[Gllug] open source centric ICT in Schools from Sept 2012 ?

[Alain Williams]

On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 02:23:46PM +0000, Phil Hands wrote:

> TBH I doubt that they were a great loss to computer science, but if the
> time is going to be spent on that, the least that the kids should get
> out of it is a feel for the idea of recursion, because that's not
> something most people are going to inevitably pick up in their lives,
> and it can be an interesting way of thinking about some things.

That they may not have been a great loss to computer science is I think
the wrong point. I think that we (as individuals) are all the better for
understanding a bit about how the gizmos that we use in life work ... not
perhaps so that we can mend/make them but so that we have some clue as
to what is in the black box.

The modern driving test has some requirement on car maintainance - an
improvement from when I did it. Likewise people are taught at schools to
change plugs, most (even boys) do some cookery, ... although it could
perhaps go further.

I hope that the changes talked about are in that spirit. Although that is
maybe wishful thinking from someone of a mindset that made him, as a kid,
take clocks to bits & get them working again, build radios, etc.

The point is that if you know something about the insides you have a better
idea of its limitations and how to use it.

I don't know if every one is that curious.

I do know that some people consider me curious[**].



[**] I thought that I would say that before one of you buggers did so :-)

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Alain Williams
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