Path: utzoo!lsuc!ncrcan!brambo!morgan
From: morgan@brambo.UUCP (Morgan W. Jones)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Computer Education Programs for Elementary Teachers
Message-ID: <308@brambo.UUCP>
Date: 3 Mar 88 21:00:28 GMT
References: <8472@g.ms.uky.edu>
Organization: Bramalea Software Inc., Bramalea, Ont.
Lines: 31

From article <8472@g.ms.uky.edu>, by mtbb34@ms.uky.edu (Becky McEllistrem):
> P.S. Part of UK's problem is that the elementary schools haven't even begun
> a type of formal curriculum and are still debating whether or not they want
> to teach first graders to program.  Sigh, the wheels are moving here, I just
> wish they were a little bit faster.

Why would you want to teach elementary students to program?  There are
so many things that computers can do to help people in areas that they
are required to work.  Most people will never want to program
anything.  It seems to me that the students would be far better off
learning to use wordprocessors, spreadsheets, and graphics packages.
If you want to be really adventurous, let them play around with
desktop video, paint programs, and music synthesizers.

Computers these days really do have so much to offer youngsters, but
programming really is a waste of their time since so much knowledge is
needed to program something useful, and most of what is taught by
elementary/secondary school teachers has to be untaught in
university.

What do teachers think that students are going to do with their
knowledge of programming?

Don't get me wrong, though.  I do feel that students should be
encouraged to learn to program, but I don't think that it is something
that most would have any use for.

-- 
Morgan Jones - Bramalea Software Inc.        morgan@brambo.UUCP
      ...!{uunet!mnetor!lsuc!ncrcan, utgpu!telly}!brambo!morgan
"These might not even be my opinions, let alone anyone else's."