I'll never forget learning basic HyperCard usage in Computer Class in seventh grade... in 2005. My public middle school had just got brand new shiny white iMacs... which they used exclusively to run the Classic Mac (or whatever it was called) emulator, so we could learn HyperCard and use some ancient monochrome typing tutor.

I was always annoyed that "Computer Class" was taught like this--having students follow step-by-step instructions to the letter to "learn" how to use ancient software with almost zero room for creativity or exploration. Trying to "color outside the lines" and use any of these tools for anything other than the explicit purpose of the curriculum was forbidden. I remember recognizing that HyperCard seemed like an old cross between HTML and PowerPoint, and I really wanted to try making a game with it... but my teacher wouldn't allow it. "Computer Class" basically always felt like we were being rigidly instructed how to do the menial white-collar office work of a decade prior, instead of allowing us to unlock our creativity and explore all the cool stuff this fancy new technology could actually do.

I often got the vibe that these teachers really didn't know how to do literally anything with the computers they were teaching us to use, outside of exactly what they were teaching us how to do... and they were afraid that we'd figure out how to use the computers better than them.

What do kids in middle-class public middle schools learn in "Computer Class" these days? Is it still just typing, basic Office use, and HTML4? What's a "Computer Class" like now that everyone carries one around in their pocket at all times?