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Menampilkan postingan yang diurutkan menurut relevansi untuk kueri technology. Urutkan menurut tanggal Tampilkan semua postingan
Menampilkan postingan yang diurutkan menurut relevansi untuk kueri technology. Urutkan menurut tanggal Tampilkan semua postingan

Change Doesn't Mean Progress

As Tim Stahmer so aptly says, change doesn't mean progress.

As Robert Madden says,

"Given that just one of those is reason enough to embrace technology in the classroom, why are some people using standardized test scores to seemingly justify its integration?  By using test scores as a justification we are giving them an importance that I don’t think many of us believe or would want others to. "
The Hand
The human hand. A beautiful thing. 123 bones. 29 major and minor bones. 29 major joints. 48 names nerves. 30 named arteries.

One out of six disabling work injuries involves the fingers.

It is important. It helps us manipulate our world.


The hand has helped the sick from the gutter and fed the poor. The hand has caressed lovers and been raised in the salute. It has built homes and driven cars. It has even made cars. Lots of good has come from the hand.

The hand has killed, maimed, and tortured other human beings. It has pushed buttons that have deployed nuclear weapons and biological terrors. It has harmed the tiniest, most fragile human beings and slapped people into submissions. Lots of bad has come from the hand.

Yet never in humankind have we debated whether the hand should exist. We do not blame the hand (except in some brutal societies) when someone does something terrible. Nor, do we give the hand credit when greatness is achieved.  All credit and condemnation goes to the person behind the hand.

That is because the hand is just a tool.

The Technology
Technology is an amazing creation. It can do so many things and is so versatile. We cannot count the types of ways it can connect us. . The ways we can use it to create seem endless. So many things.

Technology can be used in so many good ways. To free minds like that of Stephen Hawking. To reach kids who are unreachable otherwise. To save human life. To help people find their perfect match. So much good has come from technology.

Technology can be used in so many bad ways. To waste time. To have people focus on it instead of more important tasks like driving or listening to your child. To usurp time that could be used for other things. To detonate a bomb. So much bad has come from technology.

And yet, we are still so starry eyed at this new creation that we do not see that technology is a lot like the hand.

iPads are improving test scores! Well, give me a bunch of iPads and I can let them play games all day and I'll show you a school with test scores that will plummet.

A complex tool that can be used for either good or bad.

Why on earth in humankind are we debating whether technology should exist? We blame technology  when someone does something terrible. Nor, do we often give technology the credit when greatness is achieved. 

In reality, all credit and condemnation goes to the person behind the technology.


That is because technology is just a tool.

If the hands are used to manipulate the technology and we do not give hands the credit, then we should not give technology the credit either.

It is time to start focusing on the best and worst uses of technology and to get past this starry eyed wonder that has knocked all common sense out of mankind.

Just because it uses technology doesn't mean it is progress. Just because it uses technology doesn't mean it improves learning.

Let's give technology a hand up by getting to the real reason we are here. To improve education.

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Does Everyone Need to Understand Technology? You be the Judge

Wi-Fi Alliance logoImage via WikipediaWe don't just need tech geeks who understand technology we need doctors, lawyers, lawmakers, teachers, workers, and my goodness we need judges.

Update on July 5: I have a backchannel conversation going on with a lawyer who is helping me understand the nuances of what this judge has written. I still admit that I don't understand how radio is not radio, but what I'm learning is that the original law is written in such a way that it did not even consider that wi-fi could emerge and now we're stuck with archaic laws and trying to make modern technology work through. My intent was not to demean this particular judge or this profession. My favorite uncle is a lawyer.

A judge has just segmented radio communications in a way that has many in technology circles scratching their heads. According to the Technology & Law marketing Blog:

  This case is a fairly typical "technological convergence" case where we try to interpret technological terms in a statute in light of unanticipated technological evolution. Congress couldn't conceive of private WiFi back in 1986, so the statute doesn't fit the technology very well. Personally, in light of modern sensibilities, I think "radio" most naturally means the entire wireless spectrum. Judge Ware saw it differently and found reasons to separate out pieces of the spectrum for differential statutory application. I could see other judges reading the term more broadly on appeal.

This reminds me of when someone spoofed my email and sent over 100,000 email messages to people in my state saying "come see me here nude" (trying to defame me) back in 1996 and no one would do anything because no one understood what I was talking about. We need people of all professions to understand and work with technology.

