Date   : Sun, 02 Apr 2006 19:15:28 +0100
From   : Rob <robert@...>
Subject: Re: Basic & BBC Basic

At 17:40 02/04/2006, Mark Usher wrote:

> > 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.
>Glad I learnt it too. It is really useful to me at the moment, and I wish I
>was fluent.
>
>I also wish they had given me more tools for the real world, better social
>skills, tools for business, power through speech, more character building
>exercises, some of these things need to be addressed in education to help
>the youngsters do better for themselves.
>

Hear Hear!
I learned Latin at school too (sort of; failed the O Level, but I'm 
still glad I took it.)  and precious little else.

We had computers - TRS-80's - which we had NO classes about, but were 
able to book half hour slots on at lunchtimes and after school; I 
went in with a listing out of some magazine and was pretty much 
hooked.  That set my direction for life; I've spent the 24 years 
since with my hands inside and on computers..

About 10 years ago, when my daughter was in Primary school, they got 
a new computer room - all fujitsu celerons runing windows - and they 
were taught MS Publisher... up to then they still had BBC micros 
kicking about; I'd even given them another one.  That was the start 
of the rot setting in..

I work with primary age kids at a local cubs group.. we did some 
computer work the other month; I took in a handful of laptops for 
them to do some posters on.  "Have you got Photoshop?" this 9 year 
old girl asks me... (And another one proceeds to draw an amazing room 
scene using just the graphics drawing capabilities of MS WORD, of all things!)

Rob