Global Communication and Collaboration

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

Chapter one highlights a world in transition and the new educational demands presented as a result. Also the expectations on our youth to have "more powerful, relevant, and self-directed learning" that is going to prepare them to "live, compete, and collaborate" in a global way.  Global competence is expected of our youth and is comprised of three main factors.

1. A flattened global economy changes the demands of work. Jobs that "demand expert thinking and complex communication" will continue to grown in demand as more routine tasks are completed by computers or workers in developing worlds. The digital age is demanding workers who can creatively synthesize a variety of information, innovators and forward thinkers. It demands design skills, organization, adaptability, and global awareness of our interconnected world in a variety of domains. It also demands an ability to "recognize their own and others' perspectives and communicate their positions clearly" and an ability to take action. 
2. Unprecedented global migration. Growing migration trends are emphasized and it is noted that "social remittances" occur with this migration--the transport of "ideas, know-how, practices and skills that influence their encounters with and integration into the societies that host them," and back to their countries of origin as well. Students need to be prepared for the norm of diversity and be able to manage difference and "cultural complexity" because it is essential to their success in a global world. Teachers of all subject areas must help to nurture "intercultural sophistication," which involves a capacity to recognize all perspectives and effectively communicate ideas to a diverse audience.
3. Climate instability and environmental stewardship. Climate change is expected to continue with many consequences, and the next generation is expected to be able to manage that change and create possible solutions for "mitigation and adaptation." So students need a deep understanding of the earth, and of climate change, its causes, and its consequences. "Thinking about climate change in ways that consider multiple locations, perspectives, and concerns, and communicating effectively about these various conditions prepares students for effective transnational cooperation" is the necessary global approach to affect change.

Our youth play a central role in the demands of changing world, so they need to understand the problems of global importance and how they must be able to take action and communicate in that diverse and interdependent world. The Common Core was designed to be a tool to that end, and many countries have adopted similar plans.

Chapter 4 emphasizes recognizing one's own perspective and that it may be very different from others. So students need to be able to understand, "articulate and explain" other people's perspectives in order to have a full understanding of world issues. Four specific capacities for recognizing perspectives are listed.

1. Recognize and express their own perspective on situations, events, issues, or phenomena and identify the influences on that perspective.
2. Examine perspectives of other people, groups, or schools of thought and identify the influences on those perspectives.
3. Explain how cultural interactions influence situations, events, issues, or phenomena, including the development of knowledge.
4. Articulate how differential access to knowledge, technology, and resources affects quality of life and perspectives.

An example is shared of a shelter project between two US schools (one urban and one suburban) and one in Bangalore, India where the communicated and shared and created site-specific shelters in each of their locations. The project allowed the students to really see and experience diverse perspectives, environments, cultures, and knowledge. It also allowed them to interact globally, collaborate, and exchange ideas to develop a deeper understanding. And they were able to articulate their similarities and differences and how various factors affect each others way of life.

Another example is shared about a project on the benefit of laughter between the US and Afghanistan. Students debated jokes and the differences between senses of humor and its structure and social function in each country. Afghanistan students tend to use humor as means of coping with fear and healing, which isn't really the norm in America. As a result of the project the students can appreciate and be sensitive to other perspectives and they understand more easily how those perspectives are shaped.

Understanding differing perspectives is viewed as a fundamental skill for the 21st century, as well as the ability to transform social stereotypes, and to develop and appreciate intercultural awareness. Teachers are tasked with nurturing these skills in ways that are informed and respectful. 

My Thoughts: It makes a lot of sense to me that as teachers we are expected to change and adapt to our 21st century world, just as our students are. The world is different, and changing quite rapidly in this digital age. Global competence is expected in our students if they're going to "live, compete, and collaborate" in our changing world. Chances are that most of the jobs our students have as adults don't even exist yet, so they need to be prepared for whatever job their future may hold. And the key to doing that is their ability to think and communicate, and their understanding of our global economy, climate instability, and cultural diversity.