The bottom line is that we now have laws written some time a go and judges who have to struggle with the technology to interpret those laws and we're coming up with pretty convoluted, hard to understand things that go against common sense.

How do we update? I think it starts with us as educators.We have to make sure our students understand technology so that they can go on to be lawmakers, lawyers, judges, teachers, and all professions who can help us upgrade our world (including the laws that govern us.)

Do your students understand?

The question for you as an educator is: if a student graduated from your high school would they understand what wi-fi is and how it works?

If they graduated from your college would they know this?

One who does not understand technology increasingly looks uneducated no matter their field. This includes education, my friends.

This is increasingly important if for nothing else, the nature of the blogerati who by-nature are techno-literate,  cover non technology fields like law or politics and a person makes an obvious technology bumble, they are all over it like flies on yesterday's watermelon rind.

Those who have labeled such things "geek" and put them in a box that shall only be opened by those social misfits who dare not show their face at Friday night's football game- are doing their schools, families, and friends a disservice. It is time to stop talking "geek" and just talk about things we need to know. We didn't call a person who liked to fix cars a geek when that revolution happened. They were welcomed as people who brought benefit to us all.

We also need to have people who don't think they know everything and can look for more information when they are lacking. While talking to my husband about this in the car, he said,
"A truly educated person is one who recognizes his limitations and knows when to go find answers."
Exactly.

Time to stop labeling and start learning. Technology is here to stay and just going faster. It isn't that hard to understand if you take the time to look past the jargon and know that this is understandable even though it is invisible.

Update: I rarely edit posts, however, when I do I let you know. I have been talking to someone who feels that I disrespected the judge in this case in a way that was demeaning and that I did not have a full grasp on the issue. First of all, I admit that this case is a bit more confusing that it seemed to be initially from my reading. However, I also want to point out that others are much more harsh than I was on this case.

That being said, it is important that all people are treated with respect. I do think this judge spent hours and is trying to do a good job. He is working with an antiquated law. Does it mean that the law is to blame or the judge or anyone? I was once in a wreck where a lady hit me because she was playing with her poodle. My car was damaged even though it wasn't my fault. I do think that this could be one of those lose-lose circumstances. Judge Ware may be right as rain but the original law stinks and thus his interpretation which may be truer to justice still smacks of a misunderstanding of radio.

The most important thing is that I choose to be respectful here. I'm not perfect nor will I ever be. If I make a mistake, I'll work hard to correct it. I cannot guarantee that I'll agree with you nor you with me but we can disagree in a way that brings honor to the human race.

I've edited, but the point still stands: we all need to understand technology. We are living in a society that is having a struggle transitioning to a digital world and we all need to know not only how technology works but how to treat people in a respectful manner.  
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Can't we just "integrate it everywhere?"

Yes, technology should be in every course. Of course. 

But to be everywhere it must also be understood everywhere. The fact is that right now (particularly in the US) teachers are stressed, budgets are stressed, and to just cut technology courses and say "Oh, we're going to integrate it everywhere" without a plan is really saying "we're not going to use technology as much."

Getting Rid of Computer Class

Many people are going the way of getting rid of "computer class" but I have found that technology should be specifically TAUGHT kind of like we teach "handwriting" - handwriting is important enough to grade separately when there is something that must be mastered - it moves off the "report card" when it is just part of what we do. Without the grade in handwriting - this vital skill is lost.

So, as something is needed to be added to the student's toolset you have to focus on it. i.e. making videos, voicethread, wikis, collaborative writing, blogging, podcasting, editing audio, etc. and then it becomes just something you "do" like writing a paper. You're always adding aspects to it and improving it.

I know a school down the road that got rid of "computer" and put in Latin. Their reasoning was "if the kids need to know how to use PowerPoint they can come in at 7:30."  OK, well, what about global collaboration, digital citizenship, visual literacy, copyright? Oh, I see, let the Latin teacher do that? Oh, all teachers should do that? Well, they should but is it realistic?

There is what SHOULD happen and what DOES happen and all of us realists out here know that most of us have a long way between the SHOULD and the DO.

Don't we let one teacher at the elementary level FOCUS on handwriting? Shouldn't we let a teacher FOCUS on keyboarding. We reap what we sow.


