Global Opportunities Availble to Learners

I think the biggest factor in global educational opportunities is technology. It has broken down many barriers, and has allowed us to communicate with others all over the world. With current technology, students are able to email, chat, and even use video conferencing to communicate. Before these technologies became widely available, most people had to communicate with others overseas by letter-writing or telephone, or by traveling. And while foreign exchange programs are still cool and a great opportunity for any student, it is not the only way to become immersed in other cultures. Technology has allowed us to practically visit another country without actually going there.

One major benefit of the globalization of education is that it has helped students to respect other cultures and celebrate diversity. Cultural practices and beliefs that may be different from theirs don’t seem “weird” when the students are frequently exposed to them, and can actually talk with students from other countries and cultures. Globalized education helps not only increase awareness and tolerance, but also to spark curiosity. Students are more likely to want to learn about other places when the information is readily available, and is presented in new and exciting ways. I read an interesting article (can’t remember where, or I’d post it) about how computers with Internet access are being donated to developing countries without electricity. From what I gather, the computers have a crank on them, and you can wind it up to get it to work (kind of like those flashlights that don’t need batteries). The article didn’t go into a lot of detail, but I think this sounds like a really valuable resource and will allow people access to information like they’ve never had before.