Right to Watch Porn vs. School Funding

While we were all on spring break, students at the University of Maryland were fighting some Maryland state legislators over their right to show a XXX porn film as a student activity. Read the article on the link below to find out what happened:

http://wjz.com/local/movie.sex.education.2.974390.html

Then ponder and respond to some or all of the questions below:

Do students at a public university (i.e., funded by taxpayers) have the Constitutional right to free expression in choosing to show a porn film as a student activity? Why or why not?

Do you think it's appropriate for state legislators to threaten to withhold funding for the university if the porn film is shown against their wishes, or is this an abuse of their power?

What if state legislators object to a book or a professor's lecture or a student organization on campus and threaten to withhold state funding to the university? Could censoring the porn film lead to further restrictions on free expression?

If you were a student leader at the University of Maryland, what would you have done in this instance: shown the film or canceled the movie event?

Who Says "Men in Black" is Fiction?

Another article that begs the question, "Just because we CAN do it technologically, does it mean we SHOULD?" Read the article at the link below that describes how scientists may be able to erase certain painful memories in humans:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/health/research/06brain.html

What are the pros of this breakthrough technology?

What are the cons?

Assuming it works as well on humans as well as it does on animals, on balance, do you think it should be legal to use this treatment on humans? Why or why not?

Death Penalty Debate

New Mexico is the most recent state to repeal the use of the death penalty in its criminal justice system. Read the article below:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/18/new.mexico.death.penalty/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

and then comment on or more of the following questions:

What are some arguments Governor Richardson and others in New Mexico offered in support of this change?

What might be some reasons to keep using the death penalty?

Should public opinion play a role in deciding whether a state uses the death penalty? Why or why not?

What is your opinion on this issue? Be sure to substantiate your position with sound, logical arguments.

Texting at School...A Conundrum

First of all, if you don't know what a conundrum is, go look it up at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conundrum.

Then, check out the article "6473 Texts a Month, But at What Cost?" at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29328966/page/2/.

Finally, share your thoughts on this important topic right here on the blog. Schools all over the country are struggling with this issue, so it's a very important dialog that needs to happen among administrators, teachers, parents and students. So I'm hoping some people from all those groups get into the discussion.

Here's the question you should consider and address: When it comes to cell phones, how can schools best serve their students to maximize learning and prepare them for the 21st century?

Tech Czar

Barack Obama is being hailed as the most tech savvy president we've ever elected. So perhaps it's not surprising that he has a plan to appoint the first national chief technology officer ever. The article at the link below is co-written by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. First, read the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/07/wales.obama.cto/index.html

Then, respond to one or more of the following questions:

Do you think it's a good idea for the U.S. to have a CTO (Chief Technology Officer)? Why/why not?

Based on Jimmy Wales ideas, what the goal(s) of the CTO be? How would these goals benefit Americans and American society?

Do you think it's possible for the CTO position to be "non-political" as Jimmy Wales suggests? Why/why not?

Athletic Gene Testing: Next Sci-Fi Movie?

It was only a matter of time before we discovered how to tell if young children had the genetic potential to become world class athletes. The article linked below describes a genetic test that supposedly can determine whether a young child has the inborn ability to be good at particular sports or none at all. Some people think it's great, while others think we humans are messing technologically in areas in which we don't understand the consequences to children and to society.
Check it out at

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/sports/30genetics.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=born%20to%20run%20little%20ones%20get%20test%20for%20sports%20gene&st=cse

and then consider answering one or more of the following questions:

Do you believe the test really determines a child's potential in sports? Why or why not?

Do you think it's a good or bad idea for parents to have their children tested in this way? Why or why not?

Do you think developments in genetic research like this one have the potential to be more beneficial or more damaging to our society? Explain your answer.

The Ethics of High School Students

The article linked below describes the results of a major study recently completed regarding lying and cheating by U.S. high school students. Almost 30,000 students from 100 high schools around the country participated in the study by completing surveys. Among other results, the researchers found that 30% of high school students have stolen from a store in the past year, and 64% have cheated on a test.

First, read the article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081130/ap_on_re_us/students_dishonesty

Then, respond to one or more of the following questions:

Do you agree or disagree with the explanations provided for why some high school students cheat and/or steal? Explain your position.

Do you think these levels of dishonesty are cause for alarm in our society? Why or why not?

Do you think these levels of dishonesty are higher, lower, or about the same as at other times in our history? Explain your answer.