February 20, 2008

Exhibition and some rhetorical questions

These questions for thought have occurred to me since our last class:

Kids as early as 4th grade are required to write persuasive essays. This is challenging. I ask: forget writing; can they read persuasive text, recognizing it as such, and evaluating its proposals?
Many AUPs you will find out there contain the statement: “Internet access is a privilege, not a right.” This is standard accepted practice, and I certainly won’t mark it wrong. However, is this still a fair statement? Is it fair to withhold digital access from any person nowadays, when so much has moved online? I don’t mean this in the sense of filtering, but in the broader sense of ubiquitous connectivity and social online life.
This is about filtering: do filters provide a false sense of security to children and parents? What happens when they access the Internet on an unfiltered terminal – do they carry their assumption of protection with them?

I’m not going to answer those questions – they are just for thought and discussion.

Now for some Exhibition business. Here are a few FAQs:

Q: “I have found many examples of my instructional material format. Just how many am I supposed to bring?” A: Provide a sampling. You need not feel obligated to bring huge amounts of stuff.
Q: “Who did you say we should send our online materials to?” A: Lisa, ldelgado@uga.edu.
Q: “Where is the link to all the Exhibition topics?” A: Here. Hint: I index most resources like this on the 6340 Home Page and at the top of the Agenda. If you’re looking for something and can’t find it there, then ask me to add it.