Leveling Up
Written on June 14, 2012.
Like I said last week, our world is permeated with technology. It starts in childhood by teaching kids the importance of computer programming and proceeds right into old age with digital health initiatives – and all of it is enabled by continually advancing hardware and software.
For the next generation to take advantage of next-gen technology, they need to start early. Like five years-old early. Carlos Bueno, a programmer at Facebook, has written a new book called Lauren Ipsum (a play on the Greek words Lorem Ipsum that serve as placeholders on design mockups of brochures and websites). The book teaches kids to think about computer programming. Not to actually program, mind you, but to think about the concepts behind computer programming. According to an article on wired.com, Bueno says, “The first step to controlling your life in the modern world is understanding computers.”
I agree with Bueno, especially when I look at how quickly technology has changed just in the last 20 years. In the 90s, for instance, we couldn’t imagine the need for digital identity protection. But now, as we sign in to electronic banking sites, stock trading sites, or even our Facebook accounts, we can never be sure that hackers or malware aren’t lurking. Kids who learn early on about technology and how to think in metaphor, which Bueno says is a key part of learning computer science, will be well positioned to take advantage of changing technology – so that unlike Bueno himself, who began his working life as a VCR repairman until commodity pricing rendered that career choice obsolete, today’s kids will simply roll with the times. From x86 to Pentium to 3rd generation Intel Core vPro processors, kids with a solid foundation in technology will be able to be tech creators rather than consumers.
XML or Cold Fusion (You didn’t think we meant the code, did you?)? What languages do you think will take tech to next level? Let me know here or on Twitter @Eric_D_Townsend.
Eric Townsend is Director of MSP and SMB Marketing for Intel Corporation. You can contact Eric at activation@intelmsp.com.
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