Well my kid is in school, and already before first grade they're "programming" a teaching assistant in a robot suit. I think that's great, but like everything else in the list it's just superficial. You're not in school to become a programmer any more than you are to become a journalist or physicist. It's just an intro, and chances are a lot will be upturned when you're older.

The thing is most of those things are practical skills that everyone is going to need. And just like when there people who couldn't read, there are now people who don't know what the little X in the top right corner of Excel does. Sure, school should teach you "elementary thinking skills" but a lot of what goes on is just practical.

I also think not having those practical skills is going to demotivate people. How often do kids give up on something because of mundane reasons? If you're comfortable with using the machine, maybe you'll find it easier to persevere through tougher material. Ideally you'll pick up something useful as well as a reasonable idea of what lies down the line.