Where Are We Going?
After coming back from China I realize many of us just don't get it here in the US. My students saw fifth graders doing what some of my seniors can't do -- they are controlling the stop motion camera mounted on their soccer field and capturing frames and giving feedback to the players of what they are doing! They live and breathe all kinds of media and have someone in ICT. I do think that the  International Baccalaureate Program  has an excellent framework that is influencing what I do here.



Learn from the Best.
We cannot look at those who are lagging but at those who are the best. Because of budget cuts many are settling. We cannot afford to settle at this point - I'm talking to US teachers - most likely our economy will be the second largest in the world in the next 8 years and I've seen what our children MUST be able to do.

We must move forwards not backwards. 

Sure we have to do it with less money and more sweat of the brow but goodness knows, it is time to stop blaming other people and whining. Throughout the generations tough times happen and those with great character rise to the occasion.




Be the Best.
That being said - I think most "computer classes" are hugely lacking in what they cover and often use computer software to teach what humans are better at teaching (i.e. keyboarding) and humans to teach what real-life experience can teach better (digital citizenship learning experiences, true global collaborative projects.) Sometimes we use books to teach what well designed projects would teach better (i.e. the effective use of software - point and click teaching is a WASTE of time!)

We need to follow best practices and set as our goal to be the best!


Better Your Best.
I've said a lot here and have to add that we're not perfect here either but I know where we are working towards and it is towards INTEGRATION in every class AND focused experiences to learn how to use these tools at a younger and younger age. I'd be happy if our first graders could type and make videos - but that isn't going to be possible yet so I"ll be happy w/ voicethread.


What Technology Lets You Do.
It is, however, NEVER about the technology but what it lets you do. I like Voicethread because students can easily use their voice. If they can learn to TALK in a topic sentence then when they are ready to construct paragraphs by hand - the concept is in their mind already. Anything to help bring multisensory learning and expression to differentiate and reach all students should be what we do - but it shouldn't be done some here some there.

As Chris Lehman says, technology should be like air. Ubiquitous, everywhere, invisible.

When Invisibility Happens



But it doesn't become INVISIBLE until everyone knows how to do it. Air is invisible because we all know how to breathe and it is everywhere. Technology is not invisible because it is NOT everywhere and when it is there, many do not know how to breathe it into their mode of teaching.

Time to Get Moving
Those of you who have heard me speak will recognize this - but it has to be said. The fact that you are reading a blog puts you in the minority!

You can't do it all, but you can do something.

The question is not how you compare to the teacher down the hall but how do you compare with yourself yesterday, last week, last month, last year? Are you improving yourself?

Sometimes we are too busy having a pity party to get ourselves busy and head towards that victory party!

Look at the thinking that is holding you back. Move ahead. Be creative. Let's get moving.

And until it becomes like air and we integrate it everywhere -it is going to take time. And when it becomes like air and is integrated everywhere remember that you'll still have transfer students! ;-)

This post is extracted from a conversation I've been having with Michael Rhodes, Director of Technology of High Meadows School in Roswell, Georgia through the MISBO buying consortium. I'm very happy that my small school has joined MISBO. This nonprofit group that I found out through a chance seat on a plane trip from ISTE last year has helped us buy technology at DRASTICALLY reduced rates. It is a buying consortium for small schools or independent schools. I highly recommend it and NO, they don't pay me. ;-)




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Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 05/28/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Virginia Tech Prof to Skype with Burma's resistance leader on Monday

 Tomorrow, Monday, December 7 at 7pm Eastern Standard Virginia Tech professor and his World Regions class will be interviewing Burmese resistance leader,Aung Sun Sun Kyi, via Skype. Boyer managed to turn a YouTube video  request into the interview.

I received a letter from a former student of his that tells the story very well and have decided to print this letter in entirety. I like the letter because it not only shows how his students value this but his students are using their social media knowledge to help their former professor and I want to help them and help him. We look forward to viewing the video and learning.

And thus, is great teaching in action. Great teachers are now syndicators (sp?) of content. Great teachers share. Great teachers teach us all.

A Letter About My Favorite Professor
from former student Jessy Irwin

I'm writing because I want to publicize the incredible work that one of my favorite college professors is doing with social media in his World Regions class at Virginia Tech. He is John Boyer, an instructor in the Department of Geography in the College of Natural Resources and he's an exceptionally passionate educator who thrives on engaging and communicating with his students through social media. For the third time in a row, he has successfully managed to turn a YouTube video from his super-sized class of 3,000 into a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity for his students.

