Today’s New York Times has a article called Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?. [...]]]> I love to read. Thanks to my Mother I’ve been around books most of my life. So to this day I love being engrossed in a real paper book or periodical that I can hold in my hands.

Today’s New York Times has a article called Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?. Ironically I found it on my iPhone. There’s a new New York Times iPhone app that helps me browse and discover. So I read the entire article on my iPhone. Something I’m only now getting used too. Further weirdness is that I have a hardbound paper book next to me waiting to be read. I woke up this morning determined to stay away from my laptop for a few hours. But the call to create and share online was stronger. I’ll get to the book I promise.

The short version of my feelings about online reading vs paper reading is this: ITS ALL GOOD. That would be modern parlance for, ‘Both online and traditional reading of books is a good idea’. I grew up with both. I love both. But I’ll admit that its getting harder and harder for me to read some books all the way through. My difficulty in finishing certain reading, online or offline, is determined by writing style. Not the medium with which the knowledge reaches my brain. If the author’s words don’t grab me and force me like an obsession to continue turning pages often times I can’t. This isn’t a hard and fast rule though. I slog thorough all kinds of stuff.

Authors who’s books I wasn’t able to put down: William Gibson, Philip K. Dick, J.K. Rowling, and the graphic novels of Allan Moore. There is a thread there. They’re all fiction writers.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to read biography and non-fiction political books. Philosophy often engages me. Yes I’m a geek and I read computer manuals and how-to books. But less so as time goes on. Much of that info is at my finger tips via web browser. Should I blame the Internet? Sure. But I just don’t find it a bad thing. Its an evolution of our minds.

So excuse me I gota find a book on how to use Quickbooks business software.

Both Chapel Hill and Orange County received money for Chapel Hill channel 8, on which The People’s Channel broadcasts.

Yet neither government has passed [...]]]> Local governments withhold public access TV funds. Get the story from this Independent Weekly blog post by Fiona Morgan called Legislature to consider future of public TV channels.

Both Chapel Hill and Orange County received money for Chapel Hill channel 8, on which The People’s Channel broadcasts.

Yet neither government has passed that money on to The People’s Channel. The law says local governments must spend the supplemental money on PEG channels, but it doesn’t specify which channels.

Chapel Hill spokesperson Catherine Lazorko says the town manager and town council have yet to decide how to distribute PEG funding. Chapel Hill operates its own government channel, 18, which broadcasts public meetings.

Orange County, which certified a total of three PEG channels, decided to spend all $29,400 of its supplemental PEG funding on its own government channel, 265, which broadcasts county commissioners meetings. The annual budget for Channel 265 is approximately $40,000.

There is also some discussion going on about it on Orange Politics. You’ll find my passionate comments there. Here is one.

I am very disappointed in the position Town of Chapel Hill Staff and Orange County Staff have taken in this situation. As Fiona’s article pointed out the law governing the funds distributed by the state is up to interpretation. But for the County Assistant Manager and Manager to hide behind a legal opinion that they support to retain funds purposely earmarked by the State for a local non-profit is disgusting!

I wish this were a case of unemotional bean counting in a disconnected bureaucracy. But it just doesn’t seem so. I look forward to more information coming to light on the attitude our public servants have had when dealing with our fellow citizens. If they treated other nonprofits with more loud public voices this way I think Council, Commissioners, and citizens would be publicly outraged.

Please consider donating to The Peoples’ Channel, taking a course to learn how to shoot and edit your own video at TPC, and asking your local representatives WHY our Staff members act this way.

To get a bit more background on the situation here is a PDF that describes PEG (Public Access Television) Funding.

Pink and Bunny are Cats. They have a video camera and like to share what they know. This is their show’s trailer The Pinky Show, in a Nutshell. (this link is to a page with a QuickTime version of this vid) Man this stuff is brilliant.

Thanks for sharing Paul!

Sadly when a campus leader shares their point of [...]]]> The New York Times has a interesting article in today’s paper and online called Erasing Divide, College Leaders Take to Blogging. It illustrates the pros and cons of College Presidents starting their own blogs. There are a few successful examples and a several rocky ones.

Sadly when a campus leader shares their point of view about education, even if its lock step with policy, there are always critics. But you see that is ok. I repeat criticism is ok. It is the beginning of helpful dialog. We must ‘battle it out’ in the comment section to find out what we share in common and where our differences lie. Then we can figure out how to mend them.

Universities should encourage direct communication among the members of its community. Transparency and openness is essential to educating young people in preparation for living in a democracy. Sure its going to be rocky. Yes some may use what you write as ammunition against you. But at the end of the day educating kids is what’s important.

We must have courageous College and University leaders take on this challenge. You can blog smartly. Just don’t write the first thing that comes to mind. Make several drafts. Share them with others. Have a marketing department or trusted colleague look at it. Mix in fun wittings with the serious ones. Think long and hard about how you’ll moderate comments BEFORE you start a blog.

I feel very confident that if the communication gap in the 21st Century that exists between students and their teachers isn’t made smaller we are doomed to see history repeat itself over and over. Isn’t that the antithesis of education’s purpose?

I extend a helping hand to any Teacher, Professor, Administrator, President, or Provost who would like to blog. Just contact me and I’ll help you start. Gratis.