Computer programming will soon reach all Estonian schoolchildren

[Perl]

[QUOTE=geel9;37553378]you have to have a real passion to be a part of.[/QUOTE]

would be nice if your code quality showed it

[Jaanus]

Represent.

[Bobie]

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;37554820]I'd argue computer literacy is just as important as mathematics & literacy.
We are becoming ever more dependant on computers and most people don't have a single clue on how they operate at all.[/QUOTE]

i wouldn't consider computer literacy,

[quote]computer programming and creating web and mobile applications.[/quote]

time to go out into the big wide world where everyone knows how to make a html website and angry birds

[Uber|nooB]

[QUOTE=Bobie;37555032]i wouldn't consider computer literacy,

time to go out into the big wide world where everyone knows how to make a html website and angry birds[/QUOTE]

the internet is only going to become a bigger part in people's lives in the future; there's no downside to being at least somewhat familiar how some of the technology you use works

[ZombieDawgs]

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;37552557]Its about time the UK starts this too.
The entire curriculum currently spans nothing more than fucking with Microsoft Office.[/QUOTE]

They've actually just announced reforms for this :v:

[wickedplayer494]

[QUOTE=absolalone111;37553449]As a child in the school system I can confirm this. All we really have to do is google something and then write it in our own words on a powerpoint/word/excel document.[/QUOTE]

I can confirm this too. Quite shitty.

[QUOTE=RubberFruit;37554869]I fucking loved scratch when I was younger, it kind of motivated me to move onto Java and other, harder languages.

They actually did it in IT class once, I like a bit of a boss making cool shit when everyone else made pictures of bears spin for a few seconds.[/QUOTE]

Really good training wheels, but when you don't need said training wheels, Scratch becomes really easy. I also didn't cheap out, I made some cool interactive shit too.

[Bobie]

[QUOTE=Uber|nooB;37555056]the internet is only going to become a bigger part in people's lives in the future; there's no downside to being at least somewhat familiar how some of the technology you use works[/QUOTE]

it's a waste of time for kids that don't give a shit about mobile web app programming

this course will end up being another one of [I]those[/I] lessons that amount to a waste of time for the majority of kids who go to public school. it'll be up there on the shit-o-meter alongside R.E, 'learning to learn' etc

maybe a better evaluation of the world we live in today would be teaching kids how to use the internet/their computer properly and make programming an optional thing on the side.

for now the program stands as a hobby group however, which is good. i'll admit to that.

[DainBramageStud]

[QUOTE=Bobie;37555141]it's a waste of time for kids that don't give a shit about mobile web app programming

this course will end up being another one of [I]those[/I] lessons that amount to a waste of time for the majority of kids who go to public school. it'll be up there on the shit-o-meter alongside R.E, 'learning to learn' etc

maybe a better evaluation of the world we live in today would be teaching kids how to use the internet/their computer properly and make programming an optional thing on the side.

for now the program stands as a hobby group however, which is good. i'll admit to that.[/QUOTE]

these points are almost identical to how people argued against the compulsory teaching of basic literacy and mathematics to children a century ago

[Kecske]

My school jumped straight to C# after teaching Office for x years. It only lasted a couple months, but I liked it unlike most of my classmates.

[wickedplayer494]

[QUOTE=Kecske;37555224]My school jumped straight to C# after teaching Office for x years. It only lasted a couple months, but I liked it unlike most of my classmates.[/QUOTE]

What made them go back to teaching Office?

