TftF 84: Financial Aid Shake Down/Give Away Your OLPC
Financial Aid Shake Down: How the US Congress is trying to take away your child's financial aid.
Co-authors of the new legislation:
Representative George Miller of California
Representative Ruben Hinojosa of Texas
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Representative Ruben Hinojosa of Texas
I think that this law is overtly classist. It's obvious that the MPAA/RIAA are angry. They're pissed off and want to hit students where it hurts, in their financial aid. It's too hard and costs too much to target/litigate each file-sharer, so targeting schools would put the accountability on universities to enforce MPAA/RIAA policy. By penalizing financial aid benefits, this law would almost completely target low income students. If aid is cut, it will be those students who can't afford school on their own who will be affected the most. Which is unfair because students from all socio-economic classes are file sharing. Part of me thinks it is easier to target poor students because they have less resources and capital to fight back, but I think it has more to do with a lack of forethought.
From News.com: "The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) applauded the proposal"... "We very much support the language in the bill, which requires universities to provide evidence that they have a plan for implementing a technology to address illegal file sharing," said Angela Martinez, a spokeswoman for the MPAA."
So instead of trying to find a way to change they way they do business, record companies are trying to legislate their way back on track. I understand that file sharing is illegal, but I don't understand why record companies want to attack low income students. This is like docking pay checks to the mailroom because the CEO was found guilty of a crime. It's sad that our legislators are more willing to fight for the lumbering giants of the record industry over kids who are trying to earn a degree.
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BUY 2 DONATE 2: Why you don't need to buy an OLPC to your computer collection
LINKS:
OLPC Twitter Feed: http://twitter.com/olpc
Give One Get One Campaign: http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php
This is the bulk of the show, but I don't have the energy to write it all up. I hope you forgive me.
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Tags: Dave LaMorte, teaching for the future, technology, education, podcast, teaching, financial aid podcast, media literacy, visual literacy, new media literacy
Labels: dave lamorte, education, financial aid podcast, media literacy, new media literacy, podcast, social activisim, teaching, technology
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