So last week in class we were asked to “think of how technology has influenced the inauguration”--- it was a very interesting, yet quite simple question. We live in a city that is so obsessed with technology that you almost have to be a hermit to be able to avoid using any of it. I began my observations of the inauguration and it put me in the mindset of noticing how technology has changed many things in education as well. I attended the Seattle School Board meeting the next day and began a new set of observations.
The 15/16 year old boy sitting slightly in front of me was blogging his personal perception of the meeting in nearly real time. As community organizers made compelling speeches in favor of “saving our schools” digital cameras clicked – err, beeped—and flashed. Then I noticed the entire slew of professional cameras throughout the room. I thought it might be local news stations actually reporting on something worth while and relevant to Seattleites. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Of course, school board meetings are entirely too boring for network TV. So who were these cameramen? Digital streaming of the meeting in its entirety was available online! How awesome is that? After checking it out, the streaming video was lacking the emotional appeal that Seattle school board meetings are known for. But, it is a tremendously useful tool for parents and community members who may be too busy to attend the meeting, or perhaps lack viable transportation to get to the meetings. When the Superintendent began showing a very involved PowerPoint presentation, I was assured by the lady sitting next to me that it would be online in a day or two. My notes suddenly went from furious scribbles to thought provoking questions and key themes. How enjoyable!
Back home I continued my observations from the computer chair. I figured there were blogs on the subject. I mean, it’s Seattle—everyone has a blog. But I had no idea that there would be SO many blogs, and nonetheless so many well done blogs. I recognized many of the blog authors from the speaker list at the meeting, which helped put a face to the writing and validate their opinions, knowing that they were actively fighting the closures (no action-less blabby bloggers here!). Further Googling led me to discover many school closure Seattle PI articles available online. One article described how school supporters were using the internet to stay connected and focused during the fear of closure. Open forums are available for all schools on “the list”. Flickr accounts document the closure protests held throughout the city and student activist groups have MySpace and/or Facebook accounts to keep school friends aware of closure and protest updates.
It was fascinating to see just how well technology is being used to fight the school closures. I also noticed that who was using the technology was varied. Young people, needless to say, find the internet an obvious forum for discussion. Yet the school closure debate involves many older participants. Parents and community members ranging broadly in age all seem to be dipping into the World Wide Web to research, discuss and fight the closures. In fact, letters to the school board and other district and city officials are almost entirely encouraged via email. No more snail mail, and no more cute crayon letters from 3rd grade classrooms. Young and old are using email to communicate directly with the school board. Likewise, rich and old are using technology. NPR newly reported that recent times of economic decline show an increase in library usage—namely free internet access in public libraries. Similar results could be concluded about school libraries and computer labs. Economically privileged students and parents still have access to technology regardless if they own a PC or not. The poorer community has also successfully targeted the media, which is then made available online for all. One teacher purchased a website domain for his school’s petition site for a mere $10—blogs and online photo storage are free. Technology (if equal access is available) may be one of the few resources that are able to help close the achievement gap between rich and poor communities.
Examples of technology being used to fight/inform about school closures:
Streaming of the SB meeting - http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=4272
Seattle PI article on the role of online forums in the school closure debate: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394886_schools06.html
Summit School list: http://www.summitparentgroup.org/web/
Superintendent's Update (powerpoint used at SB meeting): http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/08-09agendas/012109agenda/superintendentpresentation.pdf
SLOG (one of many Stranger forums on school closures): http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/01/25/the_seattle_schools_going_o
Flickr school closure protest photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctanstfl/sets/72157613004844942/
Responses to Comments:
Jane asked if my two sub-groups of friends (the “punks” and the “college preps”) knew of one another. This is a question that instantly brought a smile to my face, mostly because I have been dealing with this situation my whole life. My best friend in high school – a sweet and gorgeous college bond girl—told her mom upon introducing us that “Tina comes from Gig Harbor (read: upper middle class), but she likes to hang out with poor people.” She was awesome, she loved all my friends… yet she still thought it was “novel” or something that I hung out with what she referred to as “poor kids.” The view from the other pasture was much less romanticized. I was scoffed at for having “rich friends” who “bought into the system”. A few of them were “alright” in the eyes of my punk friends, but not quite accepted as I had been. I never really saw it as an economic issue, but more of a way of life difference in choice. Ironically, many of them want the very same results. Almost all my friends are liberal to varying degrees. They want free health care, money for our schools, etc. Yet some of my friends prefer gorilla warfare tactics over getting a political science degree. They have the same goals, but their means to an end are so significantly different it is indeed difficult for the two types of people to see eye to eye.
