{"id":2283,"date":"2012-06-13T09:43:19","date_gmt":"2012-06-13T15:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=2283"},"modified":"2014-09-12T11:48:48","modified_gmt":"2014-09-12T17:48:48","slug":"stretching-your-mind-arguing-for-multiple-programming-languages-for-designers-computing-education-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2012\/06\/13\/stretching-your-mind-arguing-for-multiple-programming-languages-for-designers-computing-education-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Stretching your mind: Arguing for multiple programming languages for designers \u00ab Computing Education Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span><p><a href=\"http:\/\/computinged.wordpress.com\/2012\/06\/13\/stretching-your-mind-arguing-for-multiple-programming-languages-for-designers\/\">Stretching your mind: Arguing for multiple programming languages for designers \u00ab Computing Education Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Well worth repeating. Also, something I&#8217;ve been saying for years.<\/p>\n<p>This is from <a href=\"http:\/\/jrubyconf.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">jruby 2012<\/a> and the keynote by <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#%21\/venkat_s\">Venkat Subramaniam<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Knowing multiple programming languages changes how we design software in any language. It changes how we think about solutions. Most important, it changes how we <em>perceive<\/em> the world. This is something that monolingual programmers often do not appreciate. When we know several languages well, we see problems &#8212; and solutions &#8212; differently.<\/p>\n<p>Why learn a new language now, even if you don&#8217;t need to? So that you can learn a new language more quickly later, when you do need to. Subramaniam claimed that the amount of time required to learn a new language is inversely proportional to the number of languages a person has learned in last ten years. I&#8217;m not sure whether there is any empirical evidence to support this claim, but I agree with the sentiment. I&#8217;d offer one small refinement: The greatest benefits come from learning different <em>kinds<\/em> of language. A new language that doesn&#8217;t stretch your mind won&#8217;t stretch your mind.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-2283'><a class='like' href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(2283);\" title='' ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-likes\/images\/like.png\" alt='' border='0'\/><\/a><span class='text'>Be the first to like.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class='like' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(2283);\">Like<\/a><\/div>\n<div class='unlike' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.unlike(2283);\">Unlike<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>Stretching your mind: Arguing for multiple programming languages for designers \u00ab Computing Education Blog. &nbsp; Well worth repeating. Also, something I&#8217;ve been saying for years. This is from jruby 2012 and the keynote by Venkat Subramaniam. Knowing multiple programming languages &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2012\/06\/13\/stretching-your-mind-arguing-for-multiple-programming-languages-for-designers-computing-education-blog\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9,14,24],"tags":[164,6,393],"class_list":["post-2283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational-technology","category-general","category-teaching-learning","tag-computational-thinking","tag-computer-science","tag-teaching-learning"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Hsb6-AP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":768,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2010\/07\/10\/hello-worlds-why-humanities-students-should-learn-to-program-matthew-g-kirschenbaum\/","url_meta":{"origin":2283,"position":0},"title":"A Programming Language does NOT count as a second language","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"July 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Although I still think learning several is good for you. Hello Worlds (why humanities students should learn to program) \u00ab Matthew G. Kirschenbaum. (May 23, 2010) While I do agree with some of what he says, his misconceptions convince me that there is more to learning about Informatics (I don't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1365,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2010\/10\/16\/what-do-programming-languages-and-educational-technologies-have-in-common\/","url_meta":{"origin":2283,"position":1},"title":"What do programming languages and educational technologies have in common?","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"October 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Quite a lot as it turns out. They are both tools used to solve problems. Both are complex. Both inspire cult-like emotional attachments to specific tools. Practitioners in both fields are still looking for the panacea that will allow people without knowledge, experience, or imagination to produce stuff that can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2308,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2012\/06\/16\/the-end-user-view-of-technology-not-good-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":2283,"position":2},"title":"The End-User View of Technology &#8211; Not Good Enough","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"June 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Sadly, this is the POV (point of view = perspective) that most teachers have. I don't blame them - it's not really their fault. On the other hand, the professors who teach them should know better. Them I do blame. They're the ones who decide what you need to know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":204,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2009\/08\/14\/is-computer-science-dead\/","url_meta":{"origin":2283,"position":3},"title":"Is Computer Science Dead?","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"August 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Just heard on Mark Guzdial's blog that \"Georgia Tech\u2019s College of Computing is now considering a proposal to remove Smalltalk from the required curriculum in favor of C++.\" This is another nail in the coffin of CS. There is great value to learning many languages, not the least of which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/computers-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5612,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/09\/13\/worth-a-read-computer-science-courses-that-dont-exist-but-should\/","url_meta":{"origin":2283,"position":4},"title":"Worth a Read: Computer Science Courses that Don&#8217;t Exist, But Should","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"September 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A list by\u00a0James Hague: CSCI 2100: Unlearning Object-Oriented Programming Discover how to create and use variables that aren't inside of an object hierarchy. Learn about \"functions,\" which are like methods but more generally useful. Prerequisite: Any course that used the term \"abstract base class.\" CSCI 3300: Classical Software Studies Discuss\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CT23","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/CT231.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2162,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2012\/05\/07\/struggle-continues-to-plug-embedded-programming-gap\/","url_meta":{"origin":2283,"position":5},"title":"Struggle continues to plug embedded programming gap","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"May 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cTo be blunt,\u201d Dewar wrote, \u201cadopting Java to replace previous languages used in introductory programming courses \u2013 such as Pascal, Ada, C or C++ -- was a step backward pedagogically. via Struggle continues to plug embedded programming gap. I started saying this over a decade ago. I even did embedded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2283"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4457,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283\/revisions\/4457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}