In the past, Professor Boyer has used viral YouTube tactics to lure the likes of Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez to Virginia Tech to discuss their film "The Way", and he even convinced wine aficionado, social media guru and businessman Gary Vaynerchuk to stop through Blacksburg while on a book tour during the Spring 2011 semester. Much of that happened with little fanfare or attention from the university or the Blacksburg, VA community of which he is a member. This time, though, Boyer has turned a World Regions professor's dream into reality-- he managed to turn a YouTube video request to Aung Sun Suu Kyi, leader of the resistance movement in Burma, into an hour long Skype interview with her and his class. 

Having been recently been liberated from 30 years of house arrest imposed on her by dictator Than Shwe,  Suu Kyi recently met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and is regularly courted by foreign media for interviews. That she could be convinced by the sheer enthusiasm of 3,000 students half a world away from her is to take the time for an interview is a poignant example of how social media and technology can enhance and enrich student experience in ways never before possible. Professor Boyer is working to open a live-feed of the Skype interview for educators and interested parties, though the event may also be live-streamed by various Asian media outlets

Professor Boyer isn't just active on YouTube-- he maintains a course website and a UStream channel through which he conducts weekly online office hours, he uses a Facebook page to announce course events to his class, and he uses his own Twitter account in addition to a backchannel Twitter hashtag to communicate with his 3,000 students. His course material even includes regular uploads of his podcasts as the Plaid Avenger, a Jon Stewart-inspired, schwingy superhero who travels the world in pursuit of international justice. Though this is a higher education example of technology integration in the classroom, more teachers need to hear about the work that he and other professors are doing with technology. At one point in his career, students were barely showing up to his class, which could be used to fulfill a university curriculum requirement for graduation-- now, he begins each semester with huge wait lists of students every semester who want to take his class as an elective but for whom there isn't enough room.

I could go on and on and on about the work that Boyer and his assistant Katie Pritchard do. His educational use of technology to leave Virginia and pursue a career in social media + educational technology in the Silicon Valley. While this story takes place within the context of higher education, much can still be gleaned from how social media and technology integration can enhance the efforts of an effective, engaging educator and enrich a student's learning experience. At a time when so many question the effectiveness of technology adoption and whether it is making a difference in education, Professor Boyer's provides a concrete example of technology's potential and ability to positively change the classroom for the better. Alternately, while higher education is usually outside of the realm of standardized curriculum and assessments, this particular educational technology success story serves also as an example of technology-facilitated learning that may well be immeasurable within the confines of today's standardized testing.

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A Future Vision for Education- Few High Cost Teacher Leaders assisted by Many Low Cost Teacher Aids

A reader emailed me a story from The Blaze on education reform that I'd like to comment on:

Terry Moe, one of the leading experts in education reform in the country, professor of political science at Stanford University, fellow at the Hoover Institution, and author of the newly released Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America’s Public Schools, has a message for the teachers unions:

Rest In Peace, because your days are numbered...

...Moe argues that the incredibly massive revolution in information technology will deliver a death blow to teachers unions. In this profile of his life and impact on the education reform movement, Moe says:

“In the final analysis, what technology requires is a substitution of technology for human labor. Computers will do a lot of what teachers do now.” Jumping forward in his chair, he lights up: “Technology is cheap. Labor is really expensive. Education has always been very labor intensive, so if our education system can substitute technology for labor and still provide kids with high quality education, then great!”

Moe explains that technology will fundamentally change the politics of education. “In the future, we will have fewer teachers per student. This means fewer union members per student. Also, teachers don’t have to be concentrated in the same geographic place—because when students do their learning online, their teachers can be anywhere. This fragmentation and dispersion will make it harder for unions to organize.”...
After further analysis, I agree with some of what Mr. Moe argues but disagree about his fundamental point.

