I know I wasn't in class last night, but I thought I'd blog anyway. First of all, I am interested to read your blogs for the sole reason that I am curious as to everyone's interpretation of Baurillard. I briefly read some of his work and the first idea that came to my head was "bold". He comes across as a confident man just based on some of the views he has about society.
Secondly, I'll add some thoughts about a completely unrelated matter. My vice principle gave me a document called, "The Journal of the National Staff Development Council" because he knows I am taking my masters in educational technology. I was reading it between parent conferences last night. What caught me interest was an article about the isolation of fine arts teachers. I thought it might touch on what we discussed in class about how to assess things like art and phys.ed, etc. However, it was an article about collaboration between teachers and the on-line community. It was just about sharing what you do in the classroom. The second article that aroused my attention was about international education. It also just relayed the fact that teacher collaboration and the on-line learning community was essential to have some standards between schools and classrooms. After reading several articles, the same theme seemed to emerge. I wondered if this is huge trend. Is education going to become one huge global on-line learning community where students and teachers share ideas from classroom to classroom, country to country.....and then back to Baurillard and his views on technology's effect on globalization of society.
So, tell me what you discussed last night.....
L
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Interesting thoughts Lana. Through discussions and readings in our class as well as initiatives taken by my division, I see huge potential in on-line teacher collaboration, especially for sharing resources and ideas. Brining teachers and schools closer together helps us understand what is happening in other buildings or classrooms, when so many of us feel like we work in the isolation of our little brick rooms. It is interesting that you found an article mentioning the concept of learning standards being derived from on-line learning communities. This made me think about an article I read in the Globe and Mail last weekend about the initiative of the Texas Department of Education to overhaul their curriculums to represent more conservative values.
ReplyDeleteIn an interview with a member of the Department of Education, it was implied that Texas has certain values to uphold that are being lost in the mix of global goals in education. There seems to be a strong sentiment in Texas to maintain America’s individuality amidst globalization, especially since it was a nation founded on personal freedom and responsibility.
It is easy to criticize Texas as a radical right-wing state, out of touch with modern society, but maybe they’re not so far off in their educational reforms. If states, provinces, and countries adopt global education standards, what happens to the concept of nationhood? As we discussed several weeks ago, our education system can be a great way to promote our regional identities and a sense of patriotism. If our regional educational standards are lost, where will we call home?
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ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts. I think there is a lot to be said about online collaboration for teachers. Personally, as a specialist, I often turn to the internet to find ideas and thoughts. I do have my other music teacher friends, as well as colleagues in my division, but as a specialist, I am the only one in the building. So I am often left trying to find answers or ideas online, and I find it extremely helpful! It is also a beneficial way in which to find others who are in similar situations. I can talk to other music teachers in my division, or my friends from university, but we all have varying teaching situations. By going online, I can often search a problem or issue that I don't have in common with those teachers I know.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do agree that it is important for teachers to keep their own community in mind and not try to "globalize" too much. I mean, I guess it's not really a bad thing - we can learn a lot from each other. But I do think a sense of identity is important.