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Do Kids Still Program?

From his journal, hogghogg asks: "I keep finding myself in conversations with tertiary educators in the hard sciences (Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, etc.) who note that even the geeks—those who voluntarily choose to major in hard sciences—enter university never having programmed a computer. When I was in grade six, the Commodore PET came out, and I jumped at the opportunity to learn how to program it. Now, evidently, most high school computer classes are about Word (tm) and Excel (tm). Is this a bad thing? Should we care?" Do you think the desire to program computers has declined in the younger generations? If so, what reasons might you cite as the cause?

5 of 1,104 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Degrade of Education by hackwrench · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    The No Child Left Behind Act should really be called the Let's Chain Everyone To The Lowest Performing Student Act. Anybody else want to have a shot at it?

  2. Answer by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Probably the same reason why the US is #20 in the Top 20 Education Systems of the World.

  3. Re:Who could teach it? by SirSlud · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Jesus, if good teachers are people like you, then stay the fuck out of the schools.

    > Get stuck doing odd jobs like minding the bus loading/unloading area and trying to stop food fights.

    OH THE HUMANITY!!!!!

    --
    "Old man yells at systemd"
  4. Re:Degrade of Education by 0racle · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I was in a "gifted" program in school, and I grew up to be normal like everyone else, but I still had way more fun doing neat stuff, instead of sitting in class being bored out of my mind with crap I already knew frontwards and backwards

    You also cost taxpayers more with no return on their investment. Ya it sounds nice that you got to go play, but school systems have a budget. Since 'gifted' children were going to turn out just like every one else there is nothing to justify spending more on them.

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
  5. Re:Some people still do it! by thequux · · Score: 1, Flamebait