Getting Schooled

My students are teaching me many things this semester. They have a class blog that is now a few weeks old, and already I have learned that New Yorkers can dial out for a tree delivery, and that I should never allow my kids to eat chicken McNuggets ever again, even it means I have to feed them grass to squelch their cries of hunger on a road trip.

10 Responses to “Getting Schooled”

  1. David44 says:

    Not to defend McDonald’s or the fast food and chicken industries, but you and your students are getting your facts from Perez Hilton now?  Is this a journalism class? Infotainment Rules?

  2. Keith Kloor says:

    David44,

    I told my students to have fun with the blog. My post was meant in fun, as well.

    But for the record, no, Perez Hilton wouldn’t qualify as a primary source of information about the yukky stuff mcnuggets are made with.

  3. Jack Hughes says:

    KK do you ever worry that these children live in a thought-bubble?
    Do you have a responsibility to challenge their thinking – if only to strengthen their ideas ? (Devils-advocate style)

  4. David44 says:

    OK, Keith, I can certainly see the humor in Perez’ commentary on “That pink, goopy, snake thing.”

  5. willard says:

    Somehow, this related Jamie Oliver experiment may shed some light on the way public debates are perceived, then dismissed:
     
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9B7im8aQjo&feature=player_embedded
     
     

  6. Barry Woods says:

    I see they have this article about 10:10

    http://urbannaturefiles.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/101010-is-a-day-to-celebrate/

    Have a read of this email I sent to my childrens Infants and Junior Schools…

    They promptly withdrew from 10:10 campaign and ALL future involvement and are considering the issue I raised about CAGW/Green organsations going into schools with ‘SAFE’ literature, with all the official ‘good stuff’ beyond all control online, youtube, forums, etc..

    AGW right or wrong. Most teachers want – positive messages – not hate/bullying/ostracising/horror.

    http://www.1010global.org/uk/education

    From: Barry Woods
    To: xxxxxxxx
    Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 9:41 AM
    Subject: Other campaigning videos, green peace, wwf, etc. “No Pressure video” – DO NOT WATCH IT WITH ANY CHILDREN AROUND

    For the attention of Miss xxxxx

    Thank you for cancelling the schools involvement with the 10:10 Campaign, following their ‘No Pressure’ video. (in the link)

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/se

    As I discussed with you, what the campaigning organisations bring into school, is very different from what they put out ‘officially’ online..

    There is a danger that parents and children consider these SAFE or appropriate websites, or youtube material, or internet blogs, BECAUSE these people have come into school..

    The groups, heavily promote there material on all the new media, facebook, twitter,official youtube groups, etc, where advertsising standards DO NOT APPLY.

    They are deliberately targeting the young…

    In the Watts Up website article (towards the end) in the link below are some of the worst video ads..  From Greenpeace, 10:10, wwf (earth hour), government and other mainstream eco groups.

    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/10/07/if-you-ever-

    It ends with a particulary awful picture of a child in a noose, standing on a block of melting (artic) ice.

    That was prominent at Cannes 2009 film festival, a partner of that groups includes the WWF
    http://www.act-responsible.org/ACT/ACTINCANNES/THE

    However, there are numerous other videos, whilst not as graphic, which are just as corrosive, in a slightly more subtle way. ie GreenPeace’s 4×4 add with an office worker… (spitting, ostracising, name calling, bullying, in an corporate office)
    http://www.youtube.com/v/NOr6EFoXZMk?version=3

    Finally the video from the Cop15 Copenhagen Opening Conference video, all over the media, BBC, Sky, ITV (especial the last bit of the clip)

    The Cop15 Opening Copenhagen Conference video”¦
    At the end, a small child running from a tidal wave (IPCC say 59cm in 90 YEARS) the child leaps into a tree, left dangling as the sea rushes underneath her, then she starts screaming.
    http://www.youtube.com/v/NVGGgncVq-4?version=3

    This LIE gave my 5 year old daughter nightmares, she still asks about the child. She doesn’t understand why someone would make a video like that if it is not true..

