Education Transformation

Internet Activism

I am a strong proponent of using social networking to bring about social change. Thus, I spend a lot of time micro-blogging and blogging about social issues, current political news, and history important to understanding what is currently happening. Recently, though, I’ve been seeing A LOT of people making snide remarks about “internet activists” and how people need to just shut up and do something. To which I say…

Ha.

First, you don’t know what someone is actually doing unless you personally know them. My particular focus is in education, and as such I work for two education reform/social justice organizations, but unless you know me, you wouldn’t know that. There are other people who spend a lot of time microblogging (tweeting) and blogging about social and political issues who don’t make public mention about what they personally do to effect change. Don’t assume that because someone doesn’t talk extensively about their real world activism, or work that they aren’t doing anything.

Secondly, activism is a privilege. If you have to work to pay your rent and bills, or are a full-time student, or don’t have access to reliable transportation (raises hand for all three), you may not have the PRIVILEGE of being a street activist. But all it takes is internet access and multitasking time at work, in class or home to spread information, which is equally important.

Which brings me to my next point… Many neo-revolutionaries believe in the revolution of consciousness theory. A theory that has been supported by several theorist over time (Marx and Paulo Freire, just to name two), states that revolution is incapable of occurring until the public develops a critical consciousness about their condition. Critical consciousness means they not only know what’s going on, but also why. Without critical consciousness, “revolution” will really just be riots that do not result in any substantial and enduring system change. This is why dissemination of knowledge is so important. People have to KNOW before they will be compelled to act. And they have to KNOW so that their actions are informed and rooted in effectiveness, not reactionary or rooted in anger. Therefore, “internet activists” are more important and useful than people think. People could not disseminate knowledge, and choose to simply act, but what good would isolated solitary actions do? 

It’s useful to critique someone’s work in a constructive matter that will ADD to the overall work being done. But what I’ve been seeing so far is not useful or constructive, rather rude, misinformed and very disheartening for me and other people to read.

To Vote or Not To Vote? That is NOT the question!

As someone paradoxically very anti-government, but very interested in politics, I’ve recently struggled with the concept of voting. Specifically, I struggled with the idea of voting as an illusion of choice. We all know that, at least on the national, presidential and congressional, level, Democrats and Republicans are funded by the same corporations. They ultimately will serve the interests of the same fat cats who are not me, or the majority of Americans. Why vote, I asked myself, when no matter what, the outcome will be the same?

Then there are infamous quotes like, “Don’t vote, it only encourages them” floating around. How can I consider myself a person truly anti-government and pro-transformation if I even slightly engage in government?

But these thoughts that were pushing me closer and closer to not only not voting in 2012 but encouraging my peers to abandon polls as well came to a screeching halt during the debt ceiling default debates. Watching our nation’s GOP “leaders” bicker and push for nonsensical spending cuts infuriated me. Watching our nation’s asses, I mean Democrats, bend over backward to the desires of the GOP infuriated me even more. 

But what infuriated me even more was how uninformed and disinterested so many people around me were on the debt ceiling debates. Though it made national news literally daily, most of the people I encountered didn’t truly grasp what was happening here. And when I attempted to weigh in with a more comprehensive, historical account of why this default is inevitable (if not now, later), no one seemed to care. 

Which lead me to only one logical conclusion: While not voting in the 2012 election could send a shocking message that the American people are tired of the bipartisanship, we’re tired of the limited choices, and we’re tired of politicians who don’t care about our needs, it would only work if large, and I mean large, numbers of people purposely stayed home from the polls. And that’s not going to happen. America is much too apathetic. We’re not ready for revolution, because a revolution of consciousness has not yet occurred. So my solitary act of not voting will literally go unnoticed. No one will care. No one will notice. I mean, certain demographics already don’t vote anyway, right? Over time, certain demographics have purposely been staying home from the polls in higher numbers than anyone for yeeeears, and the only political message they’ve sent yet is that they just don’t care.

So I’ll be voting. And I encourage you all to vote too. Not because it’s going to bring about major change in government, not because it will guarantee that the elected politician will truly represent you, but because, if these debt debates taught us anything, it’s that what party has control does make some difference. And if you don’t believe me, pull any current GOP presidential hopeful out a hat, and imagine them winning presidency in 2012 over Obama. Frightening, right?

I desperately want transformation, but we can’t rush it along. And I’ve decided that practicality doesn’t have to be incompatible with my ultimate beliefs.

The Voter Disenfranchisement of Felons

Now that the GOP presidential race is heating up, I became interested in voting patterns in the US. In search of a reputable source, I ran across an alarming statistic: some 4.7 million Americans are ineligible to vote, due to state laws that bar felons from using their political voice.

According to the 14th Amendment, states have the right to deny a person their right to vote for “participation in rebellion and other crime.” Thus, in all but two states inmates cannot vote, and in thirty-three states parolees cannot vote. But the most alarming figure is that one-third of the people disenfranchised by these laws are free, out of prison and off of parole. These felony voter laws affect some demographics more than others; because of them, 13% of African-American men cannot vote.

It then comes as no surprise that many of these laws date back to 1800′s efforts to prevent the Black vote by disenfranchising for even minor criminal offenses. Accordingly, the most harsh of these laws remain in the South. In Florida, for example, voter rights of felons must be restored by the Governor. There, 8% of all adults cannot vote, including 1 out of every 4 Black men. But it is important to note that these laws do not just carry a racial bias, because most felonies are committed by not just minorities, but also those of the lower class, and with little education.

