(Some) Grand challenges of computer science education in the digital age: A socio-cultural perspective

Yifat Ben David Kolikant*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to articulate (some of) the grand challenges that computer science education (CSE) at the school level faces in the digital age. Based on the socio-cultural theoretical idea that learning means entering a culture, I suggest viewing schooling as an encounter between intertwined cultures. Computer science (CS) students can be viewed as members of many intertwined cultures: (a) they are newcomers to the professional computing culture, but (b) most are also old timers in a "user" culture, living in a world surrounded by informationcommunication technologies (ICT), and also have informal learning experience (and values) within ICT, mostly from out-ofschool experience; and finally, (c) they are members of the school culture which itself is currently in a process of transformation due to the digital age). Using this framework, I discuss two interrelated grand challenges of CSE in K-12 school levels: (1) the need to adjust the CS curriculum to better overlap with lifelong learning skills; and (2) the need to better learn the characteristics of the "digital" generation and attune education to address these needs.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings - 7th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education, WiPSCE 2012
Pages86-89
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
Event7th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education, WiPSCE 2012 - Hamburg, Germany
Duration: 8 Nov 20129 Nov 2012

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference7th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education, WiPSCE 2012
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityHamburg
Period8/11/129/11/12

Keywords

  • Challenges in CSE
  • Cultural encounter
  • Digital age
  • K-12
  • Sociocultural theories

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