Re: OpenWorld Learning video

["Daniel Ajoy" <da.ajoy@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 4 Apr 2007 at 11:18, Dale  Reed wrote:

> > 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.                                  

I think it is a well rounded program, this is from the description
of the program:

http://www.openworldlearning.org/program.htm

"The OWL Program is offered four days a week, three hours a 
day, after school, and during the summer. The program 
includes a snack, vigorous physical exercise, 90 minutes of 
computer project time, and a half-hour of homework/writing 
support."

> 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.                                   

parents have to take the children home. And the parents of what we
call "student leaders" provide transportation to and from additional 
workshops.

> 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.                                

Is this a "Why MicroWorlds question"? :)


Daniel

> 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
> ---
> $ dale-reed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   Seattle, Washington $ 
>