I can understand temporarily relinquishing voting rights of those incarcerated. While in prison, your freedom is just one of many rights you are denied, and perhaps voting should be no different. But to deny voting rights to those who have served their debt to society is of logic that I cannot understand. Permanently silencing individuals goes against all for which our democracy should stand. Additionally, I believe it adds to the stigmatization that leads many criminals to recommit criminal acts. What is the likelihood that someone would be strongly motivated to oblige by the authority of the state, when they are excluded from having a say-so? Additionally, given the statistics aforementioned, and the several others that exist, laws such as this clearly weaken the political voice of certain groups.

Many of the arguments in favor of these laws lack substance, pointedly the one that follows that former criminals are incapable of making sound political decisions. There is nothing about former criminal activity to necessitate the inability to cast an educated voted. Furthermore, non-felons are not required to prove their ability to make informed, rational decisions. Instead, this is an ability that is seen as irrelevant to the sheer right to vote; otherwise, IQ tests and political savvy-ness would be administered with each voter registration. We have seen that perhaps non-felons are no more equipped to make sound political decisions than anyone else (Rand Paul, anyone?), so the assertion that a criminal history is an indicator of poor decision-making is irrelevant. Voting rights are not to be given based on the ability to make the best decisions, because if the subjective notion of “best decision” is up to the state’s interpretation, wouldn’t the state just be re-fabricating a polarized, biased base?

Voting rights are based on citizenship. To deny a free man, regardless of criminal history, a vote, is to deny him a political voice, ownership over the people who allegedly represent his interests, and essentially, a nation.

What do you think? Do you support laws the restrict the votes of felons, and if so, just how strict should these laws be? What other rational can be given in favor of such laws?

Social Media: The Hidden Gems!

Social media is everywhere. I didn’t realize how widespread and integral to daily life social media was until I logged onto Facebook one day and had a friend request from my 50 year old aunt. Awkward! 

While some social media sites are more common than the common cold (ok, maybe not that common: there are 1 billion colds in the US per year—who knew?), there are others still hidden in the trenches of cyberspace. But not to be outdone, these sites are innovative, fun and have the potential to change the way we use social media educationally! So here’s the list of my three favorite social media hidden gems:

3. Pearl Trees

What it is: We’ve all bookmarked a website we’ve found interesting, or frequently regularly so we can easily return to it. Well Pearl Trees is a website that allows you to keep track of your favorite websites, organize them in various ways, and share them with other users.

How it works: It’s actually really simple! Create a “pearl tree” of any topic you’d like (my first pearl tree was about, surprise!, education). Then as you browse the web, simply save the sites related to that topic as “pearls.” You can visit the website to save them, or download a convenient widget to your browser. Connect your Pearl Trees account to your Facebook and Twitter, and it’ll automatically pearl the tweets you share on those accounts! The cool thing is you can team up with other Pearl Tree users to connect your pearl trees on related topics, and build them together. Or explore their pearl trees to discover new sites that meet your interests.

Why it’s cool for school: Imagine students from across the world teaming up to gather information for the same research topics. Well, Pearl Trees makes that an easy possibility! Educators and students alike can use Pearl Trees to connect with others from all across the globe to find and share information pertinent to their lessons. Wouldn’t it be cool if students researching the Mexican-American war could team up with Mexican students to find, share and evaluate information? Pearl Trees can make it happen!

2. Chirp Story

What it is: Chirp Story builds on the already popular social media website Twitter, allowing its users to build chronological or functional narratives of tweets and Twitter exchanges.

How it works: Allow Chirp Story to access your Twitter account, and it automatically loads your timeline. Simply drag and drop the tweets you want to create your chirp story. Or, search by username, trending topics, or key words to find the tweets you want to include in your chirp story. Give your chirp story a name, and use Chirp Story’s easy tools to italicize, bold, color and augment text for emphasis and visualization. Publish, and share your chirp story with the world! 

Why it’s cool for school: Chirp Story allows a person to gather tweets around a central topic to create a cohesive public discourse. Students and educators can use Chirp Story to step outside of academia, and into the real world, finding out what the people have to say about hot topics, and forming them into public narratives. Imagine if Chirp Story was around when Iranians turned to Twitter to document and further their uprising efforts in 2009-2010. The revolution won’t be televised, but it will be Chirp Storied!

1. Paper.li

What it is: Paper.li is a website that builds upon the sharing power of Twitter to create a personalized, custom newspaper automatically.

How it works: Link paper.li to your Twitter, then tell it what #hashtags, trending topics, keywords, lists and Twitter users to look out for. Paper.li uses these filters and preferences to create an interactive newspaper, tailored to your interests, complete with articles, research papers, multimedia, tweets, blogs and more!

Why it’s cool for school: Paper.li has the news your students are interested in automatically compiled into their very own newspaper every single day! With just a little set-up, information from academics, reporters and the public alike is delivered to your student’s virtual door. Students can use Paper.li to create newspapers around their academic and professional interests, or they can use it collaboratively to create newspapers around research topics. Paper.li is the future of gathering news!

If you aren’t already, head over to these three social media gems and sign up! There’s no limit to the information you’ll find and the connections you’ll make! And while you’re there, be sure to search for “education reform”—my contributions just might pop up! (;

Educationally yours,

Constance-Marie

Greetings!

Hello Blogosphere! Welcome to Education Transformation! My name is Constance-Marie, and I’m the owner of this blog. A few facts about me:

I am a rising senior at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, double-concentrating in Sociology and Philosophy. My academic interests include educational pedagogies, educational inequalities, education reform, and ethics. I’m also very interested in social justice issues, politics, natural hair, vegetarianism/veganism, astrology and social media. When I’m not in the classroom or library, I spend most of time working with math literacy and social justice organizations in Ann Arbor’s sister city Ypsilanti. 

My future academic and professional goals include earning a Ph.D. in Sociology and researching the connection between educational disparities and other social justice issues (e.g. the link between poverty, education and criminal behavior). 

I hope you all stick around!