Educators commonly express concern that students rely too heavily on web resources that have not been submitted to a formal editorial process. Even those who see the Internet as the library of the future recognize the uneven quality of web resources and suggest that students acquire a more critical eye as they select their sources.
My personal senstitivity to this educational issue provided a context for a story aired this evening on CNN. Scientists conducting research on climate change feel that editors have required modifications in their scientific papers regarding climate change that addressed global warming or climate change in way the scientists felt modified their intended conclusions (Union of Concerned Scientists Survey). One problematic finding indicated a differential rate of concerns editorial meddling between scientists working directly for the government and those funded by grants but working for independent organizations.
The mix of politics, science, and education can be problematic. One wonders if the “concern” generated regarding the showing of Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” would have surfaced had Gore not be recognizable as a politician.
“Condoms don’t belong in school, and neither does
Al Gore. He’s not a schoolteacher.”
I would think the documentary would be a great way to initiate a unit on the topic – make it part of a webquest and offer links to contrasting positions, have students search for commentary on the film and summarize contrasting views, etc. Perhaps in this case a little controversy could be a good thing.
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