I like your examples as they all apply to pretty much everyone (as computing does) but I think we need to have a minimum understanding for all of them. Health, law, economics and computer classes should each have a pretty high bar. Being able to troubleshoot your computer or installing/configuring software should be just as important as knowing how to balance a checkbook or eat healthy and exercise.
I guess we disagree where the level of minimal understanding lies. Why should kids know how to install and configure software if they'll only use Android and iOS in a few years? Knowing how an IP address works as arcane as knowing how an oscillating spindle sander works.
I may be biased as I spent a lot of time in helpdesk, but I think many of the problems most users and admins face could be easily avoided with education. An anti-virus is only good when paired with safe computer practices. Knowing about an IP address in the most basic sense (I'm not expecting subnetting here or knowing what an APIPA address is) allows many problems to be resolved in a few minutes. It should be expected when you drop off your car at the mechanic to say "the brakes squeak" or "It's making a click-clank-clank sound" instead of "it's broke, fix it." IT shouldn't have to jump through hoops to find out the user deleted system32 because they needed more space.
Computers are used in most industries today. Framing, not so much. The ability to use a computer is becoming nearly as important as being able to drive. Sure, you can do without it but you're probably not going to go very far.
In elementary school, children should be introduced to the bare essentials of vehicular mechanics, say with simple rubber-band powered Lego cars. Over time, increase the sophistication of the science, engineering, and even social aspects of vehicles - eventually building go-carts and learning to drive them as a subset of state driving regulations, and working up to real cars and getting a driver's license. BTW: most jurisdictions only impose driving age limits on public roads; kids certainly are allowed to drive on public property (I've known kids who learned to drive at 14 or earlier).
They should also learn cooking, sewing, carpentry, welding, shooting, fieldcraft, and every other variant of the Boy Scout Handbook and Heinlein's "specialization is for insects" quote. Dang straight they should learn the essential basics of driving early on.
Yet they don't, and driving affects their lives and their driving has a potentially disastrous effect on other peoples' lives to a much greater degree than their computer use and level of skill does.
Most of my driving skills, and my disdain for other people "who use a car and can't drive" comes from driving games in arcades as a kid.
Now that arcades are dead in the US? There goes easy access to a really useful "simulator as a game". "Driving" in a game on an iPad is nowhere near close as Race Drivin' which had a clutch, a starter key, and relatively functioned as a real car (i.e. if you picked manual expect that bitch to stall).
If I wrote a blog post about driving, I would be far more snarky and dismissive than this author. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. I borderline consider myself a "professional driver" though I would lack the credentials but it just rubs me so wrong that people are this fucking careless at it as I see every time I get behind the wheel. I'm frankly surprised some people still live.
Because students are expected to use computers to complete their work in high school and sometimes sooner. There is no coincidence that driving classes and learners permits are given before the ability to get a licence to drive. They should learn good practices just before they are expected to perform.
Let's look at this "expected to use" assumption: are these tasks for which computers are necessary? Are they tasks for which using a computer eases the teacher's job? Are they tasks that increase the child's knowledge of computers in themselves? How is it different than learning how to cook french fries?
By the same token though, wouldn't it be a good idea for children know the rules of the road before they're gunning for their licenses? I think you contradict yourself in your last sentence.
