UK IT Curriculum Petition - UK Escapists Please Read

[Zipa]

Yeah the IT curriculum utterly sucked when I was doing my GCSEs 8 years ago. I think pretty much all we had to do was setup a working database complete with the data. It didn't take a lot to do for me and quite a few of my classmates.

While I understand not everyone has such a easy understanding of IT or computers they should at least offer more advanced classes for those who do and are more able.
Especially in today's modern world where pretty much any kind of job involves using a computer at some point.

 

[Galaxialconda]

Why does it need to be compulsory?

Programming seems like a specialist skill to me, and there doesn't seem to be much reward in learning it if you aren't going to pursue programming.

Also, I know very little about it, but it seems more complicated that microsoft office, which I know a large section of my school struggled to use.

It should definitely be available in schools, but compulsory...I'm not so sure.

Yeah this basically. While I think it could be done in A-levels where your choosing to do it. Doing it in the complusary years seems to be adding to a hell of a lot which can't really be tested within a shool year along with the other stuff too which in my opinion is more important (what I learned at least) to learn to use the computers effectively and its programs rather than making them.

Now I just finished with a degree in programming so its not like the options arent there if someone would want to pursue that line of education.

 

[thylasos]

Personally, I'd keep it to the A-Level stage, though certainly a short introduction to the whole concept of programming is a good idea in the ICT GCSE/SAT thing.

As it is, I'm just looking forward to the day when a modern foreign language is compulsory until 16 again... this country is preposterously useless when it comes to languages.

 

[AndrewC]

I did programming when I was in high school, then again I'm in Scotland so things must be different in England.

If you are referring to the UK as England then *slap on wrist*

Bad boy.

 

[tharglet]

at one point one of the supply teachers lost everyones course work

Man, I totally love backups . Used to usually have 2-3 copies of my work (one on network, one on floppy, one on home PC) so if anything went walkies I could just find a copy and hit the print button. Seem to vaguely recall one thing did go missing once, wasn't anything big, but it was nice just to be able to shove a floppy in a drive and print it out again. Anyone who lost stuff in GNVQ (int) ICT was kinda lol'd at and made to look at the part of the course which mentioned backups

OT: I'm in two minds about this. Yes, it would be nice to have more programming in the school system, but I don't think it should be compulsory, and it would take people willing to teach it to schoolkids. Most universities are more interested in your mathematical skills, as those are a good indicator for seeing if you're likely to get on with it. All the people I knew who didn't have A-level maths dropped out or changed courses at the uni I went to. (Apparently it was one of the few that allowed people on the course without A-Level maths).

Pascal when I was at school. I've never seen nor heard of Pascal being used for anything, ever.

Yeah, Pascal isn't massively used, but it is effectively what I was taught at uni (Delphi). I self-taught myself Java in the final year of uni, by way of my final year project, and now I have a career in Java.
Chances are, if programming is a career move, it doesn't matter what language you learn first, and it's a massive advantage to know several languages (different tools being better for different jobs), so you're not really being that gimped by learning an "unused" language. In fact, pretty much anything you learn may end up being a "dead" language, so being put into a position where you need to pick something else up is not entirely a bad thing.

 

[b3nn3tt]

I don't think that it needs to be compulsory, but you could maybe campaign to have schools over extra-curriculur classes in it. I'm not aware of many jobs where you need even basic programming skills, but just about any job needs you to be able to use basic Office. So no, I think the focus of IT is fine as it is, but it would be nice for people to have the option of learning programming if it's something that interests them.

 

[Ghengis John]

What I mean is that at some point in the already compulsory IT lessons there should be an introduction to programming to get people interested and to give them the skills needed to pursue it in their own time.

If it's for their own time then let them make up their own minds.

 

[tharglet]

I disagree, people shouldn't be taught how to use computers.
That way I can make tons of money by fixing the stupid mistakes they make.

Lol, that'll probably true even if people are taught
Seen people who I know do know better still mess up.

