freedom to think
I did a web search for some information about freedom and software in schools then stumbled across the following inspirational quote."Those who profess to favor freedom, yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." -- Frederick Douglass, American Abolitionist, Letter to an associate, 1849
When I scrolled up, I read that the blog entry posted by Miguel reflected on some burning issues raised by Bill! It was a pleasant surprise to recognise the footsteps from a familiar and respected colleague. :-)
Only an hour earlier I was contributing some ideas to the thoughts of Tony and Bill with their collaborative wiki on Game Learning. Whilst I don't have the swags of time to contribute to my various on-line projects, when the kids are in bed I can type up a few small notes when I feel competent to write about something. Later, I can reflect aloud on my thoughts as I am doing now with this blog.
The world has changed.
Once I navigated the currents of thinking amongst the rivers of e-mail, flagging out the odd island of knowledge with a bookmark or two, filling in my own space with some code and a web page. Using the new tools of a read-write web, I can work with teams to build collaborative bridges of understanding that span the gulf of our differences. The freedom to create, think and shout is not only liberating, it breathes the air of what it means to be a social human being.