Hey Guys,
Hope everyone had a nice weekend and for those who attended Parade Day "enjoyed" the parade. One video which I've been noticing around the internet the last couple of days is this video made by code.org on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKIu9yen5nc. The video is called "What most schools don't teach," which details how schools throughout the U.S. don't teach students how to code. Through the usage of several famous programmers such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Chris Bosh (shocker), and others, the video attempts to encourage a greater prevalence of programming education. The organization which created the video is a new non-profit called Code.org. Code.org is a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which is trying to spread awareness about the lack of computer programmers and building a database of programming schools.
I found this video to be interesting for us to consider due to the overwhelming focus of the value and issue presentations during last class. It seemed like every group in the class had education either as an issue area or value in relation to having equal access and opportunity. Programming is an example of education which is dependent on the school and their resources. The high school I attended was located in an affluent area and town where education was essential. In our town we had several classes on computer science and programming which allowed students to learn coding. Many of these students are currently studying computer science at a variety of top colleges and universities throughout the United States. However, my high school was an outlier compared to to the vast majority of schools. Most schools do not offer computer science courses and struggle to provide a quality education. These schools can't even think about offering a computer science class because they can't hire a new teacher or do not have adequate technological resources to do so. This is an area where top schools and struggling schools differ greatly. Did your school offer computer science classes and why didn't they?
Code.org is a great first step to increasing access to computer science classes. A benefit of modern technology is that being in class is not necessary to learning. There are a variety of online resources to learn coding such as codecademy and Khan Academy which are free and open to all. However until coding is available at schools then students will not study it. One idea which I thought of as I write this is to have a Teach for America esque program for computer programmers. Large tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc. would provide funding for recently graduated students to teach programming at poor schools while providing computers for students to practice their programming. Not only would students benefit from learning programming but the tech companies would benefit as well from an increased number of programmers. Do any of you know how to program or plan on studying programming? Do you think that programming is something which our education system should focus on having equal access to?
I went to a high school that did offer computer science classes as well as extracurricular clubs that focused on computers and technology. Regretfully, I did not participate in any of them and I didn't see a need to at the time. However, computers are becoming a huge part of our modern society. They are literally everywhere and in everything. As one of the women said in code.org’s video, computers are involved in pretty much any field or career that a person could want to work in. So, to answer your question I do think that schools should make a conscious effort to include them in the curriculum, or make them equally accessible to students. I never really thought that programming specifically was an educational need, I’m not sure if I would classify it as a “need” now. Need is still a really ambiguous term as we have been discussing in class. But, I do think that computer knowledge is a fundamental tool for anyone to succeed in this generation. Proving the accessibility and knowledge of computer and technology use could really open a lot of doors for people who wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity.
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ReplyDeleteI really thought this was an interesting blog post that really brought something new to the table. Technology is taking over society and sadly, the areas in the world that are not technologically advanced are being left behind.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post prompted me to look at my high school’s website and explore the departments and classes offered. Currently, there is a whole computer science department along with a whole computer design department as a sublet of the art department. Of these classes, I only took one in my junior year and this was a computer graphics class. In order to graduate from my high school, there were several prerequisites including a health class and a computer science class. I think my school did this because the administration realized that although not many kids wanted to waste their elective credit on computer classes, there was going to be a need for students who understood computers in the future. Although I absolutely detested taking this computer class, one of my friends took a CAD class at my high school and now is a computer engineer at Binghamton. Without the introduction to computers in high school, I don’t think my friend would have been as interested in going into engineering. Because of this, I do believe that there is an importance in computer science education in high schools. If people are not exposed to subjects, they cannot know that they excel at these subjects.
Even though I do see a need in creating equal opportunities in technology classes in schools, I think there is a greater need to first create equal opportunities in regular classes in schools. People in class were saying that when they were helping kids in Binghamton to study for the SATs, these students were having trouble with even the simplest of concepts. If students don’t have solid basis in English and math classes, they are not going to be able to excel in higher concept classes that involve computers. There is an offset chance that they will be able to learn math while being involved in the computers classes, but I feel like most students will not benefit in this and will only get frustrated.
Programming and at least knowing how to use a computer are essential skills for people looking for jobs in today’s world. With increasing opportunities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), most of us will become involved in a career that is dependent on computers to study or analyze data, write programs and simulate testing. Given this information, it seems like everyone should have access to these classes in order to round out their education. My school offered a few computer science courses, but I dropped one that I was taking freshman year, which I regret doing now. Instead, I took a basic computer class, but I wish that my school would have made an intro level programming course mandatory for all students, especially since I’m going to be working with programming often. Many of these programs may be cut, however, because of the recent budget cuts for schools all over the country.
ReplyDeleteAs a Mechanical Engineering major, I have to take CS110 at some point in order to cover a requirement that I missed freshman year. Fortunately, I have time senior year to take another programming course or two, along with classes such as Computer Aided Engineering and Engineering Computational Methods. Along with basic programming, I’ll learn how to use programs such as Mathematica, MatLab, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectra for my research in Materials Science and Engineering. So computers are going to be an integral part of whatever my career will be.
