"FLOCABULARY" - vs. dead white men

[Suu]

I remember having songs...and distinctively this record, yes record, of the multiplication tables as songs from the 70s. They sounded like they were done by Paul Simon or something.

[LMNO]

Schoolhouse Rock.  It was awesome.  I still have some of those recordings, somewhere.

[Doktor Howl]

Schoolhouse Rock.  It was awesome.  I still have some of those recordings, somewhere.

This is different.

[Suu]

Schoolhouse Rock was the correct motorcycle.

[Doktor Howl]

Schoolhouse Rock was the correct motorcycle.

This.

Effort was put into those to make them educational without being condescending, yet they were still fun to listen to.

On the other hand, the lyrics presented in the OP make 50 cent and Vanilla Ice look like Bach and Mozart.

[LMNO]

Thanks to Schoolhouse rock, I can still sing the preamble to the Constitution. 

[Doktor Howl]

Thanks to Schoolhouse rock, I can still sing the preamble to the Constitution. 

Thanks to schoolhouse rock, there are still 50 people in the United States who don't think the president is our king.

48 of them post here.

[Cramulus]

the educational publishing industry is going crazy trying to figure out what the next great educational paradigm will be.

All the talk at the big quarterly meeting was about how iPhone apps are suddenly a larger market than the entire ESL industry.

and a lot of the large ESL states have had their education budgets deflated, (and fuck, look at CA, we couldn't sell any books there last year because the board that approves books to be sold in CA was totally defunded) --- so everybody's looking for ways of educating kids that doesn't require a $95 textbook purchase.

Educators are taking a closer look at games, too. There are some "learn english" computer games that kids seem to like and actually have a measurable positive effect on test scores. I mean, kids are really engaged by games, so if you can harness that energy for education, that's a great use of technology.

My company occasionally cuts deals with Sesame Street and Disney to include their branding in our products. I think it's kind of lame, I would prefer not to see commercial characters in classrooms, but educators need every tool they can get. More and more, we live in an attention economy. There are so many things to pay attention to, the things that matter are the things that can hold attention.

So there are a lot of companies out there that are looking specifically at "at-risk" demographics and trying to figure out what strategies they can use to get these kids plugged in. There's a lot of energy in publishing right now to examine new methods, particularly anything that associates learning with pop culture. (I just got an e-mail from an editor asking me "what band should I have the kid in this story listen to? It needs to be "cool", but have a clean image. Like, not the Red Hot Chili Peppers or anything."  )

Predictably, a bunch of white guys sitting around a meeting table eventually said KIDS THESE DAYS ARE ALWAYS HIPPIN AND HOPPIN -- we can probably sell that!

and they CAN sell that

because the people BUYING the books are often also out of touch white guys too

[LMNO]

Thanks to Schoolhouse rock, I can still sing the preamble to the Constitution. 

Thanks to schoolhouse rock, there are still 50 people in the United States who don't think the president is our king.

48 of them post here.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

Someone had to do it.

I am now trying to filk Gin and Juice to some sort of history lesson, and it's just not working.

Prohibition?

[Doktor Howl]

Laid back
with my mind on my math
and my math on my mind.

See?

Doesn't work.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... 

Conjunction junction what's your function?

[Doktor Howl]

I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... 

Conjunction junction what's your function?

Tell your kids STFU and have them watch the video.  If they don't like it, make them listen to Johnny Cash and Eric Heatherly for 12 hours and try again.  If they still don't like it, sell them to medical research labs and start over.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... 

Conjunction junction what's your function?

Tell your kids STFU and have them watch the video.  If they don't like it, make them listen to Johnny Cash and Eric Heatherly for 12 hours and try again.  If they still don't like it, sell them to medical research labs and start over.

You say that like they would consider that a punishment 

I can't start over, they are almost gone Dok!  7 MORE YEARS!!

Only 7.....  and what a happy day that will be....

[Doktor Howl]

I bought the schoolhouse rock video and my kids still make fun of me for knowing them all by heart... 

Conjunction junction what's your function?

Tell your kids STFU and have them watch the video.  If they don't like it, make them listen to Johnny Cash and Eric Heatherly for 12 hours and try again.  If they still don't like it, sell them to medical research labs and start over.

You say that like they would consider that a punishment 

I can't start over, they are almost gone Dok!  7 MORE YEARS!!

Only 7.....  and what a happy day that will be....

So you say now.

Wait til they're not under your control, and you still have to worry about them.