be taught
there as well, eg. parenting.  It is unfortunate that this is necessary.
The family should be responsible for instilling a sense of ethics in a
child that would carry over into any walk of life.  The reality of the
situation is that more often than not, this is not the case.

> The computer is as much a part of everyday life now as the telephone and
> electricity.  Let's not hide it away just cause we don't feel comfortable
> with it.

No, I beg to differ with you here.  Sure embedded microprocessors are
as much a part of everyday life as the telephone and electricity, but not
the PC.  The telephone and electricity are essential, but not the PC.

I read something the other day in a newspaper or some data communications
trade rag about an attempt in Illinois to set up a network among a select
number of grade schools throughout the state.  It was not clear what the
purpose was or what they were going to do with it.  There was a statement
made by one person, I forget if this was a politician or educator, to the
effect that we are training these kids to enter the job market in ten to
fifteen years.  They need training in computers, because even McDonalds is
using computers in their operations :-)  Nice to have high goals, isn't it?

George W. Leach