-----Original Message----- From: Kirby Urner [mailto:urnerk@qwest.net]

Engineering and a focus on artifacts trumps political efforts to block basic innovations in math teaching. There's really no stopping us, politically speaking (because we really don't care about politics that much (like, we're popular already)).

The tragedy I see is that it is in fact the technologists - specifically those immersed in IT - who are emerging as the most formidable obstacle to progress, as I would define it. I follow the debian edu mailinglist, and what I seem to see is a complete lack of critical analysis as to the use of technology. The starting assumption is the more the merrier, and the prevailing motivation seems to be beating Microsoft at the thoughtless use of technology in the school systems. There are all kinds of ways of beating Microsoft, I guess. Art