Okay Lemmy Champions… I want to spread the news and increase participation. What do you think about requiring an assignment in which college level comp students need to practice critical thinking skills in the subs of their choice at Lenny? What suggestions would you make relating to each an assignment? What negative unforeseen consequences am I not seeing? Thank you.Very
What a kind and thoughtful reply this was. I have nurtured the notion of replying to you in the back of my mind and today we have a snow day. I will update you on the Fediverse project I offered in my Science Fiction course.
Drumroll…
It was a bust on one level.
I genuinely thought I would ignite passion for this work in one tenth of the class… or at the very least: INTEREST! And under that: curiosity.
None.
I did get folks to create accounts and explore and the oral presentations were filled with…
Drumroll…
It doesn’t work!
Or
It’s too hard to get to work.
Corporations have succeeded in creating the laziest generation. The most incurious batch of victims ever brewed up.
So… I did not start a revolution.
And neither did Luigi… but we tried to shine light into darkness.
Luckily my way involved zero murder.
And your and my conversation began with me just asking in how bad trouble might I get into for this attempt. The answer was zero. My students executed what they could with the bandwidth they had at the level to which they were accustomed to work.
Plus sides…
They did think critically. Many of them owned up to their own lack of patience and attention.
Some mentioned they they need more dopamine in their social media.
Which tells me they “got” the point but that they do not mind being scolded by the telescreen when they do not bend over far enough trying to touch their toes.
OpenStars, your discourse is not easily abandoned. Thank you so much for the intelligent responses and the concern you shared.
I do not have an active Fediverse project rolling this term. But I will likely come up with something for Spring. I’m thinking of ditching every book in my fiction class and having us read THE BOOK THEIF closely for spring.
I’d settle for the novelization of Inglurious Basterds… maybe we will write that as a creative project.
How could this country run so far afoul?
Here’s hoping your adventures in the Fediverse are numerous and satisfying.
Hah… that’s the way I sign off postal correspondence and it occurred to me I could stalk your avatar here and find these things out. I shall resist that impulse and hope you have time for a reply.
I don’t know what is going on with kids these days. Whatever it is, is not good. And also, large portions of it seem intentional, while other parts (No Child Left Behind) due to incompetence.
I know that we grew up in the era of information. But that was then, and this is now, the new era of not just mis-information but outright, active dis-information. Your Chinese device may legit be spying on you - see e.g. TP Link routers - it’s only a matter of probability based on how cheap that would have been to accomplish (undetected) at the time it was made. And if not, then perhaps they should have done it - it’s just strategic!? :-P
I think part of a revolution must start with opening our own eyes. e.g. some people wanted Bernie Sanders - but lol “no, not like that”. I’m not saying “bOtH sIdEs SaMe” - I’m not - however… qualitatively if not quantitatively, they kinda are, yeah. Speaking of, Bernie has a recent video about oligarchy where he points out what that means. The thing in: as he described how the government exists to serve the interests of a single person and their family, my thoughts turned to how Biden pardoned everyone that he wanted to be exempt from whatever. He’s not “tHe SamE” as his opponent - he’s not! But… isn’t he though?
Regardless of Truth vs. Falsehood, I at least understand that this is how people perceive things. No nuance, no subtlety, no room for quantitative differences. So, now we will get what we wanted: not having to think deeply anymore in order to vote. Before, our votes barely mattered as certain oligarchs got what they wanted either way, whereas now, other, different oligarchs get what they want this way.
Brace yourself: I don’t think there will be another Presidential election, or least that the probability of such is maybe 50%. He said that he’d be a dictator, and he was. He also said that we’d never have to vote again. We’ll see. Long before that, Project 2025 says that it will start gunning for the liberal academic institutions present in this country. Be careful, and maybe start thinking of a backup plan? Teaching kids who don’t want to learn in the first place may no longer be a viable career option in the extremely near future - even for you who has the job already. Sorry, this has got to be stressful to think about… but it’s a real worry. Even if there is another election, the ratchet has been dialed up, and that tends to never go back down, especially lately, and only ever forwards:-|. Btw this is not “despair”, this is my attempt at least at being a realist.
Bc more to the point, it’s what the people want. As long as that remains true, and at some point long beyond that, such will continue. This is our new normal - and it’s not about “sad” or “happy”, it simply is.
Replied privately.