From Heise Online.... -ac
Calls for computer science to be made compulsory subject in German schools
On the background of leaks of results of the new study by the "Program for International Student Assessment" (PISA) -- a program developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to assess the reading, mathematics and science literacy of 15-year-olds in all participating countries -- the German Gesellschaft für Informatik [Computer Science Association] (GI)) yesterday called for the adoption of measures to combat the "digital divide" in Germany and for the foundations of an understanding of modern digital tools to be laid in early education. As the PISA studies and the study "Trends in International Mathematics and Science" (TIMSS; formerly known as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, undertaken by the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement [IEA]) have shown German pupils in terms of educational accomplishments are in many subjects average at best. Badly needed innovations, ideas and developments required creatively thinking minds extensively educated in the basic cultural techniques, the Association noted. Besides reading, writing and arithmetic the competent handling of digital media had meanwhile established itself as a fourth basic cultural technique, GI president Matthias Jarke said in Bonn.
Although meanwhile 83 percent of 14-to-18-year-olds in Germany were able to use the Internet, "there is more to handling a computer in a responsible fashion than being able to open a Web page or write an e-mail," Mr. Jarke pointed out. For this reason the Association was calling for computer science to be made a compulsory subject at all general schools in Germany, for it to be made a fixture at the senior grammar school level and for it to be accorded the status of a fully-fledged examination subject at all secondary schools. What was more, the GI was demanding that the subject of computer science be only taught by teachers who had been properly educated or properly further educated in the subject.
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/53547
-- ----------------------------------- Andy Carvin Program Director EDC Center for Media & Community acarvin @ edc . org http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org Blog: http://www.andycarvin.com -----------------------------------
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