
Jeff Atwood: Learning to code is overrated - ekmartin
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/jeff-atwood-learning-code-overrated-article-1.2374772
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pearlsteinj
"If someone tells you “coding is the new literacy” because “computers are
everywhere today,” ask them how fuel injection works. By teaching low-level
coding, I worry that we are effectively teaching our children the art of
automobile repair."

I think this article misses the point that "fuel injection" and other
vocational skills are nowhere near as prolific and impactful as code on daily
life.

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UmDieWelt
Electric wiring is a vocation that is far more important than coding and yet
society isn't constantly encouraging everyone to be an electrician.

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dagw
Every single person at my office regularly run into problems where they could
save a bunch of time if they felt comfortable with automating things by
writing a short script or two. The same is not true for electric wiring.

We shouldn't encourage everybody to become programmers, just like we shouldn't
encourage everybody to become authors. We should encourage everybody to learn
how to program, just like we encourage everybody to learn how to write well.

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WoodenChair
I'm surprised a person as knowledgeable about the field as Mr. Atwood would
write a column that seemingly endorses the notion that _Computer Science_ ==
_Coding /Programming_. The public already has a large misunderstanding
regarding this point (not to mention the difference between IT and CS). And I
think politicians are under the impression that teaching students to code is
the same as teaching them computer science. I'm disappointed to say the least
that Mr. Atwood would further encourage this misconception that does serious
damage to public discourse. We can't discuss a subject when we don't
understand its terms/definition.

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ak39

      "The public already has a large misunderstanding regarding this point *(not to mention the difference between IT and CS)*"
    

Is there a difference between IT and CS? (Serious question)

(Maybe I misunderstood your point)

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WoodenChair
IT refers to Information Technology. CS refers to Computer Science. IT is an
applied technical discipline concerned with using available technologies to
manipulate data for organizational operations. In its pure form, CS is a
theoretical field concerned with using computational tools to solve problems
on top of a mathematical foundation.

Of course there is a vague line between certain branches of applied computer
science and theoretical information technology where the terms become
nebulous. Wikipedia has decent definitions of both if you're so interested.

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martin1b
Whew. Title made me disagree. Then I read "There’s nothing wrong with basic
exposure to computer science. But it should not come at the expense of
fundamental skills such as reading, writing and mathematics" and "We shouldn’t
be teaching kids “computer science.” Instead, we should provide them plenty of
structured opportunities to play with hardware and software. "

Agreed. Coding is a means to an end. Although I must say, 'coding' in Scratch
is very helpful for my kids to better understand logic flow in their minds and
think in a structured manner. It's means to an end of building something. At
the end of the day, I still want them to get outside and experience the world
rather that sitting in front of a computer all day. Moderation is key here.

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karmapolice
Yes, lots of people go through college with poor reading skills, but more or
less hours of English class, or language class, or whatever is called in US is
not going to improve that.

In my country is the same thing: everytime an international study like PISA
shows that we are very low in reading and math skills, politicians promise
more hours of reading and math classes per week. Selling that it's easier than
changing how these classes are teached.

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zubairq
Reminds me of this: [http://www.chris-granger.com/2015/01/26/coding-is-not-
the-ne...](http://www.chris-granger.com/2015/01/26/coding-is-not-the-new-
literacy/)

