ACM Urges Obama To Include CS In K-12 Core 474
jmcbain writes "The ACM issued a set of recommendations supporting Barack Obama's stated goal of making science and mathematics education a national priority at the K-12 level. The ACM is urging the new administration to include Computer Science as an integral part of the nation's education system. 'The new Administration can play an important role in strengthening middle school education, where action can really make a difference, to introduce these students to computer science,' said ACM CEO John White." Is CS such a basic subject, at the level of science or math, that it makes sense to (try to) teach its principles to every elementary school child?
Yes! (Score:3, Funny)
Computer science is very very important. You will use it in damn near any field you go into- from operating the register at a burger king - to being a software programmer.
Re:Absolutely! (Score:3, Funny)
Personally, I'd like to see any basic CS course in K12 include training on how to avoid pitfalls of computing along with some basic research instruction.
Computing Bad: MySpace
Computing Good: Slashdot
Bah (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I say no. (Score:5, Funny)
*Does anyone know what they mean by "integral"? Every time I've heard the word "integral" in education, it usually translates in to "Required".
Calculus must have confused you to no end.
Re:Yes! (Score:5, Funny)
Hey man, just 'cause most CS majors end up working a register at burger king, a CS degree isn't a prerequisite to the job.
CS? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Opportunity Cost (Score:2, Funny)
But, there are a finite number of hours in a school day, and a finite amount of material that parents are willing to let their children learn before they complain that it interferes with the dozen after-school activities that the parents have scheduled.
Learning a 2nd/3rd language is a huge waste of time. What do you really learn by adding a list of words to your brain that is a copy of the words you already know, but in a different language?
Think of the opportunity cost of all thing other things you could have learned instead that would actually help you understand the world around you.
Just pick a language already, any language (does not have to be English). There would be so much saved effort in understanding each other and passing on knowledge between civilizations. Best of all, it would make it harder for politicians to say one thing to one group and something else to another, hiding it based on language differences.
Re:Robots! (Score:5, Funny)
Fortunately for me, I don't think very fast.
Re:Dear ACM, STOP. (Score:2, Funny)
You have to be an atheist to achieve enough cynicism to become US President, so I would guess, most of them were.
To sit on some state's board of education one just has to drink a lot.
Re:Yes! (Score:4, Funny)
No, the English majors say "Do you want fries with that?"
They may not be going far but at least when they get there they can spell words properly!
Re:Robots! (Score:1, Funny)
Fortunately, whatever programmers type is set in stone the moment they type it, and that leads to such excellent operating systems as Windows("Just fucking ship it!") Vista or ("Can we get anything to Just Work(TM)?) Linux.
no no, didn't you get the memo? we have back space keys now.