should students know the fundamentals?
I think that all students should have some basic knowledge of web languages and the history of the internet. Some students may reject this idea because they believe that coding and the digital world is not something that relates to them or their field of work. However, it’s practically impossible for us to go through school and college without interacting with the internet as technology has become increasingly integrated into school curriculums. While there may not be any absolute use for every single student to know how to code at an advanced level, I think there’s merit in understanding the principles of web-building and having the knowledge to create simple codes.
I also think that there is an importance in educating students on the history of the internet so they don’t take things like Google for granted. There’s value in knowing the process of transformations that occurred to create what we know and use today, and this also allows us to predict future advances. In the book, Enshittification, Doctorow breaks down “zombie platforms” and how they can be used as a tool to manipulate and take advantage of users. He argues, however, that there is a way to resist through “antitrust actions, data-privacy regulations, and the legislation of adversarial interoperability.” Digital literacy and understanding how the internet can work against your interests is something that everyone, not just students, should be aware of.
Class Survey
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prior coding experience
I took Intro CS during Spring term in freshman year where I learnt the basics of coding in Python. I found this class to be challenging as it took a lot of time figuring out how to order and structure the code to create an output that actually worked. I have more experience coding in R through both my Statistics and Economics courses. I use R for more statistical modeling and analysis, and also creating reports. While R can also be a little difficult at times, I find it easier to figure out what exactly I need to do and how to structure my code than I did with Python. Through these classes, not only did I learn how to code, but I also began to understand the process behind how the published economics papers I read for classes were created and the amount of work it takes behind the scenes in order to make the research presentable.