 

[Phishfood]

Ahahahaha. Oh funny.

Working in a school right now I can tell you that most of the students here have trouble telling me their username and spelling general words right. I can't imagine the horror of trying to get them to program. Dear god.

 

[Sigma Van Lockheart]

just so you know most kids will not want to do programming at all if you live in london you will be able to see these kids and know who they are its really not hard to tell. You do learn programming in college if you want to my friend is learning it and i will be learning a bit about if for programming games but thats because we wanted to.

 

[thePyro_13]

I'm in Australia and did visual basic in high school. I had already been learning C++ at that point. But I think its a beneficial skill(even for those who wish to have nothing to do with programming), as it allows people to understand the limits of the computer and what it can do, rather than it being a magic box that doesn't always do what you ask it.

Computers are so common in the world right now, people need to be familiar with them and the way in which they work(at least on a basic level).

I'm blocked from signing it(due to country), so good luck to you.

 

[colourcodedchaos]

One for "But, Sir..." in my opinion.

 

[ThePeaceFrog]

Not for me, programming is so specialized that it would just be a waste of time and effort and Eric Schmidt's education speach was so wide in scope that I'm pretty sure anyone could say that he agreed with them when trying to further their point.

 

[minuialear]

Programming seems like a specialist skill to me, and there doesn't seem to be much reward in learning it if you aren't going to pursue programming.

If one is going into the sciences, it is a GIGANTIC benefit to know some programming, as all sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, geology, environmental sciences, neuroscience, even to some degree psychology) use computing in some fashion, and may require you to learn at least the basics at some point. Better to have those fundamentals in your head at an earlier age, then when you're on the job.

Even if one isn't doing something science-related, learning programming at least makes it easier to build webpages/web applications/etc, which can be relevant to literally any field of work. Having a basic knowledge of it can either allow you to better learn how to construct those pages, or allow you to understand the process of programming well enough to be able to design such things without asking too much of the people actually building the page/application/whatever.

 

[DannyJBeckett]

I've signed it.

I've been in college for 5 years now, and I remember my IT classes at school. The sum total of proper IT skills they taught us can be best summed up as Fuck-all.

 

[thePyro_13]

Even if one isn't doing something science-related, learning programming at least makes it easier to build webpages/web applications/etc, which can be relevant to literally any field of work. Having a basic knowledge of it can either allow you to better learn how to construct those pages, or allow you to understand the process of programming well enough to be able to design such things without asking too much of the people actually building the page/application/whatever.

Also, I feel that it helps train critical thinking skills and the ability to develop, understand and follow processes and protocols.

 

[minuialear]

Even if one isn't doing something science-related, learning programming at least makes it easier to build webpages/web applications/etc, which can be relevant to literally any field of work. Having a basic knowledge of it can either allow you to better learn how to construct those pages, or allow you to understand the process of programming well enough to be able to design such things without asking too much of the people actually building the page/application/whatever.

Also, I feel that it helps train critical thinking skills and the ability to develop, understand and follow processes and protocols.

Definitely. Although it seems sometimes that people care less about being able to think through things better because of a skill, and more about whether they can profit from said skill (math, anyone?). :/

 

[Doclector]

I know barely enough about computers to watch my nostalgia critic and post on here.

I passed my IT qualification. By a mile.

So I whole-heartedly agree with this.

 

[Randomologist]

I think we should have something at GCSE level that introduces the concept of programming. I sort of did this in A level Design and Technology, we used Lego Mindstorms to program basic machines to sort bricks by colour. But nothing in ICT, Excel formulas at best.

I don't think its worth bringing in programming below GCSE, but at that level you should have some idea what to do, and programming is likely to help with a technological career, maybe more so in the future.

That said I still think we should spend less time analysing Shakespeare and more time learning how to actually form a coherent sentence, which some of my classmates still struggled to do at 16. But that's me.

Signed the petition, OP.