Re: Teaching programming
Bruce Carter (bcarter@mentor.idbsu.edu)
Thu, 18 Jul 1996 18:04:54 EDT
>>How about using HTML as a programming language, well for the basics.
>><-8
>>I had second graders experimenting with the <hr>, <center>, and heading
>><h1>-<h6> attributes last year. Tables and forms this coming year.
>>Is that true programming? I do not know. However, it is using abstract
>>symbols and words to get a computer to do something cool. <;
>
>Yes, it is programming, and in a useful way. The days of teaching FORTRAN
>and BASIC are past. Even Pascal is marginal other than in the high school.
>We are only teaching html, Logo and HyperStudio as "programming" languages
>and will probably start doing some Java.
HTML is in no way a programming language. How are you going to teach the
concept of variables in HTML? Or of passing parameters to subroutines? Or
anything having to do with object orientation, control and looping
structures, or basically anything else that an introductory programming
course is supposed to teach? It is a markup language, and a subset of a
larger one (SGML) at that.
--
Bruce Carter, Division Head Instructional Development Division
Simplot/Micron Instructional Technology Center (208)385-1851@voice
Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 (208)385-1856@fax
http://mentor.idbsu.edu/BruceCarter/home.html bcarter@mentor.idbsu.edu