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Revisiting Why Johnny Can't Code: Have We "Made the Print Too Small"?

Posted by timothy on from the sign-here-you're-on-your-own dept.

theodp writes: In What is Computer Science?, the kickoff video for Facebook's new TechPrep diversity initiative, FB product manager Adriel Frederick explains how he was hooked-on-coding after seeing the magic of a BASIC PRINT statement. His simple BASIC example is a nice contrast to the more complicated JavaScript and Ruby examples that were chosen to illustrate Mark Zuckerberg's what-is-coding video for schoolkids. In How to Teach Your Baby to Read, the authors explain, "It is safe to say that in particular very young children can read, provided that, in the beginning, you make the print very big." So, is introducing coding to schoolkids with modern programming languages instead of something like BASIC (2006) or even (gasp!) spreadsheets (2002) the coding equivalent of "making the print too small" for a child to see and understand?

8 of 270 comments (clear)

  1. Statements are too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The statements are too long.
    Writing a working program should be as easy as:

    LOL
    LMFAO
    ROFL

    Therefore I suggest we teach beginners assembly language and exchange the mnemonics for common texting short forms.

    1. Re:Statements are too long by MagicM · · Score: 4, Funny

      ROFL > LMFAO because ROFLCOPTER

    2. Re:Statements are too long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOLCODE

  2. COBOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    COBOL would be a good use for something that's extremely easy to read and understand and can do powerful things.

    1. Re:COBOL by silentcoder · · Score: 2, Funny

      On second thought... apparently a helluva lot of people want to give that power to Donald Trump... I'd trust the average 4 year old more with it.

      --
      Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
  3. What's Facebook? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I never hear of it. What's it? I even try go there today, but website is down. Maybe I tomorrow try again if it is good site.

    Sincerely,
    A Chinese

  4. Re:BASIC by plover · · Score: 5, Funny

    They run around and talk too fast, but the effects soon wear off.

    --
    John
  5. Re:Dice, by TWX · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well my HS wardrobe would be *very* hipster today.

    Oh. My. God. You just went on to be Hipster by claiming you were Hipster before it was hip to be Hipster...

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.