5/04/2011
5/01/2011
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Challenge 7
How can we transform cultural diversity into valuable resources at home?
Every student is a unique individual, but diversity can be a hindrance to education if a teacher does not know how to teach in a classroom of cultural diversity. On the other hand, diversity can be an amazing asset to education. Schools and teachers need to create a positive learning environment and learning community that is open, and the encourages collaboration, cooperation, and critical thinking. In the classroom, it is important to provide students with equal opportunities, and with chances to work together and step outside of the framework of their own mindset in order to understand their fellow classmates.
Cooperative Learning is a more specific type of collaborative learning where students are assigned to work in small groups. In those groups, they are graded on both an individual and group level. CL encourages teamwork, and makes each student value the other members in the group. It creates an environment where the group’s success is based on their ability to work together and help each other succeed. CL is important when dealing with a diverse student body because it teaches the students to appreciate each other and their different diversity orientations. It allows students to interact on a more personal level with other students who they may not have talked to before. This allows the students to share their diversity and different backgrounds with each other, creating a more comfortable learning environment.
James Banks designed a