However, I personally believe that properly executed education could seriously reverse this trend. My boyfriend is the first generation of Northern Irish who have been educated in acceptance between the Protestant and Catholic communities. Traditionally, education has always been separate in NI. Crazy and unreasonable stereotypes of “the other” form during these years at school, and without knowing the other the stereotypes take hold as truths. My boyfriend was sent to one of the first mixed schools. His mother sent him on an international trip to Boston with 15 Protestants and 15 Catholics from his community. 8 or so years later, you can meet up with my boyfriend (raised Protestant) and his buddies at the local pub in the Catholic side of town and not know the religion of anyone sitting at the table. It’s a true success story. Although no where near perfect (tensions in strongly segregated neighborhoods have not eased since the bombing began) those introduced to integrated schooling have become socially and politically much more accepting of “the other” simple because there is no longer an “other” in their eyes.
Our local version of the story would be economic integration. Both sides hate each other simply because in our world we do not have much contact between the extremes. A rich businessman may see a strung out bum as he calls a cab home from downtown, but neither see each other as human. Interesting, isn’t it?
The 15/16 year old boy sitting slightly in front of me was blogging his personal perception of the meeting in nearly real time. As community organizers made compelling speeches in favor of “saving our schools” digital cameras clicked – err, beeped—and flashed. Then I noticed the entire slew of professional cameras throughout the room. I thought it might be local news stations actually reporting on something worth while and relevant to Seattleites. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Of course, school board meetings are entirely too boring for network TV. So who were these cameramen? Digital streaming of the meeting in its entirety was available online! How awesome is that? After checking it out, the streaming video was lacking the emotional appeal that Seattle school board meetings are known for. But, it is a tremendously useful tool for parents and community members who may be too busy to attend the meeting, or perhaps lack viable transportation to get to the meetings. When the Superintendent began showing a very involved PowerPoint presentation, I was assured by the lady sitting next to me that it would be online in a day or two. My notes suddenly went from furious scribbles to thought provoking questions and key themes. How enjoyable!
Back home I continued my observations from the computer chair. I figured there were blogs on the subject. I mean, it’s Seattle—everyone has a blog. But I had no idea that there would be SO many blogs, and nonetheless so many well done blogs. I recognized many of the blog authors from the speaker list at the meeting, which helped put a face to the writing and validate their opinions, knowing that they were actively fighting the closures (no action-less blabby bloggers here!). Further Googling led me to discover many school closure Seattle PI articles available online. One article described how school supporters were using the internet to stay connected and focused during the fear of closure. Open forums are available for all schools on “the list”. Flickr accounts document the closure protests held throughout the city and student activist groups have MySpace and/or Facebook accounts to keep school friends aware of closure and protest updates.
It was fascinating to see just how well technology is being used to fight the school closures. I also noticed that who was using the technology was varied. Young people, needless to say, find the internet an obvious forum for discussion. Yet the school closure debate involves many older participants. Parents and community members ranging broadly in age all seem to be dipping into the World Wide Web to research, discuss and fight the closures. In fact, letters to the school board and other district and city officials are almost entirely encouraged via email. No more snail mail, and no more cute crayon letters from 3rd grade classrooms. Young and old are using email to communicate directly with the school board. Likewise, rich and old are using technology. NPR newly reported that recent times of economic decline show an increase in library usage—namely free internet access in public libraries. Similar results could be concluded about school libraries and computer labs. Economically privileged students and parents still have access to technology regardless if they own a PC or not. The poorer community has also successfully targeted the media, which is then made available online for all. One teacher purchased a website domain for his school’s petition site for a mere $10—blogs and online photo storage are free. Technology (if equal access is available) may be one of the few resources that are able to help close the achievement gap between rich and poor communities.
