I found much of this article hard to follow. I am not a computer person myself, so when talking about all the different language and code that goes along with programing, I found it had little relevance to my amount of computer use. What I did find interesting is how far computers have come in such a short period of time. To think back to the computers I used when I was in elementary school twenty years ago, seems like such foreign machinery. But then again, every time new technology comes out, I find myself just getting used to the old version.
The second part of the article talks about the importance of computer technology in the classrooms, the lack of resources, how technology relates to curriculum, professional development, and what education needs in order for the high tech sector to remain a key contributor to the financial health of the United States. Most of the information was repetitive and the main point was that "a strong computer science program at the high school level is the first step along the path to ensuring that this industry remains competitive enough to play a leading role among nations". I think that computer science classes should be a part of elementary to high school curriculum, but only the basics should be taught and the students who show interest and have a knack for the computer sciences should have the opportunity to take their knowledge to higher levels. We have accomplished so much with technology and with such a small population of computer savvy people who are responsible. I don't feel that every student should be responsible for programming and code writing and we should let the techies be techies and the rest of us should be able to learn what we need from them.
I think it would be a great idea to beef up our computer science departments in both Junior High and high school level. I think as technology more specifically computers has become more apart of our lives it has always been apart of the lives of younger generations. I think that it would be beneficial for students to have a basic knowledge. Especially with the creation of Scratch and other programs. These provide students with a way to essentially computer program and create!
ReplyDeleteComputer Science should be a part of all levels of education. I for one wish I would have kept up with all the technological advances because I feel a little lost as well. Whether we like it or not, and whether we are techies or not technology is here to stay. We can teach our students with a multitude of different resources and different ways through one machine (the computer). If every student had some kind of hand held device that can upload pictures and video commentary that are consistent with our lesson plans then maybe we can get more involvement from the students. Plus there is a lot less paper waste when students can turn in their work electronically. There are always going to be programmers and there are always going to be users, but we all have the capability of learning these concepts.
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