Screen Free Week

Upon participation in the National Unplugging Day last month, I researched another type of “unplugging” ritual.

Every year, the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCfC) sponsor a Screen Free Week (formerly TV-Turnoff) where communities, families, schools, and children use their free time to do other things rather than stay inside and watch TV, usually in the Spring time. This year, Screen Free week has been delegated to April 18th-24th.

I’ve declared my own Screen Free Week, which for me means no TV or movie watching on my computer or on my PS3. However, the rules of the National Unplugging Day do not apply here. I am able to text, email, and read the news online. I however, cannot participate in any video online streaming media at all – not even music videos.

As a writer, it’s easy to distract oneself with noise. This week, I have no excuse because I won’t have anything to watch. Instead, I’ll focus on reading, writing, catching up with friends, and anything that doesn’t include media watching.

As for social gatherings, movies and other media events occur so those can happen because I’m with friends. By myself, is something completely different.

I’ll be providing updates each day with my activities.

Won’t you join me in a week of abandoning visual media and participating in something else for a change?

Waiting for Superman

Edited by: Karl Weber

Published by: Participant Media (2010)

As a companion to the documentary, Waiting for Superman, this book discusses public education from the filmmakers’ perspective, policy makers, officials, administrators, and teachers as well as parents view of the state of education now and what should be fixed in the system. There were suggestions that would never work in public education while other structures have worked in some communities (and states) but would never work in others. The end of the book has resources for an average citizen to become involved in the community.

As a non-teacher, I was able to read this objectively. However, the first half which focused on non-educators’ approach to rehabilitating the educational system was absolutely absurd. I found it hard to take the filmmakers seriously. As for the rest of the book’s contributors, some chapters were insightful while others were extremely hard to get through. If anything, I was inspired to actively pursue working as a workshop instructor or in higher education but in public education. As for the book, interesting read but definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. Thank goodness for book club!