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• what's up wtih sex ed?

  the more I learn about sex ed in America, the more disappointed I become. do you know who is teaching your kids sex ed? in some schools it's a gym teacher, in others it's the nurse... the variety is staggering and not in a good way.
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  • Date: May 16 2008
  • Posted by anonomommy

• Meditations on Ahimsa

  Check out the Meditations on Ahimsa track I just recorded for Conscious Lifestyle at: Meditations on Ahimsa
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  • Date: May 13 2008
  • Posted by mattswriting

• URL

  This link took me to a very interesting you tube video, but I was interested in what you described...
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  • Date: May 13 2008
  • Posted by stanz

• Even Handed

  I used to live at the MTC, and I've got to say this article represented it fairly well; it's hard to write objectively AND not step on any toes. If ya'll are still curious about Mormons, look at this space: What Do Mormons Believe?
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  • Date: Feb 06 2008
  • Posted by Thaddeus

• Skid Row documentary w/Pras

  Pras from The Fugees recently made a documentary where he spent 9 days on the ground in L.A., isolated and with a hidden camera. It's a powerful statement and it came out as the award winning 'Skid Row' We're working with the creators to distribute the film on DVD, as well as hosting activist events (some of which have discussions and performances by Pras) Please, if you're moved by the homelessness tragedy, check out our page for Skid Row at: http://www.indiepixfilms.com/film/3397 Thank you, and get involved!
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  • Date: Apr 21 2008
  • Posted by indiepix

• Are you for real?

  Hmmm, advocating abolishing writing for all school age children because YOUR son has a difficult time writing. I suppose your follow up essay will explain how children from economically disadvantaged homes will acquire the keyboards (and devices that they are attached to)that will replace their virtually free pencils. Not all children have parents who are professors.
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  • Date: Feb 17 2008
  • Posted by mama2jbgb

• Mind Boggling

  Did you read your own article. It is absurd. writing is just a basic skill like arithmetic. Your son isn't writing a novel here. Help your son learn how to write instead of formulating rationalizations on how writing isn't that important. He will thank you for it.
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  • Date: Feb 14 2008
  • Posted by yauman

• Not the first time...

  This is a discussion I've heard somewhere else recently, although i can't remember where. In my opinion, it is an absolutely unthinkable idea. As many people have noted before me, we use writing everyday—it's a means of general, quick expression. As a graphic designer, I can't help but liken it to a common trend I see in the design world. As we've become SO dependent on computers to produce our designs in the past 15 years, today's design students are having a hard time grasping why it's important to be able to sketch. Now, I can't draw my way out of a paper bag, but I definitely know how to get my ideas out with a paper and pencil, and I can work a logo to perfection without opening Illustrator (I'm a graduating senior majoring in Graphic Design). Handwriting, like sketching for designers, is a necessary part of daily expression and communication. One would be handicapped without that skill. Penmanship does not have to be beautiful, so long as one can communicate ideas. Secondly, if we were to stop teaching handwriting, the question becomes: should we teach typography? If, when handwriting was the only writing we did, we were taught penmanship, wouldn't teaching typography to computer-literate students be a natural thing? There is an interesting Typophile discussion about it here. In my opinion, not only should we teach the basics of penmanship, but the basics of typography, as well. I don't expect the world to fall in love with type and become graphic designers, but if it would steer people away from Comic Sans, Papyrus and Arial, the world would certainly be a more beautiful place.
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  • Date: Mar 31 2008
  • Posted by cassiem13

• Stop teaching Handwriting

  So on days when the power goes out...lets all sit in the corner and be quiet! Write or Type this somewhere: Allow my kid the opportunity to fail.
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  • Date: Mar 31 2008
  • Posted by lhaber

• Yu-Gi Ut-Oh!

  Anne Trubek suggests an interesting notion of how technology could help a select few who have a hard time grasping penmanship and letter formation/recognition. However, to make broad sweeping generalizations for the rest of her son's and future classmates (as well as entire generations of writers) that hand scripting is irrelevant to learning and expression is ludicrous. There are pros and cons to all media used to translate thoughts and feelings into tangible creations, even voice transcribers. There's nothing wrong with oral tradition as a source of origination, but it's not for everyone. I prefer to work with the voice audible only to me that propels my fingers. I will note, too, that in fifth grade I barely passed my penmanship tests until my father sat me down and showed a me a concept of tracing semi-circles to form the tops and bottoms of letters. As it turned out I was writing "left-handed" arcs with my right hand, which is why it looked so messy. Once I practiced a this new method a few times, letter formation clicked for me, and I've had beautiful handwriting ever since. Perhaps Trubek's son just needs some good old-fashioned practice and a new way of A) holding his pencil B) making semi-circle arcs, or C) entertaining the notion that he may have dyslexia. Instead of handing him a voice transcriber and screaming Web 4.0, she may want to clarify his needs. I'm all for bringing new technologies into the classroom, but ignoring rudimentary tasks for the sake of abandoning challenges on students is weird. That's like saying fat kids who have to exert extra effort in gym class to keep up have a full license to play Wii Fitness instead. Sounds very "You-Gee Ut-Oh!" to me.
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  • Date: Mar 28 2008
  • Posted by cicic