Why I Teach Computing

This blog is called Teaching Computing because that's what I do: I teach computing to high school students.   But this blog will also at times be about the practice and art of teaching, and the practice and art of computing separately.  Really, I teach computer science, but we call it more generally "computing" these days to help break out of the stereotypes that some people have about the field.  This is a good thing. "Computer science" for better or worse does carry some engineer-y connotations that seems to turn people off from even considering taking a class, or learning more about it.

But computing is for everyone.  In today's world, everyone encounters computing or computation in some way no matter what walk of life or discipline they're interested in.  Furthermore, I believe it's extremely important for everyone to understand *something* about computing and computer science as part of their formal education.  Not because the skills you learn are "useful" per se, but because your worldview is shaped and changed when you understand some principles of computing and what's going on around you.  I have an admittedly a liberal artsy point of view, but I think everyone should learn something about computing for the same reasons that I think everyone learn something about say, mathematics.  Even though people end up landing somewhere across a vast spectrum of mathematical education and learning, our society can function at a much higher level based on the assumption that most people know *something* about math (see: the monetary system).

I think that, presented and taught the right way, computing is an invigorating, creative and wholy satisfying activity.  Historically speaking, the study of computing is still in its infancy - it's been around for roughly 50 years - which explains why it's still searching for a home in schools and canonical education.  Mathematics, by contrast, has had a few thousand years head start.  But I'm here to tell you, these computer things are going to be around for the foreseeable future and I'm sure I'm not the first to tell you that computers, and the possibilities brought on by computing, represent a transformative power equal to and probably greater than the industrial revolution (more thoughts on this later).  But where is it in our schools?  At the moment, virtually nowhere.  

Just as the global changes that occurred during and because of the industrial revolution affected education, so too will the technological revolution. Thus, it's an extremely interesting time to teach computing, at the precipice as it were, of such as historic global change.  However, in America at least the circle of people teaching computing in K-12, and teaching it in a way that appropriately responds to the kinds of thinking required by the technological revolution, is small.  Very small.  I consider myself one of the members of that group though, and thought it was about time to start broadcasting about my experience.  I hope you subscribe, read and respond.