[Edu-sig] Programming for the fun of it

[Econoprof@aol.com]

One reason people might take up programming:

Because nothing else in the whole world will reliably do what you tell it to 
do, when you tell it to, if you tell it correctly.   (This one's for parents 
and teachers.)  Which leads to my next point. 

There is still (look, look! at how many schools and classrooms still are NOT 
using the web for publishing, even when they are well endowed with computing 
resources and internet access) an awful lot of resistance to using any 
technology ( = hardware/software combination) in the classroom unless the 
teacher in charge of that classroom has mastered that particular technology.  
It is a control issue. 

Even with all sorts of resources out there on the web for the curious 
student/parent/teacher, you won't have programming in the classroom on a 
widespread level unless you turn the teachers into programmers.  Or, to 
borrow Neal Stephenson's metaphor from In The Beginning Was the Command Line, 
you have to turn the teachers from Eloi (passive consumers of we'll give you 
what we think you want technology) into Morlocks (the ones who make the 
technology/write the code). 

By the way, that is a very accessible book, whether or not you agree with the 
author on all of his points, and could be used to bring together parents, 
teachers, and students to talk about these issues.  

Joan Combs