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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."
Kids will learn to protect original ideas.
So they'll learn not to protect unoriginal ideas like 99.9% of software patents.
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get them while they are young.
It sounds like this is more of framework that is mostly about educational standards for teaching right-think in CS. There is a horrific amount of PC buzzwords in there,when the real focus of education should be teaching students the skills they need.
This crazy overreach with indoctrination in schools is unsettling. Apart from the pledge of allegiance, it was pretty subtle and frowned upon when I was in school. I think most teachers actually cared about teaching and kept the crazies who wanted to use the position to indoctrinate in check.
Now it's the other way around.
Sounds like a pretty good argument for taking the federal government out of education entirely.
Centralized mind control through propaganda; acculturation of our nation's youth to silence, oppression, and acquiescence to authority; normalization of the police state; blind nationalism through a fantastic daily "pledge." All of these things are strong counterarguments to the "fair and equal opportunity/better education for all " kind of rhetoric that comes out of Washington.
Seriously, think of the children. Think of all the misguided ideas their heads will be filled with. Think of the cultural values they will be taught to cherish and those they will be taught to revile. Think of the world they will grow up to accept or even create.
Whatever happened to civics class?
Teach your children well... and keep them far, far away from federally funded schools.
I was worried for a moment that generations of elementary school children would be forced to suffer through actual computer science content, like programming, sorting, assembly language, and computer architecture. I'm relieved that my worries were unfounded: they just seem to be forced to suffer through the same social activist crap they already have to sit through, except instead of the penguin getting along with the lion, it will now be expressed in the more kid-friendly terms of "inclusive design" and "team diversity". Yay!
Here's the full quote:
"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. As students progress academically, they engage in legal and ethical
behaviors to guard against intrusive applications and promote a safe and secure
computing experience. "
What these Kings of the Universe don't realize is normal people don't share and will never share their Ayn Rand -cocaine-driven amphetamine-fueled vision of extreme indivuduality at the expense of the health of society (which is the bedrock upon which protection of individuality rests).
So, sure, go ahead promote those discussions. The more discussion there is, the less well it goes for software patent lawyers like Brad Smith who, readers should know, basically originated the idea of using software patents as an offense weapon to supress innovation while he was at M$:
http://arstechnica.com/busines...
http://archive.fortune.com/mag...
which directly led to all other tech companies following suit and finally the fantastical, supernatrual prosperity of every Chinese take-out in Tyler, Texas.
All that's going to happen is they're going to find out no one shares their idea of societal good and justice. Every survey finds that young people are far more concerned with creating an fair, free and egalitarian society that benefits everyone, rather than the winner-take-all psychopathic shithole that is America at this particular tick of the clock.
Not everyone blew their brains out snorting coke while reading Ayn Rand in the 80s. That's a particular generation and they have a particular , uh, "view" of what the goals laws of society should support. Going on 40 years later now, it's getting to be old-man-dying-time for this particular strain of sociopathic, societal predators. Can't happen too soon for my money. Here, take it with you; fuckin' see ya later.
ITIM there should be no reserved characters when naming computer scientists. Not sure if the names are case sensitive though. I suspect sensitivity training would tell us they are.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Do you think they could have mentioned "diversity" a few more times? After all, $4 billion dollars should be able to buy a lot more content-free baffle-gab.
$4 billion of subsidies for a "Don't copy that floppy!" lesson plan ...
First they came for the tape decks, but I didn't say anything because I had a cassette recorder.
Then they came for the cassette recorders, but I didn't say anything because I had already switched to a vcr.
Then they came for the vcr recorders, but I didn't say anything because I had already switched to a dvd.
Then they came for the dvd recorders, but I didn't say anything because I had already switched to flash storage.
Then they came for the flash storage, but I didn't say anything because there was just nothing worth recording any more.
This is what happens when you over-play your hand.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
I know this will get me labeled as a right-wing crazy (even though I'm not, I'm equally disgusted with the political-right), but this is such a perfect microcosm of what the Democratic Party actually pushes vs what they say they want to accomplish:
1. Push diversity in a field that is already pretty diverse (unless you exclude Asians, which these people always do).
2. Switch the focus from technical knowledge to social grouping (they tried this in Math in the 90's with obviously poor results).
3. Don't pirate movies or music! Those are our biggest campaign donors^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H ethical concerns!