…we have the “Microsoft Carnegie Mellon Center for Computational Thinking.”
From SC Online’s coverage:
Computational thinking, as developed by Jeannette M. Wing, head of Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Department, involves solving problems, designing systems and understanding human behavior by drawing on the concepts fundamental to computer science.
Hmm. Professor Wing is of course set to become the new head of the Computer & Information Science & Engineering Directorate at NSF on 1 July. Oh well, coincidence I’m sure.
The Center
will support research in core computer science areas using an approach called problem-oriented explorations, pioneered by Carnegie Mellon’s ALADDIN Center. Researchers from a variety of fields will address specific, real-world problems; initial topics include privacy, e-commerce, multicore computing and embedded medical devices. In addition, the center will develop and disseminate courses and curricula suitable for graduate and undergraduate students, as well as K-12 classes.
The “Microsoft Carnegie Mellon Center for Computational Thinking”?!? That’s great – I’m sure Carnegie Mellon will now be able to come up with the wrong answer much more quickly than they could before (unless, of course, the M$ security flaw of the day is exploited in a way that takes down their whole cluster).
They are already headed in the wrong direction.
What came first, the computer or the humans that created all that computers are?
To follow the direction of Computational Thinking is to dismiss or ignore the fact that any computation a computer does is something that originates from humans but at best automated in a machine able to calculate the human defined computations faster.
So what you are really doing with computational thinking is thinking in terms of what some other human defined but giving credit to a machine. And thats just plain and simple wrong in fact and ethics.
IS this building upon what others have done really anything new? Not at all as we as a species have been building upon the works of those before us as far back as our history shows.
The slow down in computer science may very well be due to reasons other than what is speculated or theorized. Similar to how there have been so many speculations and theories and claims as to what open source free software is all about and where its headed. From being ignored to being laughed at to even effort to discredit it by the likes of Microsoft (the halloween documents and more up to current SCO tactics MS has been linked to).
Microsoft history does not include that of honestly and fairly educating the end users but rather dumbing them down and supporting the need for an expanded IT department (as opposed to using Macintosh based servers – which are not popular among IT professionals due ease of use).
Ms. Wing extensive background in computer based education is perhaps evidence that she is so entrenched in it to be out of touch with how the rest of us really think.
Perhaps the slow down is due to people becoming disenchanted with all the legal batteling, IP claims and foolish software patents. Not to mention the over complexity of computer systems have been engineered to. Or perhaps it because people are overcoming the dumb down the computer industry has feed them for so long. Or maybe the upgrade entrapment game has contributed to the disenchantment along with daily application frustrations. Perhaps its to some degree all the above and more. Sum total being something to do with silly self respect and moral standing.
At any rate it may be some time before its figured out as denial is a very powerful human defense mechanism. The more vest you are in something the blinder you can be as to it genuine demise cause.
Perhaps there is still a way, but it requires honesty and openness at a very fundamental level. The level of abstraction creation and use. The human characteristic of the abstraction ability.
To the point: Abstraction Physics, the mechanics of abstraction creation and use that is unavoidable and yet definable/programmable in computer functionality terms, where a genuine learning feedback loop can be created. Where entry level ease can once again exist.
See: Abstraction Physics for the basics, foot note links for expansion.