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From: grunwald@uiucdcsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.college
Subject: Re: Should Computer Science be taught at
Message-ID: <14700006@uiucdcsb.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Dec-84 22:25:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.14700006
Posted: Thu Dec 20 22:25:00 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Dec-84 02:35:26 EST
References: <241@mss.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:mss:-24100:uiucdcsb:14700006:000:1975
Nf-From: uiucdcsb!grunwald    Dec 20 21:25:00 1984

Why on earth would anyone want to teach a child to program?

Most children in schools find it difficult to conceptualize fractions, much
less bits and numbers in different bases. I once had a store clerk who was
going to ADD the dimensions of a mirror to compute the square footage. After
correcting him (dumb! dumb!) he wouldn't believe me until he had looked it up
in his little Book of Square Feet.

Is this guy going to be help by a computer? Only if it makes him realise the
beauty and import of math, science, literature, philosophy, history and the
like. These are the essentials of life, without which no man can claim to be
wise. Computers are tools to aid in the solution of problems, tools which can,
it is true, unlock the mind. But a mind which can not concieve of problems,
can not formulate problems, can not research a problem to determine if it has
been solved, can not debate about problems --- that is not a mind which needs
a computer.

I know that's not a popular opinion these days in educational circles since
"computer literacy" is being stressed so much, but one must ask to what tasks
the literate will be put? Certainly the engineers and buisnessmen of the future
will use computers, but they will not depend on them. A computer can not yet
design a product line, it can not yet design a bridge, it can not create
sonnets or write essays.

Instead of giving them a lab full of expensive equipment, give them a good
dictionary (far less exciting, but much more useful for the majority), a
tour of a great library and an explination of how to use the resources in it,
a survey of modern math and an understanding that knowlegde and learning can
be exciting and is the challange that always lies unconqured.

That's certainly much more difficult than giving them a computer, but I think
you would be doing them a bigger service. If giving the kidlings a computer
can promote this end, then fine. But don't lose sight of the ends to justify
the means.