5/26/10

Lacking Good Answers

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune today reported that thousands of students have been failed by standardized testing.

5/10/10

Byte the Hand that Feeds You

President Obama addressed graduates at historically Black, Hampton University on Sunday, May 9. During the speech he made some unusual comments about technology. The President said the era of i-Pads and X-boxes had turned information into a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy.

"You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank that high on the truth meter," Obama told the students.

"And with i-Pods and i-Pads and X-boxes and Play-Stations . . . none of which I know how to work . . . information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy."

These comments to young graduates were certainly odd coming from a President who was elected, in large part, because of the tech revolution and the youth vote.