If you seek to introduce computer science into a liberal arts high school mathematics curriculum, then Chris Bishop is your man. He’s Professor of Computer Science at University of Edinburgh, and Laboratory Director of Microsoft Research in Cambridge England. In the forward to John McCormick’s 9 Algorithms that Changed the Future (Princeton University Press 2012,) this is what he said. This is what Chris Bishop said:
“One reason for the relative lack of appreciation of computer science as a discipline is that it is rarely taught in high school. While an introduction to subjects such as physics and chemistry is generally considered mandatory, it is often only at the college or university level that computer science can be studied in its own right. Furthermore, what is often taught in schools as ‘computing’ or ‘ICT’ (information and communication technology) is generally little more that skills training is the use of software packages. Unsurprisingly, pupils find this tedious, and their natural enthusiasm for the use of computer technology in entertainment and communication is tempered by the impression that the creation of such technology is lacking in intellectual depth. These issues are thought to be at the heart of the 50 percent decline in the number of students studying computer science at university over the last decade. In light of the crucial importance of digital technology to modern society, there has never been a more important time to engage our population with the fascination of computer science.” Really, there’s nothing more I can say. But there’s plenty more to be done….
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Capt. PeteWhen Peter is on land, he develops curricula for teaching Computer Science to all high school students via coding elementary apps in multiple professional development environments. Archives
December 2017
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