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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 5A
OUR OPINION
Instructors should join the 21st Century
No one denies that technology utilized in the classroom can enhance the learning experience tremendously. Because of innovations like Blackboard, "clickers" and e-Reserve, students can turn in assignments online, participate in a large lecture class and avoid purchasing costly textbooks. But these advances in the classroom will only go so far as professors are willing to allow. And by the looks of things, it doesn't seem too promising.
Who hasn't had a professor who spends the first 10 minutes of each class trying to figure out how to turn on a computer? Or one who has his or her GTAs assist in opening a PowerPoint presentation. How about those who can't get the hang of how to zoom in and zoom out on an overhead projector? They are wasting students' time in the classroom because of their technological incompetence.
We should be able to expect more from our professors. There is no legitimate excuse for their inability to use things like Blackboard or digital projectors. A number of free resources are at their disposal to educate them about using technology in the classroom. The University of Kansas created the Instructional Development
and Support services for this very purpose. Its mission is to act as an academic support unit that provides the Lawrence campus with assistance in creating, maintaining and improving learning environments - both physical and virtual. Its Web site urges faculty to "contact us to learn about designing instruction that takes advantage of a wide variety of innovative teaching strategies and available-right-now technologies."
Instructional Development and Support also offers workshops about how to use technology in teaching that include instruction on a variety of topics such as Blackboard, creating instructional videos and advanced PowerPoint presentations for faculty and GTAs. Again, they are all free of charge and held at various times throughout the semester.
Consider this your warning, Luddite KU faculty members. The 21st century is upon us and it's about time you started acting like you were living in it. Otherwise, I guess we'll continue to let you fumble around the first ten minutes of class while we finish our Sudoku puzzles.
- Malinda Osborne for the editorial board
University officials should re-think ban
COMMENTARY
NATE KARLIN
opinion@kansan.com
Adozen U.S. soldiers stood in-line at Jason's Deli three weeks ago. But it just wasn't the same without seeing a fully-loaded M-16 strapped to their backs.
I'll admit that I was nervous about traveling to Israel. Once I got there, though, my views changed. I felt comfortable and safe.
I was one day removed from a 10-day trip to Israel and still used to seeing soldiers and other guards walk around with rifles.
But for Americans who have not traveled to Israel, the thought of this picture would make most of them feel uneasy. This includes KU officials who continue to hold a ban on studying abroad in Israel.
The University implemented this ban in 2000 when the U.S. State Department placed Israel under a travel warning. The situation has improved since then, but officials will not lift the ban until the government deems Israel safe.
"We don't send students to places that the government says not to travel," said Diana Carlin, dean of international programs.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, however, went a step further in determining to lift the same ban. Wisconsin officials have taken the U.S. travel warning seriously, but they have kept in close contact with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to get a first-hand perspective.
walk around campus. That's what helped sway Wisconsin officials. Its ban was lifted on Feb. 14, 2005
Hebrew University officials educate study abroad participants and their parents about safety precautions and provide guards who
"We felt then, and we still do now, that it has changed. It wasn't bad enough that we should suspend participation," said Julie Lindsey, interim assistant director of the International Academic Programs at Wisconsin.
Yes, Israel is a country at war. Yes, Syria could attack. Yes, a suicide bomb could blow up at any time.
It's a disservice for an institution of higher learning to forbid students from studying through the University in a country with so much cultural and religious historv.
But Israel is not in a state of constant gunfire. Bombs are not blown up every day. Israelis do not walk around constantly looking over their shoulders.
The University should look out for its students' best interests - expanding their higher learning both locally and globally. Don't take away from a student's education. Call the Hebrew University, release a waiver and educate students and their parents about Israel's current situation. This research worked for the University of Wisconsin, and it can work for the University of Kansas.
KU officials: I encourage you all to follow in Wisconsin's footsteps and do a little more research. Government officials are looking out - for what they think - are Americans' best interests. It's an insult for the United States to place Israel, a close ally, on the same warning list as 24 third-world countries and/or other nations ruled by unstable governments.