Sister Cities and Sister Schools

This partnership of Sister Cities was created as the result of the "manifestation of ideals of global connectedness and citizenship." Their mission is to "promote peace, respect, and cultural understanding between two foreign communities." Sister Schools are an extension of that relationship and operate on the same premise. The growth in technology has made it possible to create a much greater variety of educational projects, and that technology has helped create global understanding. And Web 2.0 has made even more levels of collaboration possible. Their website has resources for Global Learning Networks, Blogs, Presentations, Skype & FaceTime, Websites & Wikis, YouTube, Foreign Exchange programs, and Teacher Exchanges. Blogs are the new pen-pal technology, help to provide communication between students and schools; and it's noted that student blogs have a need for monitoring and moderation. Presentation tools are shared and explained as to how they have evolved over time, making it much more dynamic than it used to be. The Skype and FaceTime page highlight the live interactions that are possible to create global connectedness. A Skype "chess match" is even noted between schools. Websites and Wikis are promoted as effective tools to increase collaboration and connectedness between schools and cities. YouTube is noted for its ability to promote global understanding and education. Several videos are shared of Sister Schools from around the world. The Sister-Cities website itself has a lot of great information on how to become a partner to another sister city in the world. They offer programs to help students experience "international affairs and citizen diplomacy." Sister Cities International was founded by President Eisenhower in 1956 and are celebrating their 60th anniversary.

My Thoughts: I think the idea of Sister Cities and Sister Schools is wonderful, and a very meaningful way to help students understand and experience global connectedness and citizenship. And thanks to the wide variety of technology we have at our fingertips today, that connectedness is easier than ever before. Websites like Sister-Cities.org also help to make very meaningful experiences happen, by providing a starting point for making connections to students, classrooms, and cities across the globe. They even have a youth art showcase, which would be a great way to introduce art students to the idea of Sister Cities.

Virtual Field Trip: Global Trek to Egypt and Beyond

I chose the Global Trek on the Scholastic website for my virtual field trip and I chose Egypt as my starting point destination. The website provides a variety of destinations that students can choose from. The first page of the journey provides several clickable links: a map of Egypt, background information on Egypt and life there in ancient times, myths about Egypt, and info about kids in Egypt--which even includes a Q&A with facts about what life is like for kids there. The site also provides a means for kids to provide an online travel journal, so that they can take notes throughout their "journey." Once I read everything about Egypt I was able to add notes to my journal or continue on by choosing a new destination. I chose to visit Australia next, and similar background info was provided about that destination. I also visited Greece, England, and Germany. Each destination always provides information about the country and its history, culture, and people; and then also provides a way to add to the virtual travel journal, which can be printed too at the end.

My Thoughts: I think that the Global Trek virtual field trips have a wonderful amount of content for students, but not enough photos. As a whole, I think the content is the most important aspect, because at least then it can be used to create assessments. But being that it's the digital age, I think Scholastic should improve on these virtual trips by adding more photos and video at the very least. Some of the links to more info do take you to websites with photos, but I think the actual Global Trek site would benefit and be more engaging to have more photos displayed as students are reading the site's content.

OER Commons

This site provides teaching and learning materials for free to any teacher or learner. "This 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." Their content covers pretty much any subject area and grade level. Some examples include: Visual Art, Philosophy, Welding, Educational Technology, Algebra, and Archaeology, just to name a few. The site also allows you to create an account so that you can save the resources that you find for future reference. 

My Thoughts: This website is a wonderful resource that I have bookmarked and I am sure I will use in the future. I found a wonderful resource called, Active Learning with Technology, by David Jennings. It has some really great info on how to promote student engagement with active learning activities that utilize technology. It even provides several pages of specific ideas for learning opportunities for kids that create active engagement. It also offers an overview of relevant key learning theories. I downloaded that one too so I could read it more carefully.

Reflection
Well I had a whole reflective paragraph here, and then my browser decided to wonk out on me and I lost it all when I had to restart the browser. Now my train of thought is totally gone. Sigh. In looking back at my notes and thoughts, I'd say that it seems very obvious that students of today need to be well prepared for our changing world and economy, and be ready for jobs in the future that don't even exist yet. They need to be globally aware, globally connected, and very appreciative and respective of diverse cultures and perspectives. Teachers also need to be globally aware and active, or else they do a great disservice to their students and the future they will build beyond their public education. In that regard, I like the idea of virtual field trips, but I think live interactions with students in other countries would be far more meaningful. So if I ever manage to find another teaching job, I hope to make experiences like that happen for my students.