Apple CEO Tim Cook: I'd Require All Children To Start Coding In 4th Grade (thehill.com)

This week Apple CEO Tim Cook argued at Startup Fest Europe that coding should be a 'second language' taught to all children. theodp shares two quotes from a YouTube video. "We fundamentally believe that coding is a language and that just like other languages are required in school, coding should be required in school," Cook stated. "I do think coding is as important-- if not more important -- as the second language that most people learn in today's world," Cook later added... "I would go in and make coding a requirement starting at the fourth or fifth grade, and I would build on that year after year after year...I think we're doing our kids a disservice if we're not teaching them and introducing them in that way."
Meanwhile, The Hill reported this week that The Computer Science Education Coalition -- which includes Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and dozens of other companies -- hired a fourth "advocacy firm" that specializes in "mobilizing groups of people to influence outcomes...to help convince policymakers to provide money to computer science education for grades K-12," and they're seeking an initial investment of $250 million. I'd be curious to hear what Slashdot readers think about government funding of grade school coding classes.

Comments

Re:Oh for fuck's sake

[rpresser]

All things considered, billions of people have grown up and lived long and fulfilling lives without ever touching a fucking basketball or paint brush.

You're just as much a snob as Tim Cook.

Re:I'd argue we need moalready to mucre humanities

[Runaway1956]

The schools are already busy teaching kids to be wimpy little fucks, and know-nothings. They don't need to be teaching "humanities" IMO. No, I don't want to swing the pendulum to far the other direction either. We don't need to turn kids into gangstas. How about something right down the middle. Teach boys to be boys, which includes a little rough and tumble, skinned knees, playing with knives, and other "boy" things. There's nothing wrong with encouraging little girls to pursue traditionally "masculine" goals, like sports, STEM, etc, but FFS stop emasculating little boys.