Kindle is discriminatory or something...

[chanel]

Did you know the Justice Department threatened several universities with legal action because they took part in an experimental program to allow students to use the Amazon Kindle for textbooks?

Last year, the schools -- among them Princeton, Arizona State and Case Western Reserve -- wanted to know if e-book readers would be more convenient and less costly than traditional textbooks. The environmentally conscious educators also wanted to reduce the huge amount of paper students use to print files from their laptops.

It seemed like a promising idea until the universities got a letter from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, now under an aggressive new chief, Thomas Perez, telling them they were under investigation for possible violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: Why did feds claim Kindle violates civil rights? | Washington Examiner

Our tax dollars at work...

 

[Alpha1]

Whats next?

New cars for the blind?
Maybe 'strip joints' for the blind?
CD music for the deaf?

 

[uscitizen]

Now about a news network for the blind?
Ohh already got that.

 

[chanel]

Many schools are toying with the idea of Kindles. Little kids are carrying around their body weight in books. Give me a fucking break.

 

[Againsheila]

sounds like somebody in the Justice Department has too much time on their hands....or they're just stupid.

 

[manifold]

This doesn't make any sense to me at all.

The kindle would be replacing printed text books, which blind people can't read anyway.

It's not like they'd be any worse off if the sighted students switched to using the kindle.

 

[Zander]

"We are from the government. We are here to help". Yeah, sure.....

 

[chanel]

This doesn't make any sense to me at all.

The kindle would be replacing printed text books, which blind people can't read anyway.

It's not like they'd be any worse off if the sighted students switched to using the kindle.

The Civil Rights Division informed the schools they were under investigation. In subsequent talks, the Justice Department demanded the universities stop distributing the Kindle; if blind students couldn't use the device, then nobody could. The Federation made the same demand in a separate lawsuit against Arizona State.

It's an approach that bothers some civil rights experts. "As a blind person, I would never want to be associated with any movement that punished sighted students, particularly for nothing they had ever done," says Russell Redenbaugh, a California investor who lost his sight in a childhood accident and later served for 15 years on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "It's a gross injustice to disadvantage one group, and it's bad policy that breeds resentment, not compassion."

Read more at the Washington Examiner: Why did feds claim Kindle violates civil rights? | Washington Examiner

Maybe the justice dept. should just poking everyone's eyes out in the interest of "fairness" and all...

Anyone read Harrison Bergeron? Scary.

 

[Againsheila]

This doesn't make any sense to me at all.

The kindle would be replacing printed text books, which blind people can't read anyway.

It's not like they'd be any worse off if the sighted students switched to using the kindle.

The Civil Rights Division informed the schools they were under investigation. In subsequent talks, the Justice Department demanded the universities stop distributing the Kindle; if blind students couldn't use the device, then nobody could. The Federation made the same demand in a separate lawsuit against Arizona State.

It's an approach that bothers some civil rights experts. "As a blind person, I would never want to be associated with any movement that punished sighted students, particularly for nothing they had ever done," says Russell Redenbaugh, a California investor who lost his sight in a childhood accident and later served for 15 years on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "It's a gross injustice to disadvantage one group, and it's bad policy that breeds resentment, not compassion."

Read more at the Washington Examiner: Why did feds claim Kindle violates civil rights? | Washington Examiner

Maybe the justice dept. should just poking everyone's eyes out in the interest of "fairness" and all...

Anyone read Harrison Bergeron? Scary.

I think our country has gone nuts. We won't let sighted students use the Kindle in college. We won't protect our borders. We warn Americans not to use certain national parks because illegals have made them dangerous....we build public apartments that are only available to Russians, not Americans....I'm at a loss....we really need that revolution.

 

[ConHog]

Many schools are toying with the idea of Kindles. Little kids are carrying around their body weight in books. Give me a fucking break.

The school I'm on the school board of starts our pilot program next week when school starts. I spearheaded a drive to convert to laptops, 9-12 grade we have no paper books. Everything is digital. If it seems to work we'll expand to the other grades.

 

[chanel]

Outstanding conhog. What will they do if one gets broken or stolen?

 

[ConHog]

Outstanding conhog. What will they do if one gets broken or stolen?

We have insurance and each family has to agree to pay a $100 deductible if the insurance is needed.

 

[Baruch Menachem]

Paper textbooks lost or stolen would cost just about that.

The college I go to has a system where your homework gets turned in electronically. Most of the staff love it. The students think it is great too, as the homework can get done and turned in later that way.

 

[ConHog]

Paper textbooks lost or stolen would cost just about that.

The college I go to has a system where your homework gets turned in electronically. Most of the staff love it. The students think it is great too, as the homework can get done and turned in later that way.

That's exactly why I chose to push actual laptops instead of a kindle like device. We're going virtual. The students can query their teachers from their laptops during class so that a teacher can help more than one student at a time with their work without anyone leaving their seats. homework will all be submitted online. tests will be taken right on the computer, no paper tests. Thanks to the computers are students will be able to take distance learning classes in subject that just aren't available at our school because of our small size.

It's the future

 

[Pappadave]

When we reach the point if we are not there already when anyone can access the knowledge of man online, what use will there be for schools that imprison children and force them to learn at the slowest pace? The only "teaching" required is pretty minimal. How to think and where to look. Hang on to your desks, teach. We are going for a helluva ride into tomorrow. Pappadave

 

[ConHog]

When we reach the point if we are not there already when anyone can access the knowledge of man online, what use will there be for schools that imprison children and force them to learn at the slowest pace? The only "teaching" required is pretty minimal. How to think and where to look. Hang on to your desks, teach. We are going for a helluva ride into tomorrow. Pappadave

I see a point in call it 10 years when the brick and mortar school is no more.