Should All Students Learn to Code?
This is a new video circulating out in the Internet world. You'll recognize many of the faces in it.
Look, I'm married to someone who knows how to program (and teaches computer science). He did a stint at Google and yes, it's an exceptional work environment (free food - for both you and your dog - free snacks, massage chairs, games - it's a swell place to work). But I would also gently point out that not everyone is cut out to be a programmer and many of the people in computer science have what I might gently call "communication issues." Sometimes people are drawn to certain jobs based on their personalities.
Yes, learning to program does bring together a lot of elements in the brain. I think it might be good to have an elective class in every high school for programming. But not everyone is going to have to program to have a job.
Do I think it should be a core item to teach? I do not.
I sense some arrogance in this video about who the new "wizards" of the world are. I can only say, from my own viewpoint, that I believe the ability to write and communicate are far more important.
One speaker talks about creating an idea and sending it out into the world. That could also be called writing and it's been with us for centuries.
(I also had to laugh at Mark Zuckerberg talking about creating something that billions of people use every day and you can make lots of money. Well, not everyone. The highway littered with failed start-ups shows us that. Also, Zuckerberg didn't start Facebook with any intention of creating a company - he wanted to meet girls and be the big man on campus.)
But maybe I'm just too old-school.
I hope some of you watch this video and tell me what you think.
Look, I'm married to someone who knows how to program (and teaches computer science). He did a stint at Google and yes, it's an exceptional work environment (free food - for both you and your dog - free snacks, massage chairs, games - it's a swell place to work). But I would also gently point out that not everyone is cut out to be a programmer and many of the people in computer science have what I might gently call "communication issues." Sometimes people are drawn to certain jobs based on their personalities.
Yes, learning to program does bring together a lot of elements in the brain. I think it might be good to have an elective class in every high school for programming. But not everyone is going to have to program to have a job.
Do I think it should be a core item to teach? I do not.
I sense some arrogance in this video about who the new "wizards" of the world are. I can only say, from my own viewpoint, that I believe the ability to write and communicate are far more important.
One speaker talks about creating an idea and sending it out into the world. That could also be called writing and it's been with us for centuries.
(I also had to laugh at Mark Zuckerberg talking about creating something that billions of people use every day and you can make lots of money. Well, not everyone. The highway littered with failed start-ups shows us that. Also, Zuckerberg didn't start Facebook with any intention of creating a company - he wanted to meet girls and be the big man on campus.)
But maybe I'm just too old-school.
I hope some of you watch this video and tell me what you think.
Comments
I also take offense to the idea that there's a dichotomy between good communication and writing skills, and programming. All knowledge workers should have good communication skills; many don't, in many fields (not just programming), but that doesn't mean that the district can't work to teach students to write, communicate, and program.
I am depressed that in our district, in an area with such an active technology industry, "computer skills" often means nothing more than using PowerPoint or Word. I had a programming class in third grade in the Bay Area, and obviously, it had a large impact on the course of my life. I don't see anything like that in our district.
HP
I don't think the point is that everyone needs to be a coder, just that more kids (and especially more girls) should have a chance to learn to program.
kitty
You are likely to be washed up by your 40s and if you don't have a solid set of wider skills, you will be sunk. With depression, anxiety, unemployment as your new time filler.
STEM is not some panacea. It simply another employment track. Come out of SPS learning how to learn, how to think critically and how to communicate with others not like you, and you will be good to go in the 40s - 70s years, too.
"Been there"
It seems reasonable to offer a class alongside things like marketing, photography, business & woodworking.
Programming may be a terrific, high-paying job, but I hate to see one more required class to possibly bring down the GPA of the kid who wants to be a writer, or a lawyer, or an artist, a social worker, or anything that doesn't require programming!
Solvay Girl
No one is arguing that everyone should learn to code, just that many more should have a chance to. No one is arguing we should divert funds away from the basics, of course math and reading skills are far more important.
Solvay Girl
I won't mourn the passing of this time, and while its true that technology is a large part of our future, it will be nice when people once again see the value of interacting with human beings.
Go see the film Sound City to get a taste of what I'm talking about.
WSDWG
The programming unit I had in my 7th grade science class is one of the things I remember most fondly from school. My first programming job, building silly little web sites, had the same thrill.
It's not a matter of code or communication skills. Both are valuable, and there will always be work for people who can translate between them. Even in an outsourced world, someone has to write the requirements and understand enough about the work to be able to tell if it was done correctly.
The wizard stuff is a little arrogant, and not all workplaces are as snazzy as Google, but those things are there in the movie to make it seem cool to kids. The joy and passion of the speakers also comes through. Films that tout the value of the arts in education have a similar tone.
Even for kids who don't go into STEM fields, I see value in understanding how the technology around you works, and currently much of it works on code.
How many of you remember LOGO? Same arguments about coding and logic; it was going to revolutionize schooling.
I was in 3rd grade when we got computers at my elementary school in Phoenix. Back then, we all learned BASIC, and that was going to revolutionize schooling.
Now we have the push for STEM - all kids should learn to code.
Seeing any patterns?
"Should" is one thing. "Must" is another.
She also has just been hired as an editor for an educational content provider.
Techymom—I like the idea of early exposure, when it will do the most good and the least damage to a GPA for the technically challenged.
And I agree that a basic understanding of how a computer works is important for everyone. My daughter can whip through her iPhone faster than I, and can navigate the web well...but I know what to do when there's a technical problem. (I also know how to use a search engine better as I understand how the key words work because I am a verbal communicator first).
http://www.code.org/teach
http://www.neiu.edu/~ncaftori/wsp/Womenjournals.pdf
Without it, students cannot apply to a four yr school in Washington, yet many students do not learn this until it is too late for them to take the courses needed.