A Framework for Computing Education: Hybrid Interaction System: The need for a bigger picture in computing education

Abstract

This theory and philosophy paper deals with the question how computing education can be framed. Against the background of the explosion in the field of computer science, the question arises as to what should be taught - and this answer is ultimately related to the normative questions as to why should be taught. The framework presented in the paper is intended to discuss this question from the perspective of educational theory. Our approach does not start by trying to capture "the nature of the discipline" as is usually done, but by asking what we need for "educating the nation's young". This does not mean that educational considerations should exclude the discipline, certainly it is still the primary reference, but not the only one. In our framework, education is understood as transformation of self-perception and world-perception. Based on this understanding of education, more precisely Bildung, we approach the question of what is a useful general educational perspective about computing, and what and above all why it should be taught in schools. Our answer is a didactic model that pursues the central idea of a reciprocal interaction between a human and a digital artefact.