I agree that in the future, we will have fewer teachers and teachers will be geographically spread out, because skilled teachers will more aggressively use technology and cheap assistants to deliver higher quality instruction to more students at lower costs. In my vision of future teaching, rather than one-size-fits all bureaucratic statist-produced cookie-cutter teachers, you'll get expert lead teachers who produce the lessons and deliver the instruction via webcams and the internet to classrooms all over the nation, where cheaper and less trained and skilled teacher aids will support and assist in the instruction deliver by the lead teacher. Oh, I know there are some wrinkles still to iron out in the process like how to interact with all of these students, how to grade all the students the same, how to run activities and group projects and simulations, etc- but if Mr. Moe is correct and technology continues to advance as rapidly as it is, these wrinkles can be ironed out in time.

But having fewer teachers and having them geographically spread out will not necessarily mean that the unions will decrease in influence and authority- in fact, I imagine that the geographically-based lower paid teacher aides will become a powerful union of low-skilled labor who needs to continue to organize and collectively bargain while the high-skilled non-geographically based teacher leaders freelance and sell their skills to the highest bidder without collective bargaining or unions.

To read some of the books by Terry Moe, check out Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America's Public Schools and Politics, Markets and America's Schools.

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Building a Science & Technology Base

Kathryn Brice writes "...When looking at the list of top countries for science and technology, there is not one country from the continent of Africa that is mentioned. In none of the research or books on the growing technology sectors in the world is there mention of a country from the continent of Africa. In the discussion of technology typologies or frameworks, no country from the continent of Africa was used to formulate what factors might be necessary for the development of a technology sector. If there was a map of world technology, Africa’s contribution would be so small it would not exist.... In order to effectively address this challenge, both countries must support “needs-driven” technology policies (or innovations that are demand-pull rather than technology-push) that will address issues facing their populations. While the short term benefits of such policies may not manifest immediately, the long term benefits of increased market potential, a higher quality of life, and a better educated workforce amongst other factors will contribute overall to a stronger economy..."

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Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 06/28/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Technology is a Culture and a Mindset

Bright Simmons writing in Ashoka Tech:

Africa has been consigned to the passive consumption of technology rather than the latter’s utilisation for transformation in view of this “charitisation” of tech transfer. Such a pattern of appropriation is inert, and, by so being, also an added drag on a continent buffeted by retrogressive currents. Technology is disseminated in the same design that other commodities are distributed, thereby entrenching patterns of underdevelopment. In the past 50 years, matters have steadily become worse.
Continuing he asserts that:
Technology is not merely a catalogue of tools. It is a culture and a mindset. It is an approach to getting ahead, taking over, making do, reaching out, and thinking through. A worldview animated by technology is a counterpoint to one decorated by mythology. No one argues that mythology can’t be beautiful. Mythology requires as much creative and persuasive power to get right as technology since it also requires social buy-in. But where we are interested in poverty-busting development, I bet you, dear readers, that in any prudent society technology must come up tops.
More here

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Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 04/19/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Hello John Holdren, Science Czar, believer in the Unified Theory of Left-Wing Causes, and Tyrant

Today let's learn about our Science Czar, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, John Holdren.

As the United States of America continues its descent under President Obama and his New Democrat Party into a third-world dictatorship, I still find myself unfamiliar with the overlords who now control my behavior and distribute to me gifts and favors. Oh, I know who is elected into office, and being a teacher of this sort of stuff I understand the bureaucracy and how it works. But who the heck is John Holdren, what role does he play in our political system, how did he get that role, and what sort of a person is he to be controlling me?

It's tough to keep all these czars straight, you know, since under Obamathe number of unelected, unconfirmed offices who go by the old imperial Russian title of Czar has gone up quite a bit (although to be fair, the number of people who have been considered czars under Obama is still just under the number of people who were considered czars under Bush, a two-term President roundly criticized by both the right and left as being undemocratic and statist). Still, I'm determined to get to know all of them- from Kenneth Feinberg, Head of the Deutsche Arbeitsfront and Pay Czar who although being a long-time Democratic operative and chief of staff for Democratic Senator Kennedy was put in charge of determining how much CEO's should be paid in once-free America, to Gary Samore, former US Communist party member and current WMD Policy Czar, to Ed Montgomery, auto-worker czar and distributor of gifts and favors.

It's going to be important for all of us to become more familiar with how things work in America now- after the change- we'll need to know how to curry favor with royal envoys, how to avoid being intimidated and bullied by bowing low and saying the right things, and how to bow get gifts from to our new overlords, who now tour around the land giving gifts to favored people.

