-But though we could imagine this system of permission, it would
-be very hard to see how photography could have flourished as it did if
-the requirement for permission had been built into the rules that
- govern
-it. Photography would have existed. It would have grown in
- importance
-over time. Professionals would have continued to use the
-technology as they did—since professionals could have more easily borne
-the burdens of the permission system. But the spread of photography
-to ordinary people would not have occurred. Nothing like that growth
-would have been realized. And certainly, nothing like that growth in a
-democratic technology of expression would have been realized.
-If you drive through San Francisco's Presidio, you might see two
-gaudy yellow school buses painted over with colorful and striking
- images,
-and the logo "Just Think!" in place of the name of a school. But
-there's little that's "just" cerebral in the projects that these busses
- enable.
-These buses are filled with technologies that teach kids to tinker
-with film. Not the film of Eastman. Not even the film of your VCR.
-Rather the "film" of digital cameras. Just Think! is a project that
- enables
-kids to make films, as a way to understand and critique the filmed
-culture that they find all around them. Each year, these busses travel to
-more than thirty schools and enable three hundred to five hundred
-children to learn something about media by doing something with
- media.
-By doing, they think. By tinkering, they learn.
+But though we could imagine this system of permission, it would be
+very hard to see how photography could have flourished as it did if
+the requirement for permission had been built into the rules that
+govern it. Photography would have existed. It would have grown in
+importance over time. Professionals would have continued to use the
+technology as they did—since professionals could have more
+easily borne the burdens of the permission system. But the spread of
+photography to ordinary people would not have occurred. Nothing like
+that growth would have been realized. And certainly, nothing like that
+growth in a democratic technology of expression would have been
+realized. If you drive through San Francisco's Presidio, you might
+see two gaudy yellow school buses painted over with colorful and
+striking images, and the logo "Just Think!" in place of the name of a
+school. But there's little that's "just" cerebral in the projects that
+these busses enable. These buses are filled with technologies that
+teach kids to tinker with film. Not the film of Eastman. Not even the
+film of your VCR. Rather the "film" of digital cameras. Just Think!
+is a project that enables kids to make films, as a way to understand
+and critique the filmed culture that they find all around them. Each
+year, these busses travel to more than thirty schools and enable three
+hundred to five hundred children to learn something about media by
+doing something with media. By doing, they think. By tinkering, they
+learn.