tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6550012579849338868.post4124351064869725147..comments2023-08-02T03:13:57.931-07:00Comments on Wicked Teacher of the West: Is programming necessary?Wicked Teacher of the Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08840748429941439783noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6550012579849338868.post-18795041105574810502008-09-29T19:24:00.000-07:002008-09-29T19:24:00.000-07:00Great post! I agree---we should be focusing on th...Great post! I agree---we should be focusing on the idea of algorithms and algorithmic thinking and the other "big ideas" as well as programming. The problem is that we've sold computer science *as* programming for so long that now our students (at least at the college level) *expect* to do just programming. My students are sort of thrown for a loop when we spend class time talking about the algorithms rather than just starting with the code.Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17082496114155799356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6550012579849338868.post-5251554914597659562008-10-01T08:04:00.000-07:002008-10-01T08:04:00.000-07:00What exactly is "Computer Science"? I t...What exactly is "Computer Science"? I teach "Computer Science" and I am still not sure. We teach an apps course to our 5-8 grade kids and this is included in our CS curriculum. The Technology I course is a combination of advanced Office, how to buy a computer (lots of vocab), a very basic A+ course, some history and some current affairs. The Tech II is how to fix computers, networks, projectors, etc when they do not want to work. These courses are part of our CS curriculum. We also offer Programming. What does a good middle school/HS CS curriculum consist of? Our CS curriculum was designed by me so it fits my knowledge set. But is it the best way to go? One glitch in trying to answer this question is I have yet to find a university that has a CSEd degree. CS degrees are a dime a dozen (I have one, it is worth about a dime). My local university (Univ of Montana) offers a TechEd degree but it is an apps and gadgets degree. Very little in the way of computers other than how to make Office work. CSEd is ignored and I am not sure why. I read a lot about the shortage of qualified CS teachers. I wonder why.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6550012579849338868.post-22458772384891286782008-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:002008-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:00Jane, I totally agree. I think it's a horrible...Jane, I totally agree. I think it's a horrible loop we're in where we focus so much on programming in introductory courses that students naturally think CS = programming. Then if we try later to correct that perception, they're resistant and have to 'unlearn' it. We SAY that CS != programming but then our actions and curriculum refute what we say.<br><br>Anonymous, you bring up some good points. One of the problems we have as a discipline is that we don't have a one-sentence answer to "What is Computer Science?". I am working on a presentation about what MS CS is (or can be) and I will post some of my thoughts separately, hopefully in the next day or twoWicked Teacher of the Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16696599676935003695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6550012579849338868.post-83716979142567624852008-10-05T17:01:00.000-07:002008-10-05T17:01:00.000-07:00I *wish* I had had some programming at some point ...I *wish* I had had some programming at some point in school!!Unbalanced Reactionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407339711183651108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6550012579849338868.post-55990825742540270442008-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:002008-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:00I agree, but I might even go one step further and ...I agree, but I might even go one step further and say not that programming is like chemistry experiments, but that programming is like knowing how to run reactions or something---it's a tool for doing experiments to test hypotheses about computation. Not all experiments require it, but quite a few do.<br><br>I do think it's a shame that many talented people end up outside of CS because of first-year "weed-out" programming courses.lylebotnoreply@blogger.com