[ubuntu-uk] BBC Click

[Grant Sewell]

On Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:54:15 +0100
LeeGroups wrote:

>> Secondly, the majority of children don't care
>> about how a computer works (any more than they care how a car works)
>> - they just want to use it.
>
> Yes, this is very true. Even my own kids aren't bothered despite the
> prodding from me. The kids at my school that I've discussed this with
> can't get there heads around the fact that they could write their own
> version of Angry Birds if they wanted to...

Bit of a broad generalisation.  There are plenty of kids who would jump
at the chance to learn how a car works... that's one of the reasons
that automotive engineering courses are quite so popular at vocational
colleges.

Unfortunately the kids don't get a good grounding in what *can* be done
with a computer - from primary school upwards, the vast majority of
kids only ever have a very basic level of "Office" skills type IT
classes and rarely is the opportunity to discuss other side of IT
presented.

I completely disagree that kids aren't interested in how a computer
works or what you can do with one.  They are never presented the
opportunity to even entertain the thoughts that a computer can do more
than just "office" and "games".

In short, it is *not* the kids fault.

As an example, my 6yo daughter is really quite into computers - she
loves watching/helping me pulling them apart and fixing them up, she
knows that the movies that play on her laptop aren't "on" her laptop -
she has to turn the mediacentre on first (we haven't got around to
setting up a NAS/home server yet), she is desperate to have her own
website, etc, etc.  What has she been doing at school in IT?  I doubt
any of the things that I do with her!

Grant.