The long arm of the school

ARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

The ignorance and fear and, perhaps, paranoia of some districts STILL makes me crazy. Today, for example, we heard of one school who told their teachers that they were not to access Ning sites using their school laptops - not even from home! AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

So, their staff can't participate in the classroom 2.0 ning, for example. This is a professional ning which, at the time of this writing, has 19,768 members (educators) from around the world. It's a place where they could make the global connections for their classes. (It's where I would have gone had my six degrees test failed.) It's a place where they could ENJOY learning from others, receiving professional development for FREE! Where they could be learning about teaching strategies, web tools, software, cool videos to see, and SO much more. Nor could they be a part of the MoodleMeet ning, or any of the MANY nings intended for professionals.

Where does this kind of fear come from? And more importantly, perhaps, what has to happen in this country to shake us up enough - to WAKE US UP! - to the point that we are ALL DEMANDING a world class education for our kids? Anything less is criminal. If we told people that there was a terrorist plot to deprive our kids of the BEST possible education that our tax dollars can buy, there would (I HOPE!) be such an outcry as to wake up even the legislators. But, this travesty is NOT being perpetrated by terrorists. It's being done by our own hands. And it's all due to ignorance and fear. IMHO.

OH.. and get THIS... Another teacher told me that his new Tech Director informed him that he would be REMOVING GOOGLE EARTH from the computers in the elementary buildings because, "They have no educational value." ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

STOP THE MADNESS! I DEMAND A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION FOR MY KIDS!!! Say it with me, now. "I DEMAND A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION FOR MY KIDS!" Again. (LOUDER!) "I DEMAND A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION FOR MY KIDS!"

"I DEMAND A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION FOR MY KIDS!"

"I DEMAND A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION FOR MY KIDS!"

"I DEMAND A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION FOR MY KIDS!"

P.S.
Thanks a LOT, Aly and Robin. Now I'm hoarse from screaming. Again. :-)