Solving the Problem of Textbook Censorship

Diane Ravitch technology education tools keynote discusses some of the ways technology has changed education for better and for worse.

As an elderly woman, Ravitch says she surprises some people with her ability to use technology. She uses Twitter, writes a monthly blog and spends 8-10 hours a day on the computer. The fact that she has these skills is important to the context of her keynote because it demonstrates familiarity with the topic at hand.

Ravitch goes on to talk about textbook censorship. She explains there are organizations out there that review textbooks and effectively lobby publishers to censor the content based on social agendas. For instance, textbooks often have an official list of words that can't be used. Some textbooks won't use gender-based terminology, like actress or landlady. This creates an industry of textbooks with half-truths.

Ravitch then pivots to talk about the freedom of information on the Internet and how that gets around the problem of textbook censorship.