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

From: chris bigum (cbigum@deakin.edu.au)
Date: Tue Sep 12 2006 - 15:04:04 PDT

All related, this a more interesting take:

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/08/04/a_new_high_tech_take_on_school_group_project/

c

>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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