And no, I won’t be doing the ear-fucking… It’s metaphorical, you see.

Where are my donuts?

RIAA “Education through litigation”
http://www.garone.net/anthony/archive/blogpost/386

So… throw out the textbooks.

“I guess I take the view that in a failing system where kids aren’t learning, the fault lies with either the parents or the educators. Kids would learn just as well with cheaper books as they would with an iPod or a laptop if someone taught them.”

But you just said they won’t use the books. This book idea of your is mad! Waste of money! ;P

But now my biggest issue is the mental image of you fucking Colin in the ear. *shudder* 8/

I guess I take the view that in a failing system where kids aren’t learning, the fault lies with either the parents or the educators. Kids would learn just as well with cheaper books as they would with an iPod or a laptop if someone taught them.

But it’s cool, we can agree to disagree. Besides, I dig angry chicks.

And the donuts… well… it’s a long story.

And f**k you, Colin. Right in the ear.

PS – What are the donuts for, big boy. ;P

Carl is less a donut person and more a munchkin person.

So what people have done with it is also irrelevant? Because, as I noted, it’s already happened elsewhere and the results were pretty good. The biggest impediment to new learning tools like this is a) bureaucracy/planning and b) dismissal out of hand by critics who haven’t done their homework. If we applied the same logic to books, we’d toss them out too – books are poor educational tools. Seriously. So what would be the response there? “Books? Kids hate book, won’t read em. Bad idea.” If the educators who’ve put this idea up do it right it could be a good thing. Or it could be a disaster. But the idea of every instance of these rollouts isn’t just “give kids a bunch of MP3 players and turn em loose”. It’s ‘this device has some innovative, untapped uses that can be used in education’.

“Dumping a piece of electronics into a student’s hands is great, but I mean, what are they really going to accomplish?”

Why ask that question rhetorically? Why not ask it of someone who can demonstrate data? Every person talking about this has made up their mind, it seems, based on their own in-a-vacuum prejudgements. That it’s primarily a music player is why people quick to roll their eyes and scoff. But you can’t read what’s under your nose if you’re rolling your eyes. Can’t see the forest for snickering at the trees, so to speak. It’s like someone saying kids won’t learn from the Discovery Channel because all that person knows about TV is cartoons.

“Forgive us for being a little cynical about a government agency…”

Well… yeah… there is that…

As far as EMI goes, sure they’ve been a part of the gang of bastards, but is it fair to say I’m always going to judge you on what you’ve done in the past not what you do in the future? They are, basically, saying “we’re going to give you what you’ve been asking for”. I think that’s a big freakin’ step over the ledge for them. If there’s no DRM on files released by an RIAA member, there’s no DMCA go-for-the-jugular route for the RIAA lawyers to litigate. They can only go after people for normal infractions. EMI has just tied the RIAA lawyers’ shoes in knots. That’s got to count for something.

PS – What are the donuts for, big boy. ;P

With that many iPods… what about tech support, materials, training for the teachers and students on the uses beyond audiobooks… if there are any?

This is why, Maggie, it’s easy to be cynical about it. Dumping a piece of electronics into a student’s hands is great, but I mean, what are they really going to accomplish?

And my prediction that most kids won’t take advantage of this still stands.

Maggie, while I agree with you in principle about what the iPod could be used for, I just don’t see it actually being used for that in even a majority of cases (having been children ourselves, really, would we have actually tried learning off a Walkman? Personally, I would have recorded over learning guides with shitty 80’s music mixes). I also don’t think audio learning is any better than books. I’m a bit of a bibliophile, however, so my opinion might be biased.

I guess my point about EMI was that they could fire the RIAA. That they could have done so years ago. And that what they are doing now is only because they failed so very badly in their draconian endeavors.

As to the OLPC, it’s going to cost at least $150, according to an analysis by Merrill-Lynch (http://www.olpcnews.com/olpc-invetment-report.pdf). Granted, it isn’t the $300 some naysayers (including myself) have said, but I wanted to give you a reputable conservative look so you wouldn’t think I was pulling numbers out of my ass. The only reason laptops will stay cheap for Third-world children is heavy subsidizing.

Now, if I said ‘federal funds’, I’m sorry. Obviously, they’re using state educational funds, so when I talk about my tax dollars hard at work, I mean it in the nebulous sense of everyone everywhere and their tax dollars. However, even though that’s true, some of a state’s educational funding comes from federal money. So, it wouldn’t be a completely inaccurate statement. So there.

Like “Oh, guys… what the hell are you talking about?” and “Oh, Carl, you are such a curmudgeon.” ;P I love you man, but I’m about to get busy on your ass. ;P

EMI
So, what you’re saying is basically if EMI had stepped up and done something to show that they aren’t going along with the RIAA’s party line any longer, it would be OK. Something like… oh, I don’t know… removing all DRM from their music so people can freely transfer their music between devices – exactly as the RIAA has fought against. How about that? The ultimate smack to the RIAA’s ‘must maintain control’ mentality. But, hey, they’ll never do that…

iPod Story
Yes. Taxpayer money. But not your money (federal school funding…? hang on… *rofl* sorry, just laughed up a lung). Did you look into how they plan to utilize the devices? Or does everyone just assume they’ll toss out boxes like Santa and yell out “learn something” and let the kids decide how to use them? Duke’s iPod program showed that the devices did indeed help students learn when used alongside an appropriate plan. It’s not just about dumping audio books on it, either. Just for language skills (audio reinforcement increases retention and facility) alone, it’s worth it. And the Pearson study guides… And data capturing… And…
(you all do recognize the irony of this sort of ‘kids these days’ nay-saying coming from… a podcast, right?)

Am I saying its going to work? No. Who knows. But in a depressed economy, looking for innovative ways to improve education should be job one. Not one damned person covering this story, not a fucking one, has bothered to check into how the iPod has been and can be used in education. Apparently the only ones who did that are the people who thought of it.

And the OLPC will only cost more than ~$130 for kids who don’t live in under-developed nations. (nit picking that it’s no longer $100 is… just nit picking – it’s still fuckin cheap) And it isn’t expected to cost $300, even for 1st world people. It will probably be around $200. And, to wrap this up, Dell does not sell a $300 laptop (which is still more $ than an iPod).

On these topics, I’m going to have to give you all a failing grade. I’m sorry…

But don’t get me wrong, I am glad you’re all back! I missed you. And I’m glad Karl is well again. Welcome back, Cap’n.