I Speak of Dreams

Oh my, Dale's Cone is not a Cone but a Crock

By the way, if you are reading this at http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/, then they are stealing my content. You can read the original post at I Speak of Dreams,  http://lizditz.typepad.com/

Patrick Douglas Crispen, who writes an internet guide called the Tourbus,
writes about the idea called "Dale's Cone":

There is a concept in education called "Dale's Cone of Experience" that states that people generally remember:

10% of what they read
20% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they hear and see
70% of what they say or write
90% of what they as they do a thing

And it is a complete and total fraud.

Quick Post from Blogher

I made it to BlogHer.  Connectivity isn't always good, so I'll be quick.  (look here for more).  By the way, if you are reading this at  http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/, then they are stealing my content.  You can read the original post at I Speak of Dreams,  http://lizditz.typepad.com/

Updates to follow without notification.

Failure to Think, Success at Panicking

By the way, if you are reading this at http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/, then they are stealing my content. You can read the original post at I Speak of Dreams,  http://lizditz.typepad.com/

The DOPA passage started off the knee-jerk week.  Internet Dangerous!  Ban it to Protect the Children!  (for a powerful rebuttal, please go read Vicki Davis's (CoolKatTeacher) entry, What's Wrong With DOPA.  It is well written and comprehensive.

Then Kevin T. Keith revealed that some people are horrified by an ambigous photograph, seeing in it too much mammary gland exposure.  You see more than that on every girly magazine cover.

Personal Update

Another horse show week.  JumperGirl is doing even better than in Santa Barbara.    I think I'll be able to make about 2/3 of BlogHer tomorrow.

the Intersection of Nature and Nurture

The answer is never as simple as the question.  Mind Hacks has an excellent summary article on recent research on intelligence and genetics.

This interaction between economic background and mental functioning has now been replicated in a number of studies looking at everything from mental illness to criminal behaviour (e.g. see Christian's previous post).

It seems that the simple summing of genetic and environmental effects is no longer a valid way of understanding how we develop, as the duration, quality and frequency of different life experiences seem to have unique influences on the expression of our inherited traits.

DOPA Passes House

[DOPA] is the regulatory equivalent of using an elephant gun to shoot a fly. We can protect our children without banning online town squares.  -- Adam Thierer

Ah, ehll. Congress passed DOPA.

Technorati Tags: DOPA, Congress, Web 2.0, Social software, technology ban

Go below the fold for roll call of vote.   Don't forget to stop by the DOPA wiki.

About DOPA:

Schools and libraries would be required to block access to social networking sites and chat rooms under legislation approved today by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Approved on a 410-15 vote, the Deleting Online Predators Act aims to curb the use of the Internet by child predators.The bill calls for any school or library receiving federal funding through the E-rate program to employ "technology protection" measures (i.e. filters) to prohibit minors from accessing social networking sites and chat rooms where they may be subject to "unlawful sexual advances."

The E-rate is a part of the Universal Service Fund designed to provide funds for schools and libraries to acquire Internet connections and supporting equipment and service.

Andy Carvin has created a digest of DOPA news at

http://www.andycarvin.com/dopa.html

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Tara C. Smith, who blogs at Aetiology has a commenter, JSpreen, who denies the germ theory of disease.   (He (she?) blogs at Nights of Armour, in French.)

You stupid little kids of the rich, you have [feces] for brains and cannot understand anymore that people who are living in poverty and filth die young simply because their terrible diseases are caused by their misery. You have no eyes to see that, you can only look in a microscope and say: "Hey, another virus! I found out why they're sick! Let's heal'em with chemo".

But the microbes, they are not the cause of disease. They are the result.

Sorry, what did you say? I'm a fool and a Denialist? Yeah I know. And very proud to be one.

Many of Tara's commenters are quite funny.

More DOPA news

Technorati Tags: DOPA, Congress, Web 2.0, Social software, technology ban

Somehow I missed the July 11 2006 hearings.

No one can fault the government for attempting to protect children, said Mukul Krishna, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan, in a recent interview. But the legislation is too broadly written to enforce, he said, and, as written, would block access to Yahoo, Google, and plethora of other sites.

"You cannot fault the thought behind it, but, clearly, a lot of thought did not go into doing anything but making a lot of noise," Krishna said, "because everyone knows that, as it is, the bill cannot be passed."

But not according to one of the bill's backers:

"MySpace.com has been a center of drug activity, of gang activity, and of Internet predators," said Rep. Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican. "Isn't it entirely appropriate that the state get involved?"

Note the scare tactics:

"If we could save one child, then it's worth it--that one child, that innocent child who may fall prey during the school hours because the legislation wasn't enacted," said David Zellis, an assistant district attorney in Bucks County, Penn., who testified at the hearing.

In other words, slamming shut the door to the online world is worthwhile -- if one child is saved.  Guess we had better drain the swimming pools too while we are at it.  And make sure the kids are taught by robots, each child in a hermetically sealed box,  because you know that more children have been molested by their teachers or their classmates than have been harmed by on-line activities.

Why I Don't Trust About.com For Most Things

Here's what About.com says about itself

About. com was founded in 1996 with a simple premise, that people are the best Guides to the Internet. We have built on that belief over the past decade. Today, when you read an article on About.com, you are tapping into a powerful network of 500 Guides -- smart, passionate, accomplished people who are experts in their field.

Gee,  I've read some odd things on the special education site that made me doubt their "experts".    But Kevin T. Keith has found the best reason: biased, ill-educated "experts".  Award winning.  But not in a good way.

YIKE! DOPA Alert

Technorati Tags: DOPA, Congress, Web 2.0, Social software, technology ban

This is from the American Library Association

URGENT Action Needed:

The Washington Office has learned that the House may try to expedite passage of H.R. 5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), TOMORROW, July 26th.

PLEASE  CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TODAY and ask that they oppose HR 5319.

Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224-3121.

Background:

DOPA is sponsored by Rep. Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and supported by the House Republican Suburban Caucus. It would require that, as a condition of receiving E-Rate support, all schools and libraries block access to social networking websites and chat rooms.

The bill raises a number of issues:

1) Local school districts and libraries should determine what content should flow into schools and libraries. Federal mandate over content control is very problematic.

2) Districts and libraries already have the power to block access to social networking sites and chat rooms and a number of them have already done so.

3) DOPA imposes yet another burden on schools and libraries participating in the E-rate and may deter many from continuing to participate.

4) This bill paints an unflattering and distorted view of the Internet as a whole, serving to scare away parents, students, teachers and librarians from making use of all its resources.

Last week, YALSA Executive Director Beth Yoke testified on DOPA before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet on DOPA. You can read her testimony by clicking this link .  (pdf file)

For more background, the anti-DOPA wiki.

To find out who your Representative in the House is, go here:
http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html

To learn more about DOPA, please go here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washnews/2006ndx/073jul25.htm