Date   : Sun, 02 Apr 2006 18:46:05 +0100
From   : "John" <blip@...>
Subject: Re: Basic & BBC Basic

I can't help feeling that Andy is making the same point about Latin that
Colin is making via BBC Basic. ('Dead languages being useful')

It depends to a degree on the ages of the children, but I for one started on
BBC BASIC and quickly moved on to other forms of BASIC - assembler was too
much effort I'm afraid.

If the children are young, then BBC basic is perfectly adequate, propriety
or not - the key is education and fun. It smacks of political correctness,
albeit in a technical fashion, to argue about what version of Basic it is.

I'd give more weight to Andy's argument for Python for older children,
although I know little about it, it looks similar. Is Python really easy to
learn like BBC Basic Andy? From the kids perspective I mean.

Finally, regarding the point about training and education, although this is
off-topic from the off-topic if you know what I mean - I think the balance
is about right between work experience, training and education. I'm sure
Latin is a fine and dandy subject to study, but competition is still tough
for decent jobs out there and kids have enough pressure to learn as it is.

Let's face it. Kids are too busy learning to text their mates half the time
to even learn good English, let alone the roots of English!

John





-----Original Message-----
From: Majordomo List Manager [mailto:majordomo@...] On Behalf Of
Andy Armstrong
Sent: 02 April 2006 17:18
To: Mark Usher
Cc: 'BBC-Micro Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [BBC-Micro] Basic & BBC Basic

On 2 Apr 2006, at 16:42, Mark Usher wrote:
> The worst things that schools do is to teach people things that
> have little relevance and that are of no use later in life.

You really think that's the worst thing schools do? And how are you  
defining utility?

I'm really glad I learnt Latin. It's had close to zero practical  
utility but it gave me the start of an intellectual toolkit that has  
turned into far more than a bit of vocabulary in a dead language.

> I can't see anything immoral about it. We are talking education for  
> life
> here, not moral values.

I'm not talking about moral education - I'm talking about the morals  
of building education around proprietary systems that are likely to  
change at the market's whim.

> I see more of a problem with sending school leavers
> out into the real world with no experience of what they will face.  
> Give them
> some of the basics that they will need later on, with tools they  
> would be
> expected to be given by employers.

So you're advocating even more training and even less education?

-- 
Andy Armstrong, hexten.net