Funny that a story about schools taking a day off from technology should coincide with a weekend without my Comcast Internet access...well, it wasn't funny for me. I borrowed a little time from one of my neighbor's open wireless access points for a short time, but the signal was quite weak. Then, there were a couple of trips back to the office to feed my email and blogging addictions... after all, Bill Hobbs was sitting in as guest blogger at Nashville is Talking, and I heard via telephone that my blog had been referenced. I regress. The E-School News story reporting on the technology blackout day held few surprises for me. I was hoping for something profound from either the students or the teachers, but this is all the glory I could find:
"This event really struck a chord with the education community and gave students an opportunity to take a step back and appreciate the positive influence technology has had on their lives, and the lives of their families and peers," SETDA Executive Director Melinda George added. "It is truly a validation that modern technology has become a necessity for students in the 21st century, and unless students continue to have access to technology, it will be much harder for Americans to keep pace in an increasingly competitive global marketplace."
So, we know that having access is important, I can painfully testify to that. But now that we know that, you suppose I'll get faster service from Comcast if I explain how important it is that I stay globally competitive? Probably not...*sigh*