Gabe throws out a familar buzz phrase in his blog. Social Justice. He writes, "Our country calls for an equal education for all students, but could that ever be achieved if schools are funded at such disparate levels? This, I believe, is an issue of social justice." If we respond to Selfe's call to action and begin paying attention to the technology that is being used in the schools, how it being used, and even why it is being used, social justice is a phrase that has to make its way into our vocabulary. Is what we do fair to all students involved? If not, is there a way to "make it so" (I feel so Jean-Luc Picard-ish here)? What can we do, as educators, to make sure that we are not privileging majority students over their minority counterparts? She we ignore technology if we can't? Should we abandon it all together? Is there a soultion to this problem?

WooHoo! Courtney seems to have picked up on the thread in Selfe's essay that can clearly connect it Fox's JAC essay that we are reading. She blogs about the idea, "that with 'technological literacy' comes 'equal opportunity to access high-paying, technology-rich jobs and increased economic prosperity after graduation.' " and states that, "[c]learly, the trueness of this argument is relative." My question (without scooping our upcoming discussion of Fox) is this, Is this the first time that we have seen this happen in the public school system? Is this the first time that we have promised something as the answer to all labor woes? Is this a promise that we as educators have kept? Why not? What keeps us from keeping this promise (if we do actually fail to do so)?

Rebecca has some concerns about student's areas of interest. She writes, "I fear my students may value pop culture more than have a serious interest in the value of the Blog." Well this is true, initially (and maybe even finally) students may be drawn to the blog as a cool new techno gadget rather than as a serious rhetorical tool. Well, Rebecca, that's okay. One of the cool things about the use of technology in the classroom is that we can "play" with something that already interests, intrigues, heck even frightens students and use it to our advantage. Many times while students think that they are "playing" they are learning, learning about the technology, learning about the writing process, learning how to facilitate this process, and learning to visualize their ideas and arguments in much the same way you claim that using your old Royal typewriter helps you to "witness how my brain is forming the words." I know it sounds pretty sneaky but in this case, "the play" really is the thing.