Overall, I think that everyone should have access to (and actually take) courses in computer programming, because people that don’t will be severely disadvantaged when it comes to finding a career. Forbes magazine had an article called “The Six Classes That Will Make Any College Grad Employable,” with these six classes being Economics, Statistics, Computer Programming, Calculus, Communication, and Financial Planning/Management. Also, taking one computer science course can be the minimum for many people, since certain languages are similar and their employer may be able to train them in Python, Java, C++, or C.
It's interesting you bring up programming being essential for jobs in STEM fields. I think that learning programming is the type of skill which could provide opportunities not only in those types of careers. As a political science major at first glance it would appear that learning programming would not have direct affects on my career outlook. However, there are many applications of programming on government and politics. After the election in November there were a series of articles about how one potential reason Obama was able to win was due to his technological superiority to Romney. This superiority came from recruiting programmers from Silicon Valley to work directly for the campaign. Since reading the article I am definitely considering taking a class in programming as I think it could be something useful to know. Would any of you consider taking a programming class?
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I really enjoyed your quote Austin and everyone else’s comments.
ReplyDeleteMy high school did offer basic computer classes but not programming classes, which I wish they would’ve. I did not find out about coding until much later in college. If I would’ve, it may have sparked my interest in a different field.
Basically I agree with Austin, there should have a program like Teach for America that focuses on computer programmers. Teach for America is a program that tries to close the educational gap in lower income communities. Currently students in those lower income communities do not excel in math or science and do not continue to become STEM majors even if they do go on to enter college. But if we can introduce coding to those students at a earlier age before they enter college, then that can be an equalizer for them later to achieve in the workforce.
The video did make a good point of the opportunities in the coding field. “1 million of the best jobs in America may go unfilled because only 1 in 10 schools teach students how to code.” These jobs are going to other countries that do focus more on Science and Math as opposed to the country we live. If more schools in America would focus on coding then it would increase the quality of education and also keep valuable jobs for American students.
Austin, I particularly enjoyed this post because I came across an article about code.org just last week that piqued my interest. My view on implementing computer programming in schools is that I don’t believe non-profit organizations should factor in that much on these decisions, but rather the school boards that receive taxpayer money. Anybody that has access to a computer has the ability to learn to code if he or she chooses, and if you don’t have the access then you are most likely worrying about things other than becoming the next great computer programmer.
ReplyDeleteComputer science should be taught in college and can be taught in high school if the resources are attainable. Comparing it to other professions, such as accounting, nursing, or electrical engineering, would allow one to realize that certain useful topics such as doing taxes or being able to fix electrical circuits don’t need to be learned in high school. It is a topic that if someone has an interest in they can learn it as a hobby, but if the resources aren’t available, there is no need to force it upon students. I’m sure that most of your classmates that ended up going into computer science fields were already STEM oriented and would have wound up going into a similar field regardless of the class they took. Code.org provides more resources than already available to learn the topic outside of a classroom setting.
On a different note, since Chris Bosh can’t defend himself, I take offense for him for having claimed it to be a shocker that he knew about computer programming. Just because he is a professional athlete doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have any ability or time to learn about computers. Besides for a select few, NBA players, and professional athletes in general, go to college for at least a year and they have to major in something. Chris Bosh was an exceptional student throughout his life and shouldn’t be stereotyped as having no knowledge or interests outside of basketball.
This is such a great post. My high school didn't offer any computer science classes. It's a pretty small school that's trying to merge with a neighboring school just to hold onto the programs it already has. I think that even schools that can't afford to implement programming classes should make an effort to educate their students on the importance of being technologically literate (beyond Pintrest and Facebook) and the resources available to them like Code.org. Worse than my high school not offering it was that I've found it nearly impossible to get into programming classes here at BU. I took CS110 last year (Python programming) and was blown away by how much I enjoyed the class. Python is a fantastic intro to the structure of coding (how to break down a complex problem into steps), but it's not a commonly used language. I considered minoring in CS, but had a very limited time to fit in a lot of classes. I talked to the person in charge of the lower-level CS classes, and still didn't get into either class I had requested. Freshmen CS majors get priority and they fill all the seats almost every semester. I find it astonishing that even at BU it's very difficult to get a good foundation of programming knowledge unless you come in as a CS major. Worse yet, SUNY Genesseo has cut it's computer science program altogether! Maybe if more high schools integrated programming content, more students would come to college with the intention of taking programming classes and the schools would be forced to expand the classes so that everyone could learn this valuable skill.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you put this blog post up Austin because I am an aspiring Computer Science major. Since the computer science and engineering field is a growing field, I believe it is becoming a very important area that our curriculum should focus on in the near future. If we look around us, computers and technology is ubiquitous. By incorporating computer programming into our curriculum, there can be more talented programmers in the future who will be able to improve our technology, creating a cycle of improvement.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one question we could ask is if computer science is a necessary component of basic education that everyone should be learning in high school? If computer programming is implemented in high school, the high school will need to utilize its resources to hire teachers and obtain resources to teach the students. This may lead to a cut in other areas where others may believe is more important such as the STEM areas. Additionally, what about the schools that cannot afford computer science resources at all if they are struggling with the basic education? Before considering to implement computer programming courses across the nation, I believe that research needs to be done to see whether or not schools across the nation will be able to provide the compute programming education without diminishing the effectiveness of education of other areas.
