Full Version: Grade and High School Tech Education
This article caught my eye:
Mac Trojan Horse Surprise
The basic idea is that kids should learn the principles of computing before being trained on specific applications from certain vendors. In this case, it's computer security. No matter what the architecture or make/model, security is always an issue.
So:
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
I'm of course prejudiced toward teaching the whole shebang, at least at an overview level.
Mac Trojan Horse Surprise
The basic idea is that kids should learn the principles of computing before being trained on specific applications from certain vendors. In this case, it's computer security. No matter what the architecture or make/model, security is always an issue.
So:
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
I'm of course prejudiced toward teaching the whole shebang, at least at an overview level.
i think that students should be taught how to use a computer, especially how to type properly at a very young age (around grade 2 or 3 maybe) and learn computer science as an elective. skills>facts unless a student plans on persuing a career that deals with computer science.
QUOTE(AuthorMusician @ Dec 24 2007, 10:20 AM) 
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
First... what a ridiculous article. Mac's have been subject to trojan horses before and this one is no different. "First serious threat"? I don't think so. It merely takes common sense to keep from being "pwned" by this trojan. If you are downloading a component for quicktime, an application wouldn't be necessary in order to install it. If I saw something downloading called "ultracodec1237", I would seriously do some research before allowing it to run. OS X is very good about letting you know if a download contains something suspicious.
That said, I think nowadays children should be taught a bit of both or perhaps some computer training and some computer philosophy mixed with some computer science. We teach teens calculus, I think we can teach some more advanced computer science.
QUOTE(AuthorMusician @ Dec 24 2007, 11:20 AM)
This article caught my eye:
Mac Trojan Horse Surprise
The basic idea is that kids should learn the principles of computing before being trained on specific applications from certain vendors. In this case, it's computer security. No matter what the architecture or make/model, security is always an issue.
So:
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
I'm of course prejudiced toward teaching the whole shebang, at least at an overview level.
Mac Trojan Horse Surprise
The basic idea is that kids should learn the principles of computing before being trained on specific applications from certain vendors. In this case, it's computer security. No matter what the architecture or make/model, security is always an issue.
So:
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
I'm of course prejudiced toward teaching the whole shebang, at least at an overview level.
First off... oh Brother... Yet Another Macs are vulnerable too! article. Maybe the genius who wrote the article should consider not giving his son Admin rights to the machine and keep him from hurting the machine when he's trying to watch porn.
As I get on 35 years of computing I am of two minds on the topic of computing in general...
1) No one is born with an innate ability to save a file.
2) Computers have failed us. After being around in their current form for about 20 years they are still difficult an non intuitive. They are hardly the appliance they should be. I mean a TV is a complicated device and you just know how to use it...
The problem is that teaching applications is pointless, they change, constantly. Yet... knowing how to use a Word Processor is useful information. More useful, however, is how to find your files on a network after you've save them!
So I think a macro-view of computers, networks and "the internet" might be a useful course - with micro-views on topics like how TCP/IP etc work. How eMail works. How to read an error code/message. Databases. Searching (boolean, regex, etc.)
I suspect AM and I could come up with a pretty good year of basic computer courses
QUOTE(BaphometsAdvocate @ Dec 26 2007, 04:21 PM)
QUOTE(AuthorMusician @ Dec 24 2007, 11:20 AM)
This article caught my eye:
Mac Trojan Horse Surprise
The basic idea is that kids should learn the principles of computing before being trained on specific applications from certain vendors. In this case, it's computer security. No matter what the architecture or make/model, security is always an issue.
So:
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
I'm of course prejudiced toward teaching the whole shebang, at least at an overview level.
Mac Trojan Horse Surprise
The basic idea is that kids should learn the principles of computing before being trained on specific applications from certain vendors. In this case, it's computer security. No matter what the architecture or make/model, security is always an issue.
So:
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
I'm of course prejudiced toward teaching the whole shebang, at least at an overview level.
First off... oh Brother... Yet Another Macs are vulnerable too! article. Maybe the genius who wrote the article should consider not giving his son Admin rights to the machine and keep him from hurting the machine when he's trying to watch porn.
As I get on 35 years of computing I am of two minds on the topic of computing in general...
1) No one is born with an innate ability to save a file.
2) Computers have failed us. After being around in their current form for about 20 years they are still difficult an non intuitive. They are hardly the appliance they should be. I mean a TV is a complicated device and you just know how to use it...
The problem is that teaching applications is pointless, they change, constantly. Yet... knowing how to use a Word Processor is useful information. More useful, however, is how to find your files on a network after you've save them!
So I think a macro-view of computers, networks and "the internet" might be a useful course - with micro-views on topics like how TCP/IP etc work. How eMail works. How to read an error code/message. Databases. Searching (boolean, regex, etc.)
I suspect AM and I could come up with a pretty good year of basic computer courses
I have no doubt. This could even be a K-12 deal with the more intense courses being high school electives. Start the kids out with how to use a computer and bring them all the way up to how to troubleshoot a computing system. You know, make sure the thing is plugged in, use a logical and systematic approach, know where to find help.
This would be cool: At some point, change the computing system altogether. Different hardware, OS and applications. Almost every shop I've ever walked into has been different from the prior experiences, so one learns how all computing installations are the same.
It would be bad for computer marketing. Oh well.
Should children and teens be taught how to use a computer (computer training) or should they be taught how a computer works (computer science), or maybe both? What about software, including OS flavors, and the network? Should they be exposed to datacenter computing ideas, like fault-tolerance and hardware redundancy?
Given the fact that the current generation will have information technology well integrated into their environment, they should learn the basics of computer hardware and software, but an overly detailed knowledge of any aspect is not necessary in a general high school education. I would much rather they learn to understand money, investment and how to use both in a capitalist environment. I work to live, I don't live to work.
Given the fact that the current generation will have information technology well integrated into their environment, they should learn the basics of computer hardware and software, but an overly detailed knowledge of any aspect is not necessary in a general high school education. I would much rather they learn to understand money, investment and how to use both in a capitalist environment. I work to live, I don't live to work.
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