First check out this video on the Kindle 2 to get an idea for what it is capable of: Now I know most people aren't too hot on the idea of giving up on their books for an electronic book, but lets consider a couple of things. As an educator I am well aware of the disconnect between the classroom and the world outside. Not only are our social structures outdated but they are woefully under prepared to meet the needs of a dynamic student body. I remember once watching a video on the French Revolution with a class and watched as they and I both lamented at the prospect of watching a video for 45 minutes with information that they could just have easily accessed on the internet and in a fraction of the time. Our schools need to reflect the changing world around us. With the advent of technology we can imagine a classroom that includes students connecting to different sources of information instantly, posing and answering questions immediately, cross-checking different sources wire...
What are great way to sum up the overall purpose of education today. In his sign-off directly after this Jon Stewart talks about how the end of the show isn't some final point in the dialogue, but rather a pause. A pause to celebrate his contribution to the conversation, but also the point being it never ends. This idea of all of this as being a conversation is one that needs to be stressed, as Stewart says: "Teach the controversy." Certainty is not conducive to dialogue.
Jack Hitt's a Bunch of Amateurs To analyze the American character one must take into account the narratives of our country, specifically the three metanarratives that it is based on. In Hitt's analysis of our national character he finds an endless list of examples stretching back to our early Vaudevillian days of americans striking out, trying to get-rich-quick, seemingly fearless in the face of overwhelming odds. I believe that piggy-backing onto the narratives of scientific progress, manifest destiny, and modernization one can easily get caught up in them. Cherry-picking evidence of those who have succeeded, painting a picture of our collective desire to innovate is troublesome. Simply put, I can create the opposite narrative quite easily. Many people in the USA have little to no interest in innovation, modernization, or the like. Quite the opposite. This place is much more than a collective bunch of amateurs but rather it includes them into the fold o...
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