[Edu-sig] Microsoft's KPL

[Arthur]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kirby Urner [mailto:urnerk at qwest.net]
> 
> Hi Arthur --
> 
> I really do try to understand your concerns about businesses touting their
> efforts in the education arena, and how much that concerns you.

Maybe you are trying too hard.  In my mind, I am only stating the obvious.
And wondering why it seems to have become acceptable and common to ignore
it. Maybe you are looking for more than the obvious.

> 
> I'd be concerned if just one or two big companies felt they could hijack
> and
> control our curriculum, but having thousands upon millions of competing
> firms hawking their education-relevance doesn't so far bother me. 

Are there thousands upon millions of firms in a position to compete with
Microsoft, Disney and IBM?

More fundamentally, when was it that we decided that the kind of market
forces which work to bring us ketchup, work to bring us education.  The U.S.
- perhaps the most free-market force ever - had, until the technological
disruption, understood the importance of making one very fundamental
exception to the general rule that the markets rule - and that has been in
education.

And I think that is largely because it has been understood that there has to
be decisions as to what education *is* before it - education -  can be
accomplished.  And it has been understood that it would be irresponsible to
let the markets *define* education.  

That wisdom is in grave jeopardy.

As we see, the market defines education as  - what it can deliver. 

Perhaps it's not.


Art