Good stuff at the Pulse lately.  Here’re a couple of recent standouts, both of which hit my aggregator today.  The first, by Ron Canuel, includes a silly list of the cons of using pens and pencils.  Here’s a partial list, and some of his tongue in cheek conclusions:

• Very limited interactive components with peripherals in the classroom or at home or at the office
• Ergonomic design limited to higher end models
• Limited transferability of finalized documents

I
stopped at this point since it became clear that in reviewing the above
listing, there must be immediate, and more in depth research into the
positive and negative effects of pencils and pens.  Just look at the
weapon component and the vandalism that these two tools have brought to
our schools and classrooms.  To add, I also suggest that policy makers,
politicians, educators and media immediately investigate whether
policies and programs should be implemented to ensure the positive
usages of these tools.

The second, and far more serious piece, is by Gary Stager.  I don’t always agree with him, but I certainly do today when he writes:

The rights of speech, assembly, movement and petitioning one’s
government are enshrined in the United States Constitution and are the
bedrock of our democratic system. Increasingly these rights are
exercised online. Blocking such access in schools, whether
accidentally, needlessly or malevolently, endangers us all.

    Overstated?  I don’t believe so.  Make sure to read the complete articles.