Skill in computer science is becoming much more of a demand in the American workplace. As more and more companies/industries stress the need for this skill that used to be unique but is becoming more common, the US government has started to take note. In the first few months of 2016, President Obama signed a bill allocating $4 billion to expand the role of computer science in American education, which would expand both instruction of the skills and techniques, but also applications of the science in the classroom. The President regards this bill as a way to help students "get ahead" in the future economy, and have many more employment opportunities available to them. Part of that plan is to utilize the growing popularity of video games among America's youth in the classroom, as a way to generate interest in programming, graphics, and other areas of computer science. A student can take their favorite video game, whether it be a MLB: The Show sports-oriented title or a role-playing adventure game like the Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises, and learn how computer science makes this product, experience, and, to put it simply, fun is possible.
Role of Computer Science:
Whether you are watching World Series coverage on T.V. (see entry 1 of this blog), playing Mario Kart 8 on your brand new Wii U, or taking classes as a junior high student, it is evident that the role of computer science is expanding in today's society. The government is now realizing it's potential as an educational tool, in two ways: Using products produced from computer science for education, and teaching the way those products are created. The video game America's Army was used by the U.S. military in the late 1990s to both recruit new members and eventually to help train existing members. Once it became evident that computer science could be used in this way, it was clear that video games could spark interest in learning the science behind them, and expand the education of computer science in the classroom. As companies continue to push for their employees to have a background in computer science and as the use of the computer continues to expand, education in this field will become more and more vital.
References:
"Gaming likely to be big part of Obama's $4B computer science initiative" - Brian Crecente
http://www.polygon.com/2016/2/5/10923916/obama-computer-science-for-all-video-games
PHOTO LINK: http://www.marietta-city.org/cms/lib07/GA01903590/Centricity/Domain/392/LK-Computer%20Science%20Education%20Week%20001.jpg
Palmer,
ReplyDeleteI believe introducing comsci to students early on is beneficial and inevitable because of all of the technology we use every day. Particularly, in what ways do you think this will affect the generations that come well equipped with computer knowledge?
Palmer,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that computer science will play an expanding role in education. Just in those years, websites such as Udacity, Coursera, and Kahn Academy have provided much more opportunities to people who have no access to these great education resources before. Computer science has lowered the boundary to great education very much.
Palmer,
ReplyDeleteNice blog, computer science in early education as well as late stage can be even more important than one would think. It has a lot of ties to economics and what is called jobless recoveries which leads to structural unemployment. The best way to explain this phenomenon is with an example. Take the most recent recession in the U.S. the 2009 recession also known as the Great Recession. Despite the economy rebounding and getting better, jobs did not return as quickly as they did in previous economic downturns. Many economists believe that this is due to firms investing in computers and machines instead of labor when they have enough money to do so. So continuing the example, lets say in 2009 Ford laid off 1,000 workers at a manufacturing plant, then in 2012 when the economy was recovering Ford rehired only 100 workers and invested the rest of their capital in machinery. Therefore they maintained the same productivity as before, or even greater levels of productivity but with far fewer workers. These 900 workers that did not get rehired are now in what is called structural unemployment. They need to change careers in order to find unemployment. The training of computer scientists is expansion of the tech industry what many economists believe is the best route to fix structural unemployment. A quick note on how this relates to politics and your mentioning of Obama's bill. Frequently during his campaign and recently you heard President Trump talk about how their are too many people out of work, and he wants to keep those companies that are leaving the U.S. from going to Mexico. Did you ever notice that all of those companies are manufacturing plants? All those workers are generally middle class laborers? Most of the time those people are in structural unemployment. A combination of the plans of former President Obama, with his computer education initiative and Presidents Trump's plan to keep more manufacturing in the U.S. should significantly limit structural unemployment.