Running Head: Importance of Computer Science

Importance of Computer Science

Importance of Computer Science

Nooradeen Albataineh

Michigan Islamic Academy

 Running Head: Importance of Computer Science

Computer science has exploded in the last 50 years, the amount of progress that

has been made is astonishing. Computers are used everyday. Computer science

introduced different programming languages for different uses. People use computers to

access the internet, web pages on the Internet are based on a special language called

HyperText Markup Language(HTML). The school system is having difficulty

introducing computer science into their classrooms. Learning HTML is only scratching

the surface of what computer science can really do, most opening jobs in will be

computer science related.

HyperText Markup Language is not a phrase that is heard very often, but it is

something that we utilize everyday. It is the computer language that creates websites, and

after they are created are used and viewed by anyone on the Internet. HyperText is what

moves users around the website and the internet, hyper means that it can take you to

anywhere on the internet. Markup is what happens to the text within a HTML tag. HTML

is a language as it uses code words and syntax like any other language.

HTML is made out of a string of code individually called a tag. The code is typed

into a text document like Notepad, that comes with every Windows machine. When the

text is saved as a .html file and opened, it will open up in whatever the default web

browser is for that computer. The tags that were used within the text document will
 Running Head: Importance of Computer Science

translate from code to effects on the website. In order to create what the author of the

website has envisioned, they must use the correct tags. Otherwise the displayed page will

have glitches or missing pieces.

Tags are what make up HTML code and distinguish HTML from a normal text

document. Tags are written between angle-brackets, which are represented by this sign

<>. They are what manipulate a website from behind the scene. Each tag will do

something different to a website; different effects and formatting tags will change the

look and feel of the website. There are simple tags that change very little to the website

such as <br> that will add a break in the lines of the website; it acts similarly to

pressing enter in a word document.

HTML being a new language may sway people away from it, but learning the

basics of HTML can be done in a couple hours. The basics of HTML require knowledge

and understanding of a few simple rules and basics tags. To understand HTML and learn

more tags can take a few days. Like many other things, learning and improving HTML

programming skills only comes with practice. Also, an understanding of what the website

should look like makes things much easier to design.

 Running Head: Importance of Computer Science

HTML is what makes the internet work the way it does. It is important to

understand how the internet works; as it is quickly becoming part of our daily lives.

Understanding the basics of HTML is the same as understanding the basics of anything

else that is used daily, such as a car. We need to understand the basics of how our car

works, how to change a tire, and what to do when a certain warning light turns on. The

same goes for many other things in life. Computers using HTML coding, are being used

everyday.

Computer Science is growing quickly and it is estimated that in the next decade 71

percent of all new jobs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) will

be in computer science("What's Wrong With This Picture?"). Unfortunately, there are very few

good quality computer classes in American high schools, let alone teaching them how to

code("What's Wrong With This Picture?"). For students that would like to learn how to code,

they are paying for classes outside of their schools and are taking these classes on the

weekends. Many people may not have the amount of money that these schools will be asking for,

leading to these children never learning how to code before graduating high school.

One of the main reasons that schools are not teaching computer science, is due to the

primitive public school curriculum ("The Origin Of Education And Mandatory Schooling") Most

schools follow a teaching guide line known as the Common Core and use standardized testing.

There is variation in computer science education in different localities. Different states try to
 Running Head: Importance of Computer Science

categorize computer science under the umbrella of the STEM rather than a separate subject

worthy of its own subject. On a smaller scale, education can vary from class to class as decisions

are being made on the classroom level. In Kentucky, there was an attempt by a lawmaker to

categorize all programming languages like HTML and C++ as a foreign language.

There are many issues surrounding teaching computer science, many are related to

schools not being able to recognize what it is and how it will help their students in the future.

Mike Wynn, The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal -

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/29/ky-computer-code-as-foreign-language/22529629E

ven if a school was able to understand the importance of coding and computer science, there are

other issues that may plague them. Those issues could be that they do not have a computer room,

they do not have room on their schedule for a class, or a lack of funding to offer another course

Hadi Partovi -

http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/why-we-need-to-teach-all-students-computer-science-skills/.

Another issue may be in the very nature of the class, poor school districts may not be able to

afford to buy computers to even be able to offer the class itself.

There are many opening fields in the world of computer science, one of them being

Computer Graphics which is completely revolutionizing the gaming industry. The invention of 3D

printers is allowing creators to see exactly what they have made, toys can be modeled and made

in minutes. Data scientists are people with strong data analytics skills, they take information

from the server that have stored comments and posts from the internet and extract important
 Running Head: Importance of Computer Science

information. This information is used by companies to strategies and used in product

development. There are many other developing fields such as Robotics, Quantum Computing,

and Nanocomputing.

There are some organizations that are trying to teach children the basics of code. Hour of

Code was created by Code.org and is non-profit, their goal for every student to learn code just

like they would learn math and chemistry. Hour of Code was made by Code.org have organized

an annual Hour of Code that teaches about 10% of students in the world and that takes students

through activities that teach them the basics of code.(https://code.org/about) This is one way that

will help expose to students a world that they have not seen, or reveal to them that coding is not

out of reach as they had first thought it was.

HTML is only the tip of the iceberg, it opens many doors to many different fields. It is

important that children are exposed to as many different fields as possible, so that they are able

to make a decision for their future that they will be happy with. School districts must find a way

to categorize and teach students what computer science is.

 Running Head: Importance of Computer Science

References

"What's Wrong With This Picture?". Code.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Hadi Partovi -

http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/why-we-need-to-teach-all-students-computer-science-skills/

Mike Wynn, The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal -

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/29/ky-computer-code-as-foreign-language/22529629/