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Chelsea Clinton At NCWIT: More PE, Less Zuckerberg

Posted by Unknown on from the pizza-and-mountain-dew-considered-harmful dept.

theodp (442580) writes "Among the speakers at last week's National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Summit was Chelsea Clinton, who spoke fondly of the Commodore she received as a kid on Christmas Day in 1987. During the Q&A, Clinton was asked (Vimeo), 'What do you see as some of the right policies that could help put Computer Science — which is undeniably the most important 21st Century skill — into our classrooms?' To which the former First Daughter responded, 'I won't quibble with the fact that I think it's very important. I also think other things admittedly are important.' Such as? Aligning Computer Science with Common Core, for one thing ('Ensure that Computer Science is part of the definition of science'). Using state budget surpluses to hire additional physical education teachers for elementary and middle school students, for another ('For Computer Science, as any subject, kids that are well-fed with healthy food and who have been activated in their bodies will able to learn and retain information in any subject better than if they're not'). And, last but not least, 'continuing to tell stories of people that are not...people who don't look like Mark Zuckerberg as successful in Computer Science and technology.' NCWIT, by the way, was listed as a "major partner" on last December's Hour of Code, which arguably made Mark Zuckerberg the face of Computer Science for K-12 students in the nationwide campaign embraced by President Obama during CSEdWeek."

9 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. Wait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why do we care what she thinks?

    1. Re:Wait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      We don't. She's just a mouthpiece who happens to have famous parents.

  2. Role Models by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why, Chelsea herself demonstrates that there are options for people who don't look like Mark Zuckerberg. All you need to do is be born into the right family and you too can be Vice Chair of a foundation you basically can't be fired from.

    1. Re:Role Models by youngone · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Of course it means that she won't be a force for good. She'll be exactly what every member of the American ruling class is: a force for whatever is good for the American ruling class.

    2. Re:Role Models by bouldin · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Can we please choose a role model for children in CS who is not ethically challenged?

      Zuckerberg may have escaped arrest when he stole passwords to build his hot-or-not website (he should have been arrested), but he was clearly caught red handed.

      Combine that with all the dishonesty and contempt for individual privacy he has expressed, and I would feel like a parental failure if my kids turned out like him.

  3. How is she relevant by Gothmolly · · Score: 5, Insightful

    She's just a political Kardashian, why do people pay any attention to her?

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
    1. Re:How is she relevant by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Informative

      Because Americans love dynasties. Duh!

      It's weird. You go and found a country that forbids noble titles and state religions and you get the US. You head across the pond to the UK, and you've got a monarchy less influential than some congressional committee positions and a state religion that can't even get people out of bed and into church one day a week(and the remaining subscribers are greying out pretty dangerously).

      Not sure how that happened.

  4. Re:uhh... by phantomfive · · Score: 5, Interesting

    OK, after watching the movie, it was the interviewer who claimed that CS is the most important 21st century skill. Chelsea looked at the interviewer as though it was the stupidest thing she had ever heard, and then said, "uh.....it is very important, but there are other things that are also very important."

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  5. Re:I Don't see CS as being that important by cluening · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Computer science _is_ the math. If you ignore the math, you're ignoring the entire field.

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    Posted from the wireless couch.