[IAEP] Some Comments on Digital Textbooks In California

[Edward Cherlin]

On Tue, Jun 9, 2009 at 12:55 PM, Caryl Bigenho<cbigenho at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Again,
>
> I'd like to comment on two of Kathy's comments.
>
> "4. Ensure, as a teacher, you have a printing and paper budget."

Nonsense. Completely backward.

> * Don't lay this in the laps of the teachers.  They have far to much to do
> as it is.

The idea is for the state to save money, in part by forcing local
schools and teachers to bear the burden. In fact, computers are
cheaper than printed books, and should as a matter of course be
provided to students as part of this plan.

See http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Creating_textbooks for my version of
a Free Digital Textbooks plan, with CC or GPL licensing. I am
constructing a political plan to go with it, which I hope to be able
to announce soon, once I have some politicians and stakeholders on
board. If you know of anybody who would like to see XOs in all
California K-6 classes, send them my way.

> * Every child should have access to a computer al la the OLPC model (that is
> seldom really followed) and printers they can use at school for things from
> the textbook that need to be on paper.

+1

> *Teachers should not be asked to do more than they already have to do.  They
> should be provided with teacher workrooms at least, with up-to-date, working
> equipment at their disposal for duplication of special materials such as lab
> sheets for experiments. Ideally, every teacher would be supplied with their
> own equipment so they could do this in their own classroom (that they don't
> have to share with several other teachers as "traveling teachers" at crowded
> schools often do).

Teachers _must_ have classroom computers in any one-to-one computing program.

> "5. As with everything, never assume funding. Make it work on a
> shoestring budget. Be creative."
>
> *Teachers have been being creative for years.  There is a limit to how much
> that shoestring can be stretched.

This is where the political program is necessary.

> *It is time we concentrate on supporting the teachers and treating them like
> the dedicated, highly trained professionals we want them to be, and most
> are. Only then will be find the "best and brightest" scrambling to get into
> schools of education rather than doing, as so many do, teaching until
> something "better" comes along.
>
> Sorry!  It is the old retired educator talking again!
>
> Caryl
>
> P.S. For some reason the formatting on this message is acting crazy. That's
> Hotmail for you.
> _______________________________________________
> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
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> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>



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And Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
http://earthtreasury.org/worknet (Edward Mokurai Cherlin)