Great job, Austin, in getting a conversation going. On my ride home last night, I heard a story on the NPR Program "Marketplace" about what employers want from college grads. The Marketplace staff teamed up with the Chronicle of Higher Education to survey employers and conduct some focused interviews. Last night's story was part of a series, so you may want to catch some of the other stories later in the week. Here's the link to the story:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/education/what-do-employers-really-want-college-grads.
As a liberal arts advocate (and a person who has defended his undergraduate philosophy degree for many years), what struck me was the case for critical thinking skills in a technical environment. To benefit from critical thinking skills a person may need other specialized skills; but to use those other specialized skills well (such as those advocated by code.org) a person may need to develop the capacity, honed through other types of classes, to think critically.
This is a very interesting point that you bring up! You cover a variety of issues from computer science to education in general. I personally have not taken an interest in computers and programming myself, but I always wanted to. My parents had always told me to learn computer programming because of how useful it would be. However, I found that this was not so easy to do in high school. Despite going to a school with 3600 kids, they only offered Java and a couple other courses in computer science, therefore they made it extremely hard to get into these classes. It was always frustrating to me, because it was something I wanted to learn, but I just did not have many resources.
ReplyDeleteThis really made me think that maybe not enough teachers are in the field of teaching computer science, and how it would be a good thing if companies sponsored teachers or graduate students to come teach in schools. Another idea would be for companies to sponsor teachers to teach in schools, because I believe the issue is that there is a lack of educators. I think we have to look at the field of computer science again, and ask ourselves if there are so many jobs in the field that there are not enough people to become teachers. If so, maybe job cuts in this area and teacher position increases in this field may be something worthwhile researching.
Hi Austin,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that our country needs to completely revamp its math and science programming across the American education system. The United States is at a cross-roads, one where there are two choices: continuously invest in scientific advancement, remain a superpower, or fall behind as other countries rapidly develop into powerful centers themselves. These fears are expressed by Washington, where the Obama administration stresses that we must provide work visas for international engineering students. Personally, I'd like to see more funds pumped into our own math and science programs; why isn't our country turning out more engineers and scientists? Because the effort, the funds, and the time to reinvigorate STEM programming.
After reading your post, I was immediately reminded of a book called The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. A large portion of Gladwell's book focused on the time and the place of where people are, and how this directly impacts their performance and interests. He looked to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as examples. Both Gates and Jobs are part of the same generation, born around the same year, and are two of the most influential and powerful men of all of history (in particular, the history of the computer). Gladwell wrote that Gates and Jobs became interested by computers because of where they grew up and their surroundings. At Gates' high school, there was a lab where he spent hours and hours practicing computer programming and honed and refined those skills. Jobs, albeit in a less orthodox way, (Jobs was a huge hippie, acid-tripping, college-dropout), also spent huge amounts of time experimenting and playing around with computers. Without these vital hours spent toying around with computers, both the Microsoft empire and the Apple empire probably wouldn't exist in the same way they do today. I also read Steve Job's biography, and Jobs is quoted in it saying that he learned more from experimenting with computers than he ever did in school. We definitely are living during an era exploding with opportunity. The other day I watched a TED talk about a team of bioengineers who build a kidney using a 3D printer. And you can be positive that required a lot of computer programming. And that the members of the team had a love for math and science from a very young age.
Of course, today it is rare to hear miracle stories like this. Most college-dropouts don't become multi-billionaires and historical figures. However, their stories signify the importance of surroundings. Practice makes perfect. But opportunity gears us towards success.
In my high school, there were computer programming classes offered, for college credit. I haven't heard of these offered at many other schools. I don't know if they should be offered in high school, labeled as a mandatory class, but elementary schools and primary education would be a more important and enduring starting point. We have to recognize that our generation is no longer school age; and although intelligence is plastic at all ages, there are certain, critically sensitive developmental periods, and they often occur during our childhoods. Our brains are basically sponges at this point. We need to make math and science more appealing to younger children. I for one absolutely hated math growing up. I hated it because that's the way it was taught to me. Forced. Geared towards the students who excel in mathematics and the sciences. I was good at it, but I never looked forward to those classes. One good teacher could have made that difference. (Ironically enough, I am going onto a career that involves science, public health, by pursuing a dual-degree with HDEV and Nursing; this requires a cross-disciplinary approach. I hope that our country doesn't shy away from the liberal arts in order to keep up with the math and sciences on an international level. They are all equally important).