British Teen Crowned Excel World Champion

judgecorp writes "A 15-year old British schoolgirl won $5000 for being fastest at Excel at a contest in San Diego. Turns out she has extra lessons in Microsoft products, at her school, which specializes in computing. Congratulations to her — but shouldn't a school be teaching actual computing, instead of how to use commercial products?"

Hooray!

[wiedzmin]

She shall go on to become the most famed "administrative assistant" I'm sure.

Nothing wrong with using common tools ...

[perpenso]

but shouldn't a school be teaching actual computing, instead of how to use commercial products?

There is nothing wrong with using common tools, even commercial ones. If you are going to teach someone to use a spreadsheet why not use the spreadsheet commonly found in businesses? The Tektronix oscilloscopes I used in the University were same I saw at work a few years later. The printing presses I learned to use in high school were the same make/model that I saw in the back of a local print shop that I visited to pick up product packaging (boxes) a few years after HS.

Also what do you mean by "teaching

Re:

[ThorGod]

I think he wanted her to sort, add, and manipulate her figures in their binary representations, directly.

Having said that, I'd be all for teaching kids Python, R, and SQLite. (They may or may not understand it until after their bachelor's work in math/CS, how ever.)

hot+british

[ThorGod]

She's hot and British, let her enjoy her prize. /sarcasm/

Bill should have her redesign the user experience

[tb199]

Gates should give her a job, even if she hasn't read all 4 volumes of TAOCP

Excel Girl

[JenningsH]

Not common to see a British person winning a price which has to do with computing..! Well done