Examples of technology being used to fight/inform about school closures:
Streaming of the SB meeting - http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=4272
Seattle PI article on the role of online forums in the school closure debate: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394886_schools06.html
Summit School list: http://www.summitparentgroup.org/web/
Superintendent's Update (powerpoint used at SB meeting): http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/08-09agendas/012109agenda/superintendentpresentation.pdf
SLOG (one of many Stranger forums on school closures): http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/01/25/the_seattle_schools_going_o
Flickr school closure protest photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctanstfl/sets/72157613004844942/
Responses to Comments:
Jane asked if my two sub-groups of friends (the “punks” and the “college preps”) knew of one another. This is a question that instantly brought a smile to my face, mostly because I have been dealing with this situation my whole life. My best friend in high school – a sweet and gorgeous college bond girl—told her mom upon introducing us that “Tina comes from Gig Harbor (read: upper middle class), but she likes to hang out with poor people.” She was awesome, she loved all my friends… yet she still thought it was “novel” or something that I hung out with what she referred to as “poor kids.” The view from the other pasture was much less romanticized. I was scoffed at for having “rich friends” who “bought into the system”. A few of them were “alright” in the eyes of my punk friends, but not quite accepted as I had been. I never really saw it as an economic issue, but more of a way of life difference in choice. Ironically, many of them want the very same results. Almost all my friends are liberal to varying degrees. They want free health care, money for our schools, etc. Yet some of my friends prefer gorilla warfare tactics over getting a political science degree. They have the same goals, but their means to an end are so significantly different it is indeed difficult for the two types of people to see eye to eye.
However, I personally believe that properly executed education could seriously reverse this trend. My boyfriend is the first generation of Northern Irish who have been educated in acceptance between the Protestant and Catholic communities. Traditionally, education has always been separate in NI. Crazy and unreasonable stereotypes of “the other” form during these years at school, and without knowing the other the stereotypes take hold as truths. My boyfriend was sent to one of the first mixed schools. His mother sent him on an international trip to Boston with 15 Protestants and 15 Catholics from his community. 8 or so years later, you can meet up with my boyfriend (raised Protestant) and his buddies at the local pub in the Catholic side of town and not know the religion of anyone sitting at the table. It’s a true success story. Although no where near perfect (tensions in strongly segregated neighborhoods have not eased since the bombing began) those introduced to integrated schooling have become socially and politically much more accepting of “the other” simple because there is no longer an “other” in their eyes.
Our local version of the story would be economic integration. Both sides hate each other simply because in our world we do not have much contact between the extremes. A rich businessman may see a strung out bum as he calls a cab home from downtown, but neither see each other as human. Interesting, isn’t it?
Tina, interesting seeing another country's integration issues. I always think of it in regard to color/race. Being older, I remember moreso than some the fear and tension in Northern Ireland in the news, but because it was a "world away" when the internet had not yet shrunk our world, I didn't store it in the forefront of my mind. The struggles in Northern Ireland are uncomfortable for me to think about as a Christian. It is always shameful to witness the followers of a leader whos message was love and acceptance for all men warring over religious differences. I often think the "religious differences" excuse is really a smokescreen for race/class struggle for power. I don't know the Irish situation. Is it truly over just the catholic protestant issue or is there any of the other fueling the tensions? I do think schools can often be the only way out of those supercharged situations and the hard part is that it takes a generation or more to see the results. The old must actually die off or at least become old enough that they have lost their street cred so to speak and social power.
ReplyDeleteYou are completely spot on, "religious differences" in Northern Ireland is very much a psuedoname for race/class struggle. The tricky part is that both races are white and neither class is entirely dominant. In simpliest terms possible:
ReplyDeleteIreland was a land of Celtic/Catholic villages, farmers for the most part (ie your stereotypical Ireland). The British Crown converted to Protestantism and sent colonies of "proper Protestants" to Ireland to "teach them how to be more British" (ie less barbaric).
So Catholics = Native Americans,
Protestants = John Smith.
Eventually the two grew into equal size populations, but the Protestants being more proper British citizens had political power. Thus the power struggle.
That's the history, ironically the history everyone in Northern Ireland is trying to forget. Education is tricky becuase the history itself is SO entirely different depending on the culture you hear it from. Catholics have a different truth than Protestants. It's hard for a teacher, obviously trained in one of these cultures of divided schooling (almost all teaching schools are Protestant), to be able to teach without bias. That is, if they can even decide on an unbias history. The general response is to not teach the history. It's just too complicated.
How fustrating is that?!
Tina,
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the vast network of information about the school closures that you've delved into here. And following the presidential election, I'm convinced more than ever that access to these sorts of tools in schools (I'm not talking about counting computers in schools, but about how they're used) is now a matter of civil rights and about participation in democracy.
And ironically much of what you mention here is blocked in schools out of misguided fear that children will stumble upon adult content.
We need to move on...
And speaking of power, I'm wondering about the place of social power in the lives of your two groups of friends. It's sometimes hard to discern the differences between "life choices" and acknowledgment that one must do the best that one can with the options available...
There isn't the overt colonialism or conquest, yet is there not a sense that one group will call the shots that will affect the other?
Or not?