No to DOPA

I believe Tom is right in rejecting the premise and rationale for this bill. Thanks, Tom! It was also really helpful to read all the letters from other educators. I love this blogging community. Thanks Liz, Miguel, Will, Robert, and Doug. I’m sure there were others I missed. Here’s mine:

Dear Rep. Westmoreland,

I would like to express my appreciation for the work you do for your Georgia constituents. I also am thankful for the opportunity to voice my opinion on matters of concern. I have taught in the Georgia public schools for over 20 years. I am currently working at GeorgiaStateUniversity as an Information Systems Training Specialist, but continue to do work with students and teachers on instructional technology projects in the public schools. A great deal of that work revolves around using technology such as blogs and other “social software” with my students. It is crucial for educators to be right there with the students discussing the ground rules, the what ifs, the why nots, and to be modeling the appropriate use of these technologies. It can be empowering for our students. I have found that when we give them ownership and listen to their voices we all flourish and learn, I cannot believe this learning is threatened by a bill recently introduced in Congress.

Read the rest of this entry »