Computing education that doesn't compute

The current UK debate on Computing in schools is driven by a specific issue: what should form the basis of a modern Computing education. It’s a perfect storm that has been brewing for some time, but the recent comments of Eric Schmidt, the chairman of Google, have moved it into the political arena. Currently, the mandatory educational component of Computing (from years 11 to 16) is taught as Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) – effectively, Digital Literacy – which sees Computing, in a teleological light, as a tool that drives society.