[smurfy]

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;37552557]Its about time the UK starts this too.
The entire curriculum currently spans nothing more than fucking with Microsoft Office.[/QUOTE]

We already did start it. The ICT GCSE has been scrapped in the school year that is starting this week, and a Computer Science GCSE will be launched in September 2014. Pre-GCSE education will be revamped too, and I believe at GCSE level it is going to revolve around programming mobile apps. Until 2014, they [url=http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240162618/Students-back-to-school-for-new-e-skills-ICT-curriculum-today]appear to be running[/url] some sort of mini CS course

[Bobie]

[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37555188]these points are almost identical to how people argued against the compulsory teaching of basic literacy and mathematics to children a century ago[/QUOTE]

literacy and mathematics are used by children and adults alike on a daily basis whether they like it or not. mobile app programming is not

but a wonderful logical fallacy you have pulled one me there mate nice one

[ScottyWired]

Our school has an IT class but the first thing it teaches is Android App creation. I want to learn to program, but this hybrid XML/Java stuff is way too advanced for the students. I'm the best in the class and I've failed to make a working button after 8 weeks. Learning Java by itself would have been easier than dealing with all this crazy Android shit. The learning curve here needs to be a bit smoother but I think starting in Grade 1 is pushing it too far.

[Kecske]

[QUOTE=wickedplayer494;37555241]What made them go back to teaching Office?[/QUOTE]

I meant for us, they only teach programming before the final IT exam which takes place in 9th grade iirc.

[wickedplayer494]

[QUOTE=ScottyWired;37555377]Our school has an IT class but the first thing it teaches is Android App creation. I want to learn to program, but this hybrid XML/Java stuff is way too advanced for the students. I'm the best in the class and I've failed to make a working button after 8 weeks. Learning Java by itself would have been easier than dealing with all this crazy Android shit. The learning curve here needs to be a bit smoother but I think starting in Grade 1 is pushing it too far.[/QUOTE]

Starting in 1st grade is definitely too far. 4th or 5th grade would be more reasonable.

[trotskygrad]

[QUOTE=Bobie;37555141]it's a waste of time for kids that don't give a shit about mobile web app programming

this course will end up being another one of [I]those[/I] lessons that amount to a waste of time for the majority of kids who go to public school. it'll be up there on the shit-o-meter alongside R.E, 'learning to learn' etc

maybe a better evaluation of the world we live in today would be teaching kids how to use the internet/their computer properly and make programming an optional thing on the side.

for now the program stands as a hobby group however, which is good. i'll admit to that.[/QUOTE]

lol you said the exact same thing that I did but you got rated disagree.

yup, the kids who are [i]just not interested[/i] will slack and slow the rest of the class down.

I've been in tech-ed classes with kids who don't give a crap and it's just painful

[Bobie]

[QUOTE=trotskygrad;37556084]lol you said the exact same thing that I did but you got rated disagree.

yup, the kids who are [I]just not interested[/I] will slack and slow the rest of the class down.

I've been in tech-ed classes with kids who don't give a crap and it's just painful[/QUOTE]

exactly. there's a huge difference in learning environment between a class that wants to learn and a class of people where half of the kids don't really care about the subject. it's best for everyone if this is just kept optional

but nobody can resist the dumb button when bobie is about

[DokVis]

good for them, it took me 3 years to talk on school into getting a teacher for programing, they offered the class, but never had it since they never tried to get a teacher for it.

[Geel]

[QUOTE=Perl;37554884]would be nice if your code quality showed it[/QUOTE]

What is your problem? Why do you have to shit up a thread just so that you can insult me for not being quite as good at programming as you are?

[Chernarus]

I think it should be optional.

[OnDemand]

Let's face it, programming in a sense is like maths, you either have the passion to deal with all the errors and all the tough side or you don't. Those who really like doing it will do it anyway and those who don't will simply hate it or develop a fear for it which is not fair, especially if you have to do it to pass a year or something.

[Remscar]

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;37552733][img]http://blog.srinivasan.biz/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/scratch1.png[/img]

It kind of is. You don't even need to teach a programming language to begin with, just programming concepts.
Logical operators, comparisons etc. Then move onto something visual like scratch and let students implement these concepts into a real working program.[/QUOTE]

Something like this (Warcraft 3) is where i learned the basics of programming.

[Chernarus]

Alot of good programmers are self taught anyways, if they're interested they will do it.