Apr 08 2008
The Benefits of Going Global In Your Chair
While perusing my feeds I came across a phrase by Lucy Gray from the Infinite Thinking Machine
It’s not about “competing in a global economy” for me…it’s about experiencing all that the world has to offer. I want kids and other adults to realize that there is so much out there to discover and explore.
Lucy was discussing the Global Education Ning network and a meeting that had taken place with other educators around the world. I would love for the blocks in my school to be removed and have my students have access to social networks being used in a constructive manner like Ning. All students should be exposed to the wealth of information in the Web 2.0 world, especially the students who never travel out of their city/town, or think that worldly exposure only comes to those who are privileged. I was one of those kids, I am grateful that I am more globally minded now, but I can’t help wondering how my educational experience would have been different if the Web 2.0 tools were available back when I was in school. (We didn’t even have the Internet then!)When I think about how much my life has changed because of the global mind set of Web 2.0 it is staggering. Everything down to the way I think has changed! For example on the personal subject of vaccinating my son- before I would use google or maybe a meta search engine to find results on vaccine reactions. I would filter through resources and sometimes be satisfied with the results but often I would be left with even more questions than before. Questions I would like to ask a person who has the subjective experience or resources I can use.
Instead I use my Netvibes to keep me up on new search results, where it all neatly gets filed under my ‘Vaccine’ tab. I use others’ bookmarks in Del.icio.us and share mine. Subscribing to blogs is just another way another way I start my research, but I also gain valuable subjective experience. To round everything out I usually post any comments in my New Moms Yahoo group where all our topics are neatly searchable for future reference. In many ways using Web 2.0 it is like having a ‘hive’ mind. (I can’t help the Star Trek reference) I can consume, produce and deliver more information now than I ever could, and none of my information is static, it is ever changing. Having access to people and resources around the world has completely altered my paradigm. I find News about the U.S. through other countries to get a varied perspective on the current state of affairs. Five years ago I doubt I would have even thought about the ‘lens’ that articles and News comes from, blogging has taught me to look deeper.
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I love the title of your blog, and it is so appropriate for me. I’m learning so much in recent weeks. I’ve been teaching computing for a long time, and I am only starting to re-discover the amazing potential the field offers. We are in such amazing times and so few people even are aware of it as it happens all around them.
Have you seen Michael Wesch’s video on Web 2.0? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE
The video came out a little over a year ago, and went viral. I’ve had the privilege of meeting him, and plan to take his graduate level course next spring on digital ethnography. Exciting stuff, this Web 2.0, and I still have much to learn.
Hi Jennifer: Enjoy your blog and discovered it through Twitter. Check out my blog, School Communications 2.0, which is directed toward school superintendents and communications folks to try and get them on board with eNewsletters, blogs, social bookmarking and Web 2.0. You can find it at: nylady.edublogs.org.
Thanks to both of you,
Yes I am familiar with the video I believe I forwarded that video around to quite a few edubloggers!
NY- thank you for following me! I will return the favor!
You’ve taken me back to when we first learned about the world through PBS broadcasts. Now at the click of a mouse or the touch of a key pad we have access to an abundance of information that we have to navitagate our way through and then validate its worth. I too enjoyed the title of your article. It reminded me of the times I have turned to the computer for information for personal and professional reasons, and then challenged me to do it more. I do not access it enough and share it enough with my students. I’ve already bounced to other sites as a result of reading your articles, and have found some new ideas I can use next year with my students.
Glad I found this!