Any time a new idea comes along, there's always someone who claims everyone needs to learn it, and that it needs to become a part of school curriculum.

In my opinion, the ability to think laterally is far more valuable than the ability to think 'computationally'. The latter is comprised of essentially one pattern of thinking -- procedural -- while the former opens one to an infinite set of patterns with which to think.

The computer is a decent vehicle for exploring patterns or modes of thinking once you've discovered them, but the goal should be to explore the pattern, not the vehicle.