COMMENTARY
Intelligent Design insufficient to benefit science as a theory
Intelligent design should not be taught as a scientific theory. At the core of its character, it is not a science.
"Science," as we use the word in everyday language, is a field that consists of hundreds of years of tested ideas that describe how the world works. Science, in a more formal context, is a method, an approach.
The goals of science are to build on what's known, through new discoveries and correction or clarification of old information. While it's true that ID theory uses facts of science to support its claims, it has nothing new to report. It only seeks to prove itself. Science doesn't seek to prove itself, but
BECCA EVANHOE ovinson@kansan.com
rather to describe the behavior and character of the universe.
ID is a single belief or idea: "an intelligent force had a hand in building and organizing life." To equate the two by pitting them against one another is ridiculous. It's like stating a very broad idea, such as, "Fruits and vegetables are nutritious," and comparing it to the comment. "I like steak." The
latter is a single preference. The former is an evaluative statement with a broader scope.
I see no problem with a scientist holding the belief that an overarching intelligent force influenced life. But that belief is personal. It's for the scientist's own mind.
ID does not further science; it's a dead-end road. ID should be left out of science classrooms and laboratories; it's a personal belief that should be carried within whoever subscribes to it.
When the scientist is testing wastewater for chemical compounds, or studying how bees interact with pollinators or even looking at the genetic code of fruit flies, that belief doesn't factor in.
protein." Instead, the scientist must describe how that occurs biochemically; how the molecules interact and converge, and how the various bonds give the protein its shape. Maybe at the end of the day, she uses her personal religious beliefs as a lens through which to reflect on the beauty and complexity of nature. But that's irrelevant to her work.
How would we use ID concepts to prove anything new? Take the example of a scientist who studies protein folding. It's not appropriate, relevant or useful - to say 'God folded the
- Evanhoe is a Derby senior in chemistry.
INTELLIGENT DESIGN VS. EVOLUTION
What is intelligent design?
At its most general, ID proposes that the earth's living plants and animals are so complex that they must have been influenced ("made," "designed" or "guided") by an intelligent presence. Individuals or groups may choose to be more specific about naming this presence.
Chief arguments that support ID
1. Holes exist in the fossil record. These gaps illustrate that all creatures couldn't have come from one source because species-to-species changes aren't continuous, but rather, happen in discrete leaks.
2. Complex biochemical reactions, organs and other physical mechanisms of organisms are irreducibly complex — that is, they couldn't have evolved because the systems cannot function without all of the individual pieces.
What is evolution theory?
Originally proposed by Charles Darwin in 1858, evolution theory maintains that all life came from a single ancestor, and that we can construct a "tree of life" showing the relationships between all living things.
Its most irrefutable claim is that the biology of populations change over long periods of time. One of its strongest points of proof is that many fields converge to illustrate evolution's existence, from biology to biochemistry, neuroscience, ecology and genetics to anthropology and archaeology.
An important distinction is that "theory" doesn't mean a simple speculation. A theory is a set of ideas and definitions that explains natural phenomena based on evidence.
COMMENTARY
- Becca Evanhoe
Muslims overreact to misuse of free press
While most of the major news stories covered in Europe are the same ones covered by major U.S. media, the leading news story in the European press for the past week is just now receiving U.S. coverage. It revolves around a series of cartoons originally printed in Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper. The cartoons depicted Muhammad, the holy prophet of Islam, in several caricatures. One caricature depicted Muhammad hiding a bomb beneath his turban. Islam strictly prohibits any depiction of Muhammad, and the cartoon has caused protests and violence across the Muslim world in the past two weeks.
