Here's some news I am not sure everyone has. Did you all know that we have more than just the usual culprits in the privatization of Public Schools? It goes beyond charters and hedge fund owners. It even goes beyond Bill Gates.
There is huge business in developing new software tools that are designed to "tailor learning to each child. To achieve that sort of customization, the software may collect and analyze a vast array of details about the habits and activities of individual students." Of course there is the usual issue about what happens to that data.
Guess what that business is worth? "These apps and sites represent a small but growing segment of the overall market for prekindergarten through 12th-grade education software, estimated at about $8.4 billion last year."
Quotes are from NYT article by Natasha Singer in today's business section. "Tools for Tailored Learning May Expose Students’ Personal Details"
I've got a solution. Get whatever software you need for learning and do it offline. If schools don't buy it, then it won't be an issue. Schools can choose software that is not data mined. This is pure vulture capitalism. Refuse to participate. We will soon be forced to contend with the wages of rebellion (as Chris Hedges put it so well).
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