Using digital communication and collaboration tools to interact globally - Reflective Post #10

Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Youth to Engage the World

This eBook attempts to explain the issues found in today's educational system and connect learning with the idea of globalization. According to globalization101.org, globalization is defined as a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. The required readings from this book, chapters 1-4, primarily deal with this topic. The authors make bold statements such as, "the world for which we are preparing our youth is qualitatively different from the industrial world in which our public school systems were created," and call for action to be taken in the school systems. The Common Core standards are discussed to assist educators in ensuring that students will be prepared for college and the future workplace. These guidelines, in theory, will motivate students to learn because they will, "experience the excitement and fulfillment of coming to understand the world and their role in it," and prepare students for the culturally diverse future ahead of them.

Sister Cities & Sister Schools

This Google Site explains that sister cities and schools work to promote peace, respect and cultural understanding between two foreign communities.

"What simply might have been a letter exchange in the past, can now be interactive, collaborative efforts using audio, video, digital photos, cell phones, and internet-based platforms."

This partnership takes the pen pal days of yore to the next level with all of the digital communication tools of the 21st century. The internet provides a variety of ever-expanding avenues to increase contact and communication which will encourage a global awareness for today's learners. The author of the site suggests that students are able to use blogs, presentations, video chat tools and video sharing sites to share and communicate with others around the globe. For example:

• Blogs can be created to share news, updates, ideas and experiences
• Presentations (PowerPoint, Prezi, Slideshare, etc.) can be created, and perhaps collaborated on, to educate by sharing information
• Video chat (Skype, Google Hangouts, Facetime, etc.) can be experience to communicate with anyone, at any time, around the world and see their facial expressions and body language just as an in-person encounter
• Video sharing (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) allows a more engaging presentation of ideas to a world wide audience

Virtual Field Trips

The next required site to visit was about virtual field trips. These multimedia versions of a field trip allow you to view photographs or possibly a view tour of an area or building, which is a Google Street type of experience, as well as read specific facts about the subject. The site recommends these experiences for a few main reasons; they are inexpensive and less time consuming. I would add that these virtual field trips allow classes to experience and learn about cultures around the globe that would otherwise be unattainable for the majority of students to participate. One minute you could be virtually touring the Smithsonian Museum and then jump into an aerial tour of the Egyptian Pyramids.

OER Commons

OER Commons is a site containing freely available learning materials, or Open Education Resources, for everyone to use. Content is available for instructors as well as students and includes, "full courses, modules, syllabi, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections from around the world." At the time of viewing; there are 5,489 full courses, 12,871 video lectures, and 49,587 instructional materials. These are pretty impressive statistics for open materials! Chances are you'll find what you are looking for plus more.

Summary

This week's readings focused on the many facets of globalization. From learning and understanding other cultures to digitally sharing information to allow others to learn about or digitally visit locations all over the world contributes to the way students now interact globally. Today's students are now able to deeply connect with other cultures in ways there were impossible just a few years ago. I know I had a pen pal in elementary school, but I couldn't tell you where they were from much less their name. Technology allows us to efficiently see and communicate with a person around the world as well as edit documents in real time with peers in various locations, all of which has come together thanks to the internet and individuals working toward globalization. By being able and willing to contribute, as discussed in Module 8, globalization can and will be the eventual result of sharing of ideas and creation of educational materials.