Global knowledge

Global knowledge refers to that knowledge beyond popular, local or indigenous context. It has cross curricular characteristics as it is highly generalized and transcends cultural boundaries. Nowadays we live in a squally world where computer mediated communication and the advance of information communication technologies makes knowledge more accessible and instantly exposed to everybody. Knowledge is there, from every kind, everywhere, just a click of distance, and that’s why global knowledge can develop multiple intelligences and is in a constant change of growth. According to Ching it has certain areas of competency such as: Knowledge management, which deals with knowing what to know, how to manage identification, sourcing, documentation and application of that stream of information.  Teachers are no longer the owners of the knowledge, information is there, exposed to everybody and waiting to be accomplished. It is our work to create and be part of this knowledge society.

Besides, it is necessary to develop good interpersonal and communication skills to make ourselves understood, and properly deal with media. It is a never ending process, which all of us, specially adults are learning; we used to  learn things our way, follow a scheme, trying not to skip any ladder, but things seem to be different now, we need to get used to it, now technology can facilitate our lives, you can follow more flexible ways of learning, focusing on what you really want to reinforce, according to your learning style, depending if you are visual, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, naturalist or logic mathematician, you can find thousands of sources to help yourself learn and going faster to the right place you want to go. Technology has always helped humankind and society, that’s why we need to understand others and expect their reciprocity. Everybody has a different culture and history which we all together can help develop, millennials are the ones who are faster creating content in this new society but we can take part of this process too.

We need to show the right attitude of genuine respect and understanding of knowledge, and intercultural differences, in that purpose, we should learn more than one language to be able to interact; we need to be smart enough to respect customs, traditions, and indigenous knowledge, fighting against the drawbacks of globalized education. We need to value intelligence, information is a source to develop intelligence but it is not its ultimate goal, information is everywhere, the key is to know how to sort and use it. We cannot be indulgent with virtual world, and breakdown community, it is as important to interact with virtual societies as it is to have healthy relationships with real people in face to face interactions; we need to be part of this global society but we also have to maintain our traditions, keep the indigenous culture we have inherited, the wisdom form our ancestors. Only in that way we can be more active dominating knowledge, being part of the economic and technical world without losing our essence as humans and individuals in all the areas of education, trade, politics, and culture.

Teachers need to take more into account research and project based curriculum, favor interaction and expose kids to different cultures, make them realize every person is unique and belongs to this wonderful world full of differences and similarities both such important. We need to integrate culture and implement cross curricular activities, help students construct content in the right, respectful way, under the frame of a pedagogy which favors equality and reduce prejudice.  In order to do this, we can implement technology in effective ways, favoring collaboration and divergent thinking. But it is required to have committed teachers, consistent policies over time to get desired results, and get parents and government actively involved. It is in our hands the future of our global society, we cannot allow losing identity but we have to be more open and respectful with global society in this global village.

After the reflection still remains a question I would like to share with you: What activities can we implement in our lesson plan to take into account diversity and global learning when teaching academic matters?

References
Bennet, M. (s.f.). Diversity in the classroom. Retrieved el 01 de 03 de 2014, de http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yprbmGHKNg

Burke, Pat (2001, October). Diversity, learning style and culture. In New Horizons for Learning, Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://education.jhu.edu/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Learning%20Styles/diversity.html

Franzoni, A., & Assar, S. (2009). Student Learning Styles Adaptation Method Based on Teaching Strategies and Electronic Media. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 15-29. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database.

Mo Ching, M. (n.d).Global Knowledge for a Learning Society. Retrieved from http://www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/aceidconf6/themeone.pdf

Teaching diversity in society

Talking about diversity in society with a professional from another area different to Teaching, I could see there is a clear conception of diversity; he thinks it is the whole cultural and social features that differentiates us but at the same time it allows us to interact and co-exist like human beings, always with the concept of respect for our differences.

