| I did upvote you, i thought you contributed thoughtful responses :) "but I think most people who suggest programming to be tought as a universal skill don't expect everyone to become a professional programmer" wow, that moment when you realize it is possible that you have misunderstood an entire ongoing, industry-wide conversation. "but I think it's far less important as a basic skill nowadays" That's true, the average person does not need to make their own chairs anymore. And programming would be more useful to more people. But I sometimes like to think of high school as sampling things that you might be interested in pursuing further. Though I think we could get rid of one shop elective for a mandatory basics of computer programming type course. Also, it is still a job, projected job growth 2014-2024 is 6%, which is average. [1] "Like, soldering simple circuits, that kind of stuff" Oh cool, we didnt have that. We did have metalworking classes, but I went with the computer ones. We had some cool stuff in middle school, like using radio broadcasting equipment. "I think so. And in any case, I think that teaching a proprietary product in public schools is completely inacceptable, pretty much no matter how useful a skill it currently might be. Schools always should teach generic, transferable skills, not products." I see your position, but I have seen so many people who think of using a program in a step by step manner who would need this. Perhaps a basics of computers/programming type course would fix the "navigate the program like a maze" mindset? Perhaps we are experiencing a filter bubble like effect where we have lost touch with people who are not into software, and how they do not just grasp things like we do? 1. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/carpenter... |
More importantly, that unexpected upvote was what made me look for possible late replies ;-)
> But I sometimes like to think of high school as sampling things that you might be interested in pursuing further.
Yeah, sure, but then, there is so much that you potentially could cover, and only so much time to fit it in, you have to somehow select those few that do get offered.
> Also, it is still a job, projected job growth 2014-2024 is 6%, which is average. [1]
Well, I would argue that woodworking class is much closer to what cabinetmakers (used to) do than to a modern-day carpenter's job, and that really isn't much of a job anymore. I mean, people don't only need to build their own chairs anymore, they don't need to build any chairs anymore, except for some for artistic reasons maybe.
> Perhaps we are experiencing a filter bubble like effect where we have lost touch with people who are not into software, and how they do not just grasp things like we do?
Well, it's difficult to say, but I suspect that the way it tends to be taught is part of the problem. If you aren't ever shown the map, it's kinda hard to figure out the overall structure from being led through the maze. And from my experience, those people teaching this stuff often haven't ever seen the map either.