Surviving Capitalism (Not) : An iPad on Every Desk: A Trojan Horse, Teachers Say

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, December 6, 2013

An iPad on Every Desk: A Trojan Horse, Teachers Say

Click here to access article by Samantha Winslow from Labor Notes.

Teachers in Los Angeles, according to this author, are very aware of the push to get rid of teachers and replace them with software and computer gadgets provided by industry giants like Microsoft. As one teacher put it:

...the district is rushing the technology in a frantic attempt to get Race to the Top federal funds, which Los Angeles missed out on in 2012 and 2013, and other education grants. Race to the Top money is tied to implementing technology and “Common Core” standards, which are developed into software with support from pro-corporate education reform interests like the Gates Foundation.