Something very important that this professional mentioned is the fact that we need to inculcate kids and teenagers to respect and value the difference. Teachers need to inculcate values; mainly respect which is the most important of all, as it embraces all the good habits for social interactions and it is the gearwheel that allows all the social machinery or equilibrium going on. We came to the conclusion that diversity is vital in our globalized world, and that adults need to set the example in the family and find the support in schools. Teachers need to be supportive and committed to this aim. Only in this way we could see our country taking a more active part in trade and development. Government does not support teachers; Education was left behind, this important aspect of social growing was surrendered to mercantile and commerce factors; the capitalism rules not only in terms of salaries but in trading students as well. Low financial incomes invested, expecting high profits to receive in a scary short term. All in all, education is business nowadays; you can see it having a glance at the great amount of institutes, schools and pseudo universities one can find everywhere.

Education needs to be empowered, retake its status and master its vital role in society. Teach the kids to respect, to learn, to understand and interact with each other, and to be express solidarity as members of this globalized society.

When teaching...

Technology use is greatly useful, it provides catching sources to motivate sts and clarify your activities or explanations. Young adults feel brightly motivated and engaged, but with older adults can be tricky, they tend to feel intimidated but you can set a safe environment where thay feel free to explore new technological sources you bring to class.

Teaching Adults implies more meaningful tasks, closer to their personal and work experiences; our activities must be practical and have a clear purpose; they want something more related to their personal and labor growth.

Sometimes, teachers tend to manage classrooms trying to keep students "busy" to avoid misbehavior. But that’s not the idea of teaching. Even more if you are working with adults, they need to see a clear purpose in everything they do, and they don’t want to waste time; they want to see results ASAP. That’s why we need to implement a well-structured and meaningful plan to work on different activities which must be related to practical and real situations, and link those to personal experiences. In that way we can also create significant outcome  centered practices and we will be helping our students in their progress.

Being a teacher is indeed, a long life learning process; teachers need to be reflective and keep on learning new things every day; new methodologies, strategies, new approaches, and be part of investigations. Our world is always changing and we need to take actions not to get stuck in the same old copies, songs, layouts and practices. We need to work on our student’s needs when planning and reflecting on our job.

Strategies to use in a hybrid learning class?

      Some teachers and I, as a group have discussed the strategies to implement with students in a hybrid class and some of the activities and sources teachers might apply. Here it is our proposal.

      Effective virtual work and hybrid teams require effective communication and information sharing in a safe learning environment, which is built through a process of gaining trust in each other and of being confident enough to share their own points of view working face-to-face, and to form relationships and to become familiar with the other’s work.

      Teachers need to implement safe, friendly and catchy technology sources. Students need to feel motivated and to be willing to actively participate in the forums, discussions and activities proposed.

      Students need team-building sessions to gain valuable formal and informal processes of acquiring knowledge, gaining trust, sharing thoughts and ideas, sharing loads in the group, identifying strengths and complement on each other’s work and interactions.

      One of the strategies we have chosen is the use of Movies Blog which is based on student’s interests and likes. Periodically, students watch the film proposed. Then, they must write their comments about its main features, and suggest an alternative ending to post. On the real Time Section students must discuss their peer’s ideas.

      Writing stories using websites like www.storybird.com is also very useful to implement in classes to achieve specific goals (Recounting, tenses, communicative skills, chronological order...).

      They can share their creative final stories through the platform with other peers or tutors. They can comment and contribute with feedback and help each other to expand vocabulary and gain confidence in language use.

      Smart group searches are also useful for the collaborative work with internet resources. The webquest is a great tool, which leads students to develop thinking skills through the guided searchers.  It also avoids wasting time and it does not allow students to get lost into the huge amount of information. Teachers can use this web site to promote teamwork activities.

      It must be assessed in groups with well-defined roles to reach the attractive task given. They join the information to fulfill the objective. We can use this strategy in different levels and in a wide range of topics.

      Teachers need to take into account timing for planning and procedures. Planning ahead, closely monitoring every activity, anticipate to possible problems, and have an alternative solution. Only in that way they can consolidate cooperatively work.   

