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Barbie Will Be Used To Teach Kids To Code (engadget.com)
Mattel and Tynker are teaming up to launch seven new Barbie-themed coding lessons this coming summer. "The curriculum, aimed at teaching girls about computer programming, will also expose them to potential careers like becoming a veterinarian, astronaut, or robotics engineer," reports Engadget. "The larger goal is to introduce coding to 10 million kids by 2020." From the report: The Barbie programming curriculum has been designed for beginners grades K and up. It puts learners in career roles alongside Barbie as it introduces concepts gradually. It's not all just Barbie, of course, with a few different initiatives coming in 2018, including a Mattel code-a-thon and teacher outreach program as well as involvement in the Hour of Code in December.
"For close to 75 years, Mattel has taken a visionary approach to advancing play for kids around the world, most recently promoting computer programming and other STEM skills alongside iconic brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels and Monster High," said Tynker's Krishna Vedati in a statement. "We are very excited by this expanded partnership and the ambitious -- but achievable -- goal of teaching 10 million kids to learn to code by 2020 using Mattel brands."
"For close to 75 years, Mattel has taken a visionary approach to advancing play for kids around the world, most recently promoting computer programming and other STEM skills alongside iconic brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels and Monster High," said Tynker's Krishna Vedati in a statement. "We are very excited by this expanded partnership and the ambitious -- but achievable -- goal of teaching 10 million kids to learn to code by 2020 using Mattel brands."
The bigger issue is that people choose the path of least resistance. You aren't going to teach women to code as well as men simply because they can get a Hell of a lot further in life by learning how to put on a pushup bra and bat their eyes properly while giggling. Why spend years learning to do something to slave away 40+ hours a week for moderate income while absolutely dedicating your mind during that time and therefore making zero personal progression (even someone stacking boxes gets to keep their thoughts as their own during that time,) only to have your health suffer from sitting or otherwise not moving all day if you have literally any better choice? Can coding be fun? Sure. Do women have that degree of inherent autism brought about by an environment which offers them no options, no friends, etc other than to sit alone in a room for years learning how to do some extremely specialized thing? No, at least not any which might be competent enough to learn it were that the only option.
https://www.dailydot.com/parse... The "Barbie: I can be a computer engineer" book showed her having to ask the boys in her class to code a game for her because she wasn't able to! Not a great message for her fans.