Re: Edutainment (was Re: Open Book)

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

Marshal Anderson wrote:
> 
> "When I hear the word Edutainment I reach for my gun"

"Edutainment" is to English as, well, lots of American words are to
English.  Certainly not part of; not exactly parallel to; certainly not
orthogonal; sort of Bizarro English, I guess.  It puts me in mind of the
common IT world usage of the non-word "architected" to mean "designed." 
Why a stupid-sounding neologism is needed when there's already a
perfectly good _real_ word for the concept, I'll never understand.

Is there a real word or phrase for the concept of entertainment with an
edifying educational content?  If so, let's use it.  I don't care if
"edutainment" has a certain currency; let's use the right word if there
is one.  If there isn't, then I guess it's edutainment unless we can
come up with something better.

-- 
Doug Loss                 The difference between the right word and
Data Network Coordinator  the almost right word is the difference
Bloomsburg University     between lightning and a lightning bug.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Mark Twain