
Jason Bradbury: Coding lessons in schools are a waste of time - SmellyGeekBoy
http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/jason-bradbury-coding-lessons-in-schools-are-a-waste-of-time
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MereInterest
>My kids won’t need to code because soon computers will just code for them.

This sentence is grammatically correct, but I am having difficulty extracting
any semantic meaning. Coding is the act of writing down one's thoughts in a
way that a computer can understand. To take the human aspect out of it renders
the entire concept senseless.

~~~
hyperpape
I assume he means something like "computers will reach a point where they can
take non-code descriptions written by a human and implement code based off of
them." However, I agree that this is not a plausible thought

1\. I doubt that this is coming that soon

2\. If it does arrive, it may well be with AI so sophisticated that the human
has no role even for the "creative" parts of the process. A system that can
handle non-formal requirements and implement code sounds close to general
purpose AI--the kind that just replaces humanity.

This article seems pretty pointless.

~~~
espadrine
> _AI so sophisticated that the human has no role even for the "creative"
> parts_

That is a crucial point that is often missed by people outside of the
industry. There is nothing magical about activities that don't require the
assistance of a computer today. The very principle of computability applies
equally to any activity, not just mathematics.

In a way, art is the product of a very complex Turing machine that relies on
physics and biology to compute it.

We are already seeing impressive pieces of art coming out of silicon
computers, DeepArt being an example:
[https://www.facebook.com/deepart.io/](https://www.facebook.com/deepart.io/).

It is, to me, extremely likely that within 20 years, we will have generated
novels compete on the market with best-sellers.

The creative process will increasingly rely on mastering and combining more
and more exotic techniques, and that may require a deep understanding of the
new tools at hand.

~~~
merlincorey
> It is, to me, extremely likely that within 20 years, we will have generated
> novels compete on the market with best-sellers.

I'd say it's going to be a lot sooner, given that they're already doing well
in writing contests[0].

[0] [http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/japanese-ai-writes-
no...](http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/japanese-ai-writes-novel-passes-
first-round-nationanl-literary-prize/)

------
mattnewton
Since when does being good at math or programming preclude social skills? That
comment in the article gave me a terribly anti-intellectual vibe.

Basically everything will be drag-and-drop interfaces in the future, no
mention of who is going to maintain those interfaces or extend them,
apparently that will be drag and drop too. I think the rice of fancy visual
interfaces have so far made programming more important, and I don't see that
trend decreasing in the next generation.

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jkot
BBC (author works there) recently made documentary/reality show "Girls can
code". Its about young girls, building an app and trying to pitch investors.
Its was the most sexist TV piece I had ever seen. Coding was turned into
'creative' thing such as fashion, dress selection, make-up, marketing...

Out of 2 hours about 5 minutes were spend on actual coding (boot camp). One
girl liked it and showed some potential. But that was passed as something
"proper lady" should not do.

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robotnoises
Summary: Jason Bradbury feels generally threatened by something he's
unfamiliar with.

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SmellyGeekBoy
I always had my suspicions that this guy didn't have a clue what he was
talking about...

~~~
petepete
He doesn't; The Gadget Show is tripe at best, hosted by four idiots and a
borderline idiot (Jon Bentley). I wish I could point at a better alternative
but Click is nearly as bad.

Definitely a gap in this market on British TV

~~~
fractallyte
Hey, what's the problem with Click? It's for a general audience, and is gently
(and healthily) irreverent towards tech. The presenters are all well qualified
for their roles, and they get to report on some really cool and cutting-edge
stuff.

~~~
petepete
I think Click is ok really, although as you say, it's aimed at a general
audience. I do find it annoying when _massive_ things go on in the world of
technology and are unreported, but they have a five minute segment on helper
robot prototypes or Second Life.

I guess I'd just like a more 'serious' tech programme on TV.

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seibelj
Wow! This guy has no idea what the fuck he's talking about

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zeta0134
I was going to make some sensible argument about the value of the lessons
being exposure to code, and removing the black box of mystery that most
gadgets are to kids. But then I read the article... what on earth is this guy
going on about?

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arthursilva
He's right about valuing arts though.

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stryk
I wholeheartedly agree with adding the (A)rts into STE(A)M. He's hit the nail
on the head there -- I believe we all should encourage creative thinking to go
along hand-in-hand with critical thinking. That said, he's way off base with
the coding courses being a "waste of time" \-- we're not close enough to
having that good of an AI yet, nor do I think we will be in his children's
lifetime. Maybe his grandchildren's lifetime, but even that could be a bit of
a stretch.

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okso
The future as the iPad generation: a machine made for consuming that conceals
from you everything about how things work and how to hack them. Even while
using 'high-level bricks', understanding how things work internally give you
much more freedom to innovate and be independent from some manufacturers.

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AngryFromPurley
Holy shit, where do they find these people.

Clueless but with influence, no wonder we are all in such poor shape.

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CyberDildonics
> My kids won’t need to code because soon computers will just code for them

Good luck. This sounds like people predicting flying cars and robot servants
in the 50s without having any idea what they are talking about.

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mikeryan
Its too bad a valid point regarding creativity and art and its value to
software products is hidden under a layer of crap about machines coding for
you....

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brebla
Shitposting the HN way!

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ousta
coding lessons have only one reason to exist: turn programmers into blue
collar workers of the 21 st century. there is no other reason to learn code at
school. Period.

