Debate? Dissent? Discussion? Oh, Don't Go There! The research is at the point mostly anecdotal rather than empirical, but the proposal is provokative: today's students are less willing to engage in debate and dispute, less individualistic, and more likely to focus on similarities rather than differences. "Many of them are intensely socially conscientious, caring and committed. It's just not clear precisely what they wish to commit themselves to." Perhaps the place to look is not in the classroom or the dorm rom but rather to look to where this generation's thoughts are being channelled: the internet. By Michiko Kakutani, New York Times, March 23, 2002.[Refer]

Company Proposes Overhaul of SAT The thin edge of the wedge? The College is considering changes to the Scholastic Apptitude Test (SAT) I. The changes are being considered in order to meet the requirements of the University of California. Rather than test for apptitude, the test could focus on curriculum-based measurements of how well the state's students had mastered what they were taught in school. By Becky Bartindale, San Jose Mercury News, March 23,2002.[Refer]

Hollings Proposes Copyright Defense More on proposed legislation being considered by the U.S. government that would, as this article says, "turn electronics manufacturers and software developers into copyright police." The proposed bill "would require that new hardware and software, from CD players to television sets to computers, block unauthorized copying of copyrighted works." By Mike Musgrove, Washington Post, March 22, 2002.[Refer]

eLearning Guild Just launched (March, 2002), the the eLearning Guild is designed as a community of practice for designers, developers, and managers of e-Learning. Designed as a for-profit company (they are selling subscriptions to the eLearning Developers Journal (the first, sample, issue is available for download as a single PDF file)). The Guild also plans a mentor network and an annual conference. It is always fascinating to look at these new sites, the paint still fresh on the wall, and wonder where they will be in a year or five years. By Anonymous.[Refer]

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