Computational Thinking: an essential literacy

Imagine we are living 200 or so years ago, when reading and writing was the privilege of the elite - bureaucrats, business magnates, and priests - and everyone else received oral education and training sufficient to carry on the tasks and culture of their social class. What was the fate of the individuals who didn't learn to read and write? What were the implications for democracy? Last year, visiting Boston for the BLC Conference, I stood looking up at the inscription on the north side of the Boston Public Library, from 1895: "The commonwealth requires the education of the people as the safeguard of order and liberty". I felt a sense of awe. Yes, this is exactly why I do what I do.

We are in need of a similar sentiment, here at the start of digital age, to promote computer science education to ensure full participation in our democracy. The techno-elite know how to manipulate politics, the legal system, and business for their own advantage, and the rest of us (including many politicians and decision-makers) are ignorant of how we are being used to keep the rich and powerful firmly in place. That is, except for forums like Reddit or Slash-Dot, or technology blogs like BoingBoing, ReadWriteWeb, and others, who pride themselves on their understandings of how computing and computer systems work. These groups successfully stopped the US "Stop Online Piracy Act" in early 2012, because they understood the implications of the legislation for the free and open Internet, freedom of speech, and access to information in general.

Back in Boston, the impression I got from wandering through the streets, museums and graveyards was that the original Boston Tea-partiers weren't above taking the law into their own hands, and they are now greatly admired for their passionate commitment to the same ideals that motivate groups like Anonymous today. Personally, I would rather have decisions made by democratically elected politicians and mainstream lobbyists who have an understanding of the Internet equal to Anonymous, than rely on a vigilante group to protect my rights. Anonymous scares me quite a lot - vigilantism in general frighten me - but the thing about Anonymous is they stand up for ideals like free speech, rational thought, access to information and ideal-based decision-making. And they sure know their stuff when it comes to computer science. Right now, I don't know who else we've got with that combination of ideals and understanding.

Yikes.