In our schools, competition for access to elite preschools, for grades, for social status, in sports, over positions of leadership, and for admission to exclusive colleges transforms one of our most basic institutions for fostering community, ethics and learning into competitive, individualistic corporate training-grounds. In these settings, the importance of competitive sports becomes paramount, for both financial and training purposes, and the artistry of cheating (see this year's Stuyvesant High School cheating scandal) and rule-bending (see Joe Paterno) revered. Such intense competition encourages the professionalization of parenting -- through tutors, highly-educated nannies, prep courses, and professional training camps (such as investment camps). You can imagine the deleterious effects these trends have on the ethos of care and moral responsibility in our families and schools, a critical buffer against bullying and violence in the lives of our children.
Kerry J on 12 Mar 09As learning moves online and educators and learners look to use and share materials, there are issues regarding copyright and educational exemptions that both groups need to consider. What is legal to use in a classroom often is not legal to make available to the wider internet, despite an educational use or context. If you want to share something you've created as an educator - you might not be able to do so legally. Creative Commons, an international movement to create licenses that allow creators to freely share their works online, is one way of lessening the confusion. MCEETYA (the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs) and Creative Commons Australia are teaming up to help educators thread their way through the maze - so they can advise learners and model best practice. In this episode, we talk with Delia Browne, National Copyright Director for MCEETYA and Jessica Coates, Project Manager, Creative Commons Clinic, Queensland University of Technology.
