Re: OpenWorld Learning video

["Dale Reed" <dale-reed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Thanks, Dale.  Grand Junction is a bit of an isolated backwater and it has 
> been hard to get support and the population isn't that large.  We had a 
> fairly viable program starting, but a new college President didn't have a 
> clue and since we didn't generate funds he withdrew support. 
> Frustratiing.
Been to Junction many times because my cousin David has always lived there 
while our family lived not that far away in Denver.  I and my younger 
brother http://deanreed.de/deutsch/index.html
used to ride David's horses when we were little boys...and now that we are 
old geezers David and I visit each other here and there and schmooze online.
But back on thread.   The video is a dandy allowing the viewer to get a much 
better view of what actually occurs *inside* the OpenWorld's environment.
However I wonder about the benefits to the children of spending so much time 
on their computers.
Also in these times of increased emphases on "value added" and "testable" 
and "benefit vs. cost" education, and just about everything else, I wonder 
how well the OpenWorld model, and the other two examples I posted, would fly 
if they were *not* free to the parents and their children.
But since they are free, and we capitalists have a saying about "There is no 
such thing as a free lunch" I wonder who is funding these after school 
programs and why?  And might the children be doing something more productive 
with their best learning years including their after school time.
But of course if the only other free alternatives are the streets, sports, 
or playing video games then each of the above choices are more productive 
ways of spending their after school time.  In my days we used to go home and 
do homework and chores but maybe children don't do this anymore though I 
sometimes wonder what they have in those heavy packs they carry on and off 
the yellow buses in my neighborhood.    Dale
Dale
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$ dale-reed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   Seattle, Washington $