[CS4HS] Our on line community is up and running

[Andrew Shortell]

Hi All
I also posted this rant to the it apps list where I seem to have created a
real stir!  
Maybe not a good thing but at least I might get some people to think about
why we do the ICT rather than the CS

If you are on IT Apps list read no further ­ it is a copy and paste


In many ways this (Roland¹s post below) encapsulates my worries.

I learnt programming at Uni in 1977. We used assembler and MONECS fortran
and used punch cards.

BUT (BIG BUT) I still use the concepts now as I teach the LOGIC of
programming, the logic of problem solving.

Design, logic, planning etc is in Computer Science  the use of non-humans to
do the tedious bulk work so that we can do the thinking.
In Computer Science we use machines at the moment.
To paraphrase M.Smart : nano-computers and molecular computers are ³that
close².

What are we doing to enthuse students about possibilities with thinking and
with using other things to do bulk repetitive tedious crunching to get out
the things that we find interesting?
In the old days very few humans could do enough number crunching etc to be
able to come up with ³unusual or left field ideas²
Now thanks to computers many more people are able to process the sort of
data that can lead to great ideas.

Are we ENTHUSING them to do so? Are we giving them the thinking tools?

In mY opinion in VCE IT apps we are NOT. So why do we do it?

Teaching kids history is not meant to prepare them to work in an office
doing word processing. It is meant to make them think.

Teaching microsloth old fashioned pathetic software prepares them to work in
an office. It does NOT make them think

If we want to prepare them for industry, to work in a business office then
let us make this a VET subject and call it office skills/ business skills.

And then lets get back to computer science and call it a science

So , off my soap box.
This might be a rant but I feel that I want to teach computing : thinking
advancing, not office skills.

Andrew

-- 
Andrew Shortell

mailto:shortell at get2me.net
Leaving the 
Heidelberg Teaching Unit at the end of 2011
Ph 9470 3403
Fax  9470 3215


On 7/12/11 1:13 PM, "Roland Gesthuizen" <rgesthuizen at gmail.com> wrote:

> Here is a good link to a UK Observer article that resonated with me.
> 
>> Programming and Computational Thinking should take pride of place in our
>> schools
>> http://www.diigo.com/annotated/18e448bc88f295a362bf5967726506b9 (to my
>> annotated version)
>> 
>> via @lindymac
> 
> Curious what others think of this.
> 
> Regards Roland
> 
> On 30 November 2011 11:50, Kevork Krozian <kevork at edulists.com.au> wrote:
>> >
>> > Dear Computer Science in High School advocates
>> >
>> >  I have activated the online forum/mailing list/community which you can
>> > access by posting to cs4hs at edulists.com.au .
>> >  I haven't heard any objections from anyone about adding them to this
>> > list, but if you feel you don't want to be a part of it please contact or
>> > email me directly at kevork at edulists.com.au so I can remove you. We don't
>> > want to run foul of the Spam Act 2003 !
>> >  I hope we can post some of the earlier messages so they are collected as
>> > part of the archives of this online community.
>> >
>> > Speak soon
>> > Kevork Krozian
>> > Mob: 0419 356 034
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --
> --
> Roland Gesthuizen - eLearning Coordinator - Keysborough Secondary College
> 
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
> the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe

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