So today let's get to know a little bit better our Science Czar, John Holdren. From Who Runs Gov:

Holdren is a powerhouse in the world of science and public policy. As director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST), he is the top adviser to President Barack Obama on science and technology, issues that are increasingly relevant to homeland security, energy and the environment. Holdren casts all of the above as priorities.
He also leads interagency efforts to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets, and works with the private sector, state and local governments, the science and higher education communities, and other nations to advance his policy initiatives.

Although a lot of conservatives may focus on other aspects of John Holdren- for example, in a book he published in 1977, he wrote about and appeared to be supportive of forced abortions, mass sterilization, a "Planetary Regime" with the power of life and death over American citizens, populations that would be sterilized by infertility drugs intentionally put into the nation's drinking water or in food, and other similarly frightening ideas. This research is important and should be realized, but I want to focus instead on another aspect of Holdren- his belief in a benevolent world dictatorship of the enlightened elite that will forcibly transfer wealth for some reason or another.

Holdren is a believer in the so-called Unified Theory of Left-Wing Causes. This theory is that all left wing causes- including global warming, global cooling, overpopulation, endangered species, poverty, diversity, and many others- can all be solved by a benevolent world dictatorship of the enlightened elite that will force others to live their lives differently and will redistribute their property as they see fit.

Basically, Holdren is a run-of-the-mill tyranny supporter, and was appointed to his position by tyrant-in-chief President Barack Obama, and he is to be opposed by all freedom and liberty loving patriots out there.

The worst part about Holdren, aside from the fact that he seizes on the left wing cause of the day to push his tyrannical beliefs, is that his ideas and theories about everything are wrong. From Forbes:
....In keeping with his dogmatic limits-to-growth convictions, Holdren joined his frequent co-author, eco-doomster Paul Ehrlich, in a famous bet against cornucopian economist Julian Simon. In 1980, Holdren, Ehrlich and Stanford colleague John Harte picked a basket of five commodities--chrome, copper, nickel, tin and tungsten--that they were sure were going to rise in price as they became increasingly scarce. They drew up a futures contract obligating Simon to sell Holdren, Ehrlich and Harte the same quantities of five metals that could be purchased for $1,000 10 years later at 1980 prices.

If the combined prices rose above $1,000, Simon would pay the difference. If they fell below $1,000, Ehrlich would pay Simon. Ehrlich mailed Simon a check for $576.07 in October 1990. Simply put, the combined real prices of the metals selected by Holdren and his colleagues fell by more than 50% during the 1980s, confirming cornucopian claims that the supply of resources over time becomes more abundant, not scarcer.....

...Holdren introduced in 1971--with his colleague and perennial population-alarmist, Ehrlich--the concept of the I=PAT identity. Human Impact on the environment is equal to Population x Affluence/consumption x Technology. All of which are supposed to intensify and worsen humanity's impact on the natural world.

History shows that the I=PAT identity largely gets it backward. Population is at worst neutral, while affluence and technology actually promote environmental flourishing. It is in the rich, developed countries that the air becomes clearer, the streams cleaner and the forests more expansive....

...Holdren doesn't appear to have an adequate understanding of the economic process through which these technological advances are achieved. He seems to think new technologies arise full-blown from government agencies and university laboratories....
This is the general flaw to the Unified Theory of Left-Wing Causes- that bureaucrats like Holdren know what they are doing and if they are given more power over others- power that those free people once exercised- and are given more resources- resources taken from the labor of once-free people- that these bureaucrats will make the world a better place for us all to live- a more prosperous, free, and happy place. It turns out though that he is wrong in almost all of his theories- from bets he placed to equations he invented to his general understanding of economics. He is a failed person- perhaps no more failed than the rest of us, but yet given more power and authority and wealth over the rest of us by a government not in any way empowered to do so.

People are not completely 'benelevent', and neither are the governments they create, and there are no 'enlightened' people in charge of our government today, either Democrat or Republican or liberal or conservative. Whatever the cause that you believe in or support, the answer is never the Unified Theory of Left-Wing Causes, and yet the Obama administration has appointed as Science Czar one of the greatest believers in this theory- a guy who is supposed to be a scientist actually at his heart a firm believer in a theory that is demonstratively wrong.

John Holdren is yet another example of a failed administration based on failed theories and ideas putting in placed failed administrators who implement failed policies- and we can see the results of this failure in America today.

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 11/16/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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