Dave Liquorice wrote
Tim Streater wrote

The notion that all these schoolchildren were just waiting for a
cheap board to program at the bit level is a bit silly, in the same
league as when years ago they expected that all women would
learn to become car mechanics.

Down to bit level or even machine code I agree but a *very*
broad understanding understanding of how a PC works

If people are expecting that lots of pis will be used in this way,
why weren't these people already doing it - using the Arduino?

That is an interesting one. The lad has a Lego NXT set, he's built a
couple of things from the book and done the programs for them but
that's about it.

He's recently found a couple of mods for the Minecraft game, he's
attempted to build a 10 bit computer in it, got as far as a handful
of registers and an adder all built with basic logic gates. OK he
found how to construct a latch and 2 bit adder with carry in/out from
the web rather than work it out from first principles but bunging
those modules together to make a 10 bit functional unit he did.
Another mod for Minecraft provides a simple programming language that
can control objects in the Minecraft world. He's designed,
constructed and programmed a 3D printer with that! OK it's only a 4 x
4 x 4 matrix but it does what it is supposed to do.

So why has the NXT essentially sat in its box? When I was his age
I would have killed for an NXT set. Is it the physical building of a
machine? It's very quick to "build" and change stuff in the virtual
Minecraft world both the "machine" and program that controls it.

Mind you, if "computer classes" at schools consists of them being
forced to learn about ****ing Windows and being bored learning to
use Word and Excel, then that is a waste that could usefully be stopped.

Word and Excel do need to be taught, a school leaver these days needs
to be reasonably proficent or they are a rung or three down the
employabilty ladder. Being able to change font/size, understand
header/footer, insert something from excel or an image etc. Just the
basic elements that enables them to produce decent output, this also
extends into pretty much all the other subjects as well, use of computers
to produce work, reports or present experimental results is everywhere.

Some one said a plumber doesn't need computing skills,

I didnt say that.

not directly for plumbing maybe but these days running a business
completely with pen and paper is almost impossible(*).

Sure, but they dont necessarily need to be that flash at Word and Excel.

What is missing from the curriculem is anything about PC hardware,
the internal OS workings or application programming. A lesson or
three with some old hardware to examine, doesn't have to be
functional just so the pupils know what a motherboard is what it
does, what a hard drive is and what it looks like inside etc.

Is that really much use to most tho ?

That would reduce the fear that most people
have when it comes to almost all technology.

I dont believe thats true with most kids in school.

The basics of how a PC boots and runs in "black box" form,
the layers within the OS and how they fit togther to produce
what people see and use and some simple programming.

I think it makes a lot more sense to concentrate on google, word, excel etc.

The last is probably the hardest, what do you get pupils to program?

And whatever it is, they are most unlikely to ever do any themselves later.

It likely only makes sense to include some VBA in Excel etc.

(*) If only because VAT and Tax returns or moving to be online filing only.

You wouldnt normally use Word or Excel for that,
you'd use a dedicated accounting package etc.

And its more likely to be someone else rather than the plumber personally using that too.

Sure, some stuff like quotes might well be usefully done with
Word and Excel, but not so much with a car mechanic etc.

I really just meant that I'm not sure it makes much sense to be
teaching the complexitys of Word and Excel to everyone in school.
If you tried to do that, you'd likely get lots more kids give up on
school if you do that in the time past compulsory education and
many would be better of doing trade trading and including what
is appropriate for that particular trade in the formal part of the
trade training rather than in the normal secondary schools.