References

Google. (s.f.). blogspot. Recuperado el 18 de 02 de 2014, de https://www.blogger.com/home

McMahan, K. L. (08 de 1998). Effective Communication and Information Sharing in Virtual Teams.

StoryBird. (s.f.). storybird. Recuperado el 18 de 02 de 2014, de https://storybird.com/

WebQuest. (s.f.). Webquest. Recuperado el 18 de 02 de 2014, de http://questgarden.com/142/52/3/120408171049/

Self-Efficacy

According to Albert Bandura (1977), there are also some useful techniques that help our students to be more self-efficacious, like

• Setting an expectation which should be likely to overcome in a certain time.
• Help them identify when they return to old negative behaviors.
• Keep in mind that those are slips or lapses rather than a giving up and do nothing more to overcome the difficulty.
• Encourage good behavior and self-seem.
• Help them realize feeling guilty or ashamed when committing mistakes is not helpful but taking actions.
• Moving forward by revising what you have learned.
• Write a plan to follow and stick to it.
• Applying strategies scaffolding activities and giving positive feedback.

We need to help our students to be more self efficaciuos; feel more confident to take risks, responsibilities, and lead activities and projects;  if we do so, there will  be a change in the future of our society, for sure. We can change the world.

Self Efficacy Overview

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.

Abdullah, M. H. (s.f.). Self-Directed Learning. Recuperado el 31 de 03 de 2014, de http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Self_Directed/

Psychologists, N. A. (s.f.). Self-Efficacy: Helping Children Believe They Can Succeed. Recuperado el 17 de 02 de 2014, de http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/cms/lib3/GA01000373/Centricity/Domain/31/Self-Efficacy_Helping_Children_Believe_They_Can_Suceed.pdf

What Is Self-Efficacy? (s.f.). Recuperado el 17 de 02 de 2014, de http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm

How would you promote ethical uses of technology in your classroom and/or school?

     The Internet is the latest and in many respects most powerful in a line of media (Vatican) .As teachers and technological immigrants, in order to promote ethical uses of digital media and online environment, we need to be familiar with the correct use of technology, effectively integrate mass media across the curriculum, set an example in the role of ethical users and model ethical behavior in our classes.

      We must reinforce ethical behaviors and react to the misuse of technology.

It is very important to identify a clear purpose for our students to achieve when we are using any website. We must set clear limits in the classroom, and create teaching environments that avoid students to fall into temptation.

      Aristotle states that ethics is not merely a theoretical study but an intellectual capacity to pursue the virtue and good (Aristotle). Student need to understand the rules and develop an ethical reflection on his classroom interactions. And it is also important to work with parents. They have to supervise and dialogue about the threats and risks in the virtual world; together we can create a culture where ethics is promoted and save our students from the evil misuses of technological sources and hosts.

References

Aristotle. (s.f.). Aristotle: Ethics and the Virtues. Recuperado el 05 de 02 de 2014, de http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/2s.htm

Vatican. (s.f.). PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS. Recuperado el 04 de February de 2014, de http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_20020228_ethics-internet_en.html

Netiquette

Every activity implies a purpose, everything you do shows part of your personality, beliefs and education. You interact with other individuals according to your ethical rules or standards. It is very important to have this in mind when using technology inside and outside the classroom.

You need to accept the moral responsibility involved in the use of technology. What you post is open to the whole world to consider, evaluate, discuss, misunderstand, provoke, reshare, or, even, adopt as a personal standard in life.

We need to be responsible when teaching our students how to surf the net, we need to monitor their assessment and dynamics in class, but we also need to teach them how to make a good use of the resources and all the stream of information they are going to deal with.

Some of the strategies we could use can vary depending on our students’ interest and age, it could range from a webquest, reliable websites, facebook profile and blogs to work with.

What is right or wrong is a matter of practical balance between two concepts, and the practice of this “theory of virtue requires a great deal of flexibility” not to fall into a vice. We are participants and witness of the construction of this media world. We should try to make it the best we can, and help our students in the same ideal.