Learn Code as a First Grader

No the title is not a lie or deception, soon first graders will be taught how to code. Before any nerdy parents get too excited, it is not in America, UK, or even China; the country that will be teaching 100% of first graders to code will be Estonia. (Not your first guess, was it?)

Source: CIA World Factbook

The program is called ProgeTiiger, and will be teaching publicly educated students starting in first grade (7-8 years old there) and throughout their public education (until about 16 years old). Private IT companies are assisting in training and development of the program and students. The goal is to convert kids from technology consumers to technology developers.

I think this is awesome and I hope this will be successful. U.S. public education should see how well ProgeTiiger works and develop a program that can be a model for school systems to be able to adopt. While U.S. companies may not be able to domestically produce physical products at a competitive price, if we add computer science to the public education curriculum then we can lead software development for years to come.

While some public school systems may have computer science classes or even curricula, most are likely limited in scope or funding. (The school system that I graduated from had some form of comp sci class, but it was separate from each high school, at a central school run by the school system for vocational and technical classes.)  If we were to have computer science mandatory or widely accessible in public school, computer and computing-related companies would have more opportunities to grow with a growing number of skilled workers. The computer and software industry could advance in technological development and investment. The companies might be willing to invest in computer education programs in public education, which could decrease some burden on public school systems with limited technological resources.

In conclusion, Estonia will be teaching computer science in public schools from first grade till end of their public education (until about 16 years old). Private companies are assisting in the program and the program will be in 100% of schools. I believe other countries should follow the ideas of this program, by turning consumers into developers, and beyond that better public education in all aspects. This will help Estonia with a competitive advantage over countries without a national computer science education initiative (*cough* America *cough*).

I applaud you Estonia!!

Good job Estonia!
Source: Gifsforum.com

I heard the story from The Philip DeFranco Show (Here is the specific episode) on YouTube.com

Source: Guess who’s winning the brains race, with 100% of first graders learning to code? | VentureBeat

Personal Update

I haven't posted as often as I'd like, and I just want to let anyone who may read this blog that I will be posting in the future.

I was not hibernating or ignoring the blog, but I was distracted and stressed a bit. I was finishing my summer semester,  enjoying the time home, and preparing for the fall semester. I finished my first week of classes and starting to settle in.

I will hopefully start writing more regularly as I get used to my schedule and relax more. If you have anything you might want me to write about, ask or tell me.
In the meantime,  you can listen to some of my favorite music on Spotify here: Starred Music or check out my Last.fm library.

Side note: I still am a little conflicted on the direction I want to take with A Logical Conclusion, (this blog). I haven't decided if I want to be informative, educational, and/or entertaining; or if I will include more personal or reflective posts. Post a comment of what you would like to see in this blog.