Computing and scouting

 

The 1990's was the start for many of something Big.

Computing was around in schools from the mid 1980's aided by the Acorn and BBC B home computers that hung around for quite a period so in term the badge scheme in Scouts adapted to that to include some basic (terrible pun!) computing skills as they became seen as more desirable and those early days we wrote or entered code to make the commputer do things.

Computing just got bigger and more user application lead as the crashed into 1995 and Windows 95 with it's emphasis on web based things like email, sites people joined to discuss things and news.

If you were a kid back then, you'd remember Blue Peter started with a website of its own and a feature on this.

What's this has to do with scouting is increasingly we used to communicate having local group sites, and what was covered in the Computing award changed.

The other element does go into wider society and a massive debate in many countries but really the challenge of getting children and young people to get off the smartphone and join the adventure, learning face to face from each other and switch off.

It wasn't that some of skills that applied in the era of the Phone Box didn't cease to be relevantjust now you had to use your phone as widespread usage has decimate phone box provision.