Zuckerberg Shows Kindergartners Ruby Instead of JavaScript

theodp writes "If one was introducing coding to 10 million K-12 kids over 5 days, one might settle on a programming language for examples more than a few weeks before D-Day. But the final tutorials for the Hour of Code aren't due now until the day they're to be taught, so Code.org was able to switch the example Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg uses to illustrate Repeat Loops from JavaScript to what looks like Ruby (earlier /. discussion of the JavaScript example), which will no doubt make things clearer for the kindergarten set working on the accompanying Angry Birds tutorial. Khan Academy, on the other hand, is sticking with JavaScript for its Hour of Code tutorial aimed at middle-schoolers, which culminates in a project showing the kids how they can draw a circular plate by invoking an ellipse function with equal major and minor axes. By the way, as Bret Victor might point out, the 2013 Khan Academy lesson looks a lot like circa-1973 PLATO!"

Lazy kids

[nbritton]

Kids today are lazy. Back in my day, knowing assembly language was a pre-kindergarten requirement.

My 5 year old says "Pft. Lamers."

[stonebit]

He says it's all C or nothing. C++ if you're weak but want to look cool. I can't believe how hard core he is. I had no idea 5 year olds could form such hard ideals about programming. He says at school, all the kids who use Java are picked on. Some of the teachers tried to front Ruby, but they just got all up in her grill.

hmmm

[buddyglass]

So this is kind of like letting them play with elemental mercury instead of chewing on chips of lead paint.

Re:Lazy kids

[Guppy06]

I worked with machine language in elementary school!

(We used discarded punchcards in arts and crafts.