    So, I can see the doubt in her eyes when I say, it isn’t true.

    They are deliberately targeting the young, a compilation of offical, (UN, UK government, 10:10, greenpeace) clips in this video

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/

    Do you ever meet with other Headteachers in the area, may I ask you to discuss this with them and to show them these videos, to demonstrate my concerns and the risks to children (probably more the older junior – secondary).

    These are ALL offical mainstream ‘responsible’ groups or government sponsored/funded (imagine what the more extreme groups linked to the above are like!)

    Whether or not anybody agrees or not with what they are promoting, this is NOT the issue, the concern is how they are doing it. It is all very negative with the threat of violence or acts of violence to animals and children. With an underlying message of bullying to conform with there views.

    Nothing positive

    I am very proud that my daughter was voted 1 of 2 members of her year to the schools eco-team, for all the real environmental reasons.

    Best Regards

    Barry Woods

  7. David44 says:

    Hear, hear Barry.   Good on you.  I no longer have children in school, but our schools/children already have enough troubles without totalitarian indoctrination.  PETA and their ilk have been doing this kind of thing in the schools for years and getting away with it.  Our schools should be teaching critical thinking skills, not propaganda and bullying tactics in the name of one cause or another.

  8. William T says:

    Barry, the 10/10/10 events (organised by 350.org) are in fact nothing to do with the UK 10:10 movement of exploding video infamy (they are trying to promote the idea of 10% CO2 reduction by 2010).

  9. Barry Woods says:

    They were a PARTNER..  350 dissasociated themselves from 10:10 .  Easy to find the comments, why not try.

    Why the day, 10:10 promote 10% carbon production, 10/10/10 was going to be 10:10’s big day..

    Or just read the link…
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/sep/30/10-10-no-pressure-film?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=greenmeme

    The Guardian’s consultant environment editor, is 10:10’s Strategy Director, if you wondered how the Guardian got the ‘scoop’

    But they didn’t tell the readers that did they.
    Journalistic standards?

  10. Barry Woods says:

    Saved you the time:

    At Watts Up:
    Not only that, but a huge U.S. environmentalist promoter and partner, 350.org (headed by Bill McKibben), is no longer listed as an organizational partner. Both 10:10 and 350 have been heavily promoting an October 10 (10/10/10) “global workday” to supposedly bring fresh attention to the global warming threat. The message from 350.org’s press shop:

    We respect 10:10″²s previous work to encourage companies, schools, and churches to voluntarily cut their carbon emissions 10%. Upon seeing the video, however, we have informed 10:10 that we can no longer remain partners on 10/10/10 or any other initiative. 350.org maintains an absolute commitment to nonviolence in word and deed.

    For anybody who refuse to look at Watts Up:
    http://www.350.org/en/media#Press%20Releases

    October 1, 2010
    350.org Denounces 10:10 UK Video “No Pressure” 
    350.org strongly denounces the “No Pressure” video released in the UK by the 10:10 Campaign. 350.org works with over 500 organizations in 180 countries and neither we nor any of our partners saw the video before 10:10 released it live on the internet. Once we viewed it, we immediately urged 10:10 to take it off the web. The video is diametrically opposed to everything we and this movement stands for. 
     
    We respect 10:10’s previous work to encourage companies, schools, and churches to voluntarily cut their carbon emissions 10%. Upon seeing the video, however, we have informed 10:10 that we can no longer remain partners on 10/10/10 or any other initiative. 
     
    350.org maintains an absolute commitment to nonviolence in word and deed. This October 10th, the 10/10/10 Global Work Party will unite over 7,000 communities in more than 180 countries to work on positive solutions to the climate crisis. It will be the most widespread day of environmental action in history and embody our core principle of peaceful, global cooperation to work on solving the climate crisis together. 
     
    http://www.350.org/en/media#Press%20Releases

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