What could be the best way to introduce the world of computers to a kid, let’s say of 6 years old, so that he learns to handle it like a toy and stops dreading it like some esoteric, arcane and recondite machine from some eldritch, enigmatic, cryptic and phantasmal world ?

  • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    11 hours ago

    I started with a VIC-20 at twice that age. In the 80s computers were viewed as somewhat magical, a bit scary. Took a 2-week summer camp on programming BASIC and two things they told us made me feel way better.

    You can’t physically destroy the computer typing at the keyboard. I took that to mean no matter how badly I screwed up, the problem could be unscrewed.

    It’s a dumb machine, no brains, period. That means you are in control of it. Some people could use that lesson today. 🫤