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Who Will Teach U.S. Kids To Code? Rupert Murdoch

Posted by Soulskill on from the ted-nugent-unavailable dept.

theodp writes "For all of their handwaving at Code.org about U.S. kids not being taught Computer Science, tech execs from Microsoft, Google, and Facebook seem more focused lately on Plan B of their 'two-pronged' National Talent Strategy. So, who's going to teach your children CompSci? Enter friend-of-the-Gates-Foundation Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch's Amplify Education is launching an AP Computer Science MOOC this fall (Java will be covered), taught by an experienced AP CS high school teacher (video). An added option, called MOOC Local, will provide additional resources to schools with students in the CS MOOC. MOOC Local will eventually cost $200 per student, but is free for the first year."

2 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This slowly drives me nuts by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    very few 'comp sci' jobs require science. they are 95% pedestrian level coding (for-loops, conditionals, etc).

    I get a kick out of the interview process, these days, when its all about 'how much of an algorithms blackbelt are you?' when jobs simply don't -require- that level.

    coding is perfectly fine and is what is mostly used in computer programming; you rarely need to get all that advanced in day to day software engineering.

    (I take issue with teaching kids in the west about programming, though: it sets up a false hope that they'll someday get jobs in that field. and they won't. it will mostly go to india and china. teaching kids that they can earn a living in the thinking arts is false hope.)

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    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  2. Re:This slowly drives me nuts by korbulon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I see what you're saying, and you're *mostly* right. It's just that every now and then you do need to get your hands into the nuts and bolts of an algorithm (in my own case, about twice a year I need to look at something related to graphs or optimization).

    It is rare in practice that the compsci knowledge is needed, but knowing such stuff ahead of time is the difference between knowing how to just get on with the things and struggling for weeks on end, or just staring blankly at the screen, or just writing some kludge code that "kinda works".