K-12 CS Framework Draft: Kids Taught To 'Protect Original Ideas' In Early Grades

theodp writes: Remember that Code.org and ACM-bankrolled K-12 Computer Science Education Framework that Microsoft, Google, Apple, and others were working on? Well, a draft of the framework was made available for review on Feb. 3rd, coincidentally just 3 business days after U.S. President Barack Obama and Microsoft President Brad Smith teamed up to announce the $4+ billion Computer Science for All initiative for the nation's K-12 students. "Computationally literate citizens have the responsibility to learn about, recognize, and address the personal, ethical, social, economic, and cultural contexts in which they operate," explains the section on Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture, one of seven listed 'Core K-12 CS Practices'. "Participating in an inclusive computing culture encompasses the following: building and collaborating with diverse computational teams, involving diverse users in the design process, considering the implication of design choices on the widest set of end users, accounting for the safety and security of diverse end users, and fostering inclusive identities of computer scientists." Hey, do as they say, not as they do! Also included in the 10-page draft (pdf) is a section on Law and Ethics, which begins: "In early grades, students differentiate between responsible and irresponsible computing behaviors. Students learn that responsible behaviors can help individuals while irresponsible behaviors can hurt individuals. They examine legal and ethical considerations for obtaining and sharing information and apply those behaviors to protect original ideas."

Comments

Re:Sounds like a pretty good argument...

[ohnocitizen]

I wish this wasn't modded up. It's taking a shallow cut on a finger and arguing we should throw out the whole human.

Federal standards for education are a good thing and should be STRENGTHENED because:

1. We can ensure everyone has access to a quality education. Some states really give poor/minority students a shit deal, and in the south have a history of doing this on purpose.
2. We can ensure science is SCIENCE, not a Christian religion class.
3. We could bring back a REAL civics class and ensure it is available to all of our children, empowering a new generation to be more politically active and effective.

Often when you see someone arguing against federal education, there's either paranoia at play, or an ulterior motive like "defunding federal government" or "states rights" (and all the historical baggage that claim goes with).

Slashdot we are better than this. Let's be skeptical.

This is not to say federal (or state) education standards can't be abused. The above article is an example of that (and we should fight against it). But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let's decide what great education looks like, and fight to make sure EVERY child in this country has access. Let's not settle for letting a regressive state like Kansas hurt their kids with a bad education AND GET AWAY WITH IT.