Re: [xmca] wikis, textbooks, developing countries, impoverished US schools

From: Mike Cole (lchcmike@gmail.com)
Date: Sat Sep 16 2006 - 17:09:09 PDT


Sounds like a Gates foundation project to me. People earning 1.00$ per day
with no electricity are not likely to have access even to
the relatively accessible techs.

Then add malnutrition, unemployment, land mines, a GREAT leader on
preventing aids, .........
mike

On 9/16/06, Tony Whitson <twhitson@udel.edu> wrote:
>
> Carol,
> Yes, these surely are problems.
> There are some people making an effort: for example, the $100 computer
> that does not require an electricity source (there's a hand crack to
> charge a battery). See:
> http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn8338
>
> I have a Canadian friend who developed a program for retooling discarded
> old-version computers to run on Linux, so the whole package would be much
> less expensive. He was meeting with a VP of an African country about them
> using it. I'm told that Micro$oft swooped in and preempted that with some
> sweet deal for the government.
>
> I think our public schools systems should make a social choice to
> standardize on Linux and JUST SAY NO to the never-ending path of continual
> obsolesence and upgrading on Micro$soft systems. If we did that, we could
> do everything that we need to do for educational purposes on much less
> expensive systems, and the developing of such a market would create a
> demand for reasonable systems economically available to other populations
> as well, outside of schools.
>
> BTW, the $100-laptop program makes its machines available to geographic
> areas that commit to 100% distribution to the school children of that
> area.
>
> On Wed, 13 Sep 2006, Carol Macdonald wrote:
>
> > Hi Tony:
> > I find you argument interesting to read. However, I would like to put
> you
> > in the picture in our rural Black schools. They don't have any access
> to
> > computers (there may be no electricity) and they are unlikely to receive
> > textbooks--or sometimes near the end of the school year. So, they can't
> > even access wiki. Of course the better school in the suburbs have
> > electricity and computers, and so it's the case of the rich getting
> > richer... In the Grade 12 exams all the students have to show
> competence on
> > using Work as well as Excell, and this is manifestly unfair to those
> > students who have never seen a computer. Universities tend to ignore
> these
> > marks, as well they might.
> > Carol
> >
> > On 9/12/06, Tony Whitson <twhitson@udel.edu> wrote:
> >>
> >> I see that I should have done a better job with the SUBJECT line of
> that
> >> post. It's about inequality and opportunity, not just about media and
> >> technology.
> >>
> >> On Tue, 12 Sep 2006, Tony Whitson wrote:
> >>
> >> > See
> >>
> >> http://tonywhitson.edublogs.org/2006/09/12/wikis-textbooks/
> >>
> >> > for links
> >> >
> >> > An article in Teachers College Press reports on the lack of adequate
> >> > textbooks in California's public schools — especially in financially
> >> less
> >> > well-off communities. The authors have been sharply critical of
> >> high-stakes
> >> > consequences being imposed by NCLB on students in schools without the
> >> > resources needed for an education that measures up to the state's
> >> standards.
> >> >
> >> > Meanwhile, NewScientist online reports that 'Students in developing
> >> countries
> >> > are to get free textbooks written using "wiki" technology that lets
> >> anyone
> >> > add to or edit an online document.'
> >> >
> >> > This suggests two possibilities:
> >> >
> >> > 1. Maybe California students would be better off ; and
> >> >
> >> > 2. Maybe all students would be better off if they could use
> wiki-style
> >> > textbooks developed by, say, scientists and science teachers, or
> >> historians
> >> > and history teachers, instead of the textbooks being marketed by
> >> commercial
> >> > publishers. There are people who would be terrified by this prospect;
> >> there
> >> > are also legitimate concerns.
> >> >
> >> > What do you think?
> >> >
> >> > Tony Whitson
> >> > UD School of Education
> >> > NEWARK DE 19716
> >> >
> >> > twhitson@udel.edu
> >> > _______________________________
> >> >
> >> > "those who fail to reread
> >> > are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
> >> > -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
> >>
> >> Tony Whitson
> >> UD School of Education
> >> NEWARK DE 19716
> >>
> >> twhitson@udel.edu
> >> _______________________________
> >>
> >> "those who fail to reread
> >> are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
> >> -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> xmca mailing list
> >> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> >> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
>
> Tony Whitson
> UD School of Education
> NEWARK DE 19716
>
> twhitson@udel.edu
> _______________________________
>
> "those who fail to reread
> are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
> -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
>
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
>
>
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