The WING Blog

The Web and Internetworking Group at BU/CS

Dec

3

Think like a computer scientist or …

By Azer Bestavros

A fascinating view of the difference between those who are taught to “program” and those who are taught to just “use” a program.

For students taught to use programs rather than to create them, “their bigger problem is that their entire orientation to computing will be from the perspective of users. When a kid is taught software as a subject, she’ll tend to think of it like any other thing she has to learn. Success means learning to behave in the way the program needs her to. Digital technology becomes the immutable thing, while the student is the moving part, conforming to the needs of the program in order to get a good grade on the test”.

 Corollary: Students taught to program see themselves as immutable creators, and see digital technology and its users as the moving parts that conform to their needs, empowering them to control the world around them!

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