The response began with Libya and Saudi Arabia recalling their ambassadors from Denmark, and continued with protests across the Middle East, with vandalism such as the burning of the Danish flag. On Saturday, the most serious of the protests resulted in the torching and near total destruction of the Danish Embassy and Norwegian Embassy in Damascus, Syria. On Sunday, protesters in Beirut torched the Danish Consulate.
While the paper's editors have apologized for the cartoon, the conflict is not over. Despite requests from Muslim governments, the Danish government refuses to condemn the printing of the cartoons, citing free press and speech. Even worse, newspapers from France, Germany, Italy and Spain reprinted the cartoons this past week as an act of solidarity.
Remember, this is because of a cartoon.
When I first read about the governments of Libya and Saudi Arabia recalling their ambassadors, I thought they were overreacting. Now that two embassies have been burned to the ground, I am even more shocked, yet conflicted.
The protesters and governments of the Middle East, are completely out of line. One cartoonist's views by no means represents the views of the Danish people nor the Danish government. We Westerners value free speech and a free press. The press has the right to print what it wants without government influence, be it praise or condemnation. So how can the governments of these Muslim countries react so rashly?
Ryan Kusmin is a Leawood junior in political science and history. He is studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, this semester.
Though we value free speech and free press, some material is considered too offensive for publication. For example, child pornography is illegal.
I think that for the West, the freedoms we value come close to a faith, and free press is one of our nearest freedoms. While the Danish cartoonist was ignorant for creating a cartoon that deeply offends Islamic beliefs, he is still responsible for his actions. Conversely, those Muslims reacting violently and cutting off diplomatic ties are equally ignorant about our belief of free press and equally at fault for the cultural misunderstandings that have created this flasco.
Free All for Call 864-0500
Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slander and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Yeah, I just watched a car go through my neighbor's house. Kinda creepy.
Hey Free-For-All, I'm watching this old Kung Fu movie, and your boy, Chuck Norris, is getting his world rocked by Bruce Lee like none other.
Yeah, to the guy who's calling in trying to bash Christian Moody, just because Free-For-All doesn't print the negative comments isn't racism, it's supportism. Stand behind your team.
your te...
Jimmy Chavez needs a new editor or something,
because there's like a thousand typos in this and it's crap. It's crap, Chavez,
crap.
So we have shirts that say "Muck Fizzou", why not shirts that say "Phuck Felps?" "Phuck" with a Ph, and "Felps" with an E.
Oh Free-For-All, what happened to your AIM screen name?
Yeah, Free-For-All, I'm severely disappointed in the Cheers and Jeers section where you labeled
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the best costume to be that of a Kansas University beach ball. I personally like the three guys in the suits—the matching suits—and I come to hear that they're made by Gucci. How does that not beat a beach ball?
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Yeah, I'm glad we spent a couple million dollars building a brand new rec center that has only two racquetball courts, when in Robinson center there's many, many more. Hey rec center, we need more
enter, we need more racquetball.
If I get into a wreck on
lowa because of that stupid
chicken, I am definitely
not eating any pork.
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Hey KU Crime Stoppers crime stop this.
On Sunday, it was really quiet in the Fieldhouse when Russell Robinson was shooting a free throw. Then I heard some girl say he looks like G-Baby from "Hardball". She's right
"Hardball." She's right.
I am so glad to see that Giles is playing and that Christian Moody is sitting
TALK TO US
on the bench.
Jonathan Kealing, editor
864-4854 or jealang@kansan.com
Joshua Bickel, managing editor
864-4854 or jbicke@kansan.com
Nate Karlin, managing editor
864-4854 or nkarlin@kansan.com
Jeason Shad, opinion editor
864-4852 or ishaad@kansan.com
Patrick Ross, associate opinion editor
864-4824 or press@kansan.com
884-4924 or pross@kansan.com
884-4924 or pross@kansan.com
Arl Ben, business manager
884-4462 or addirector@kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, sales manager
884-4462 or adales@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager, news adviser
884-7667 or mglibson@kansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
884-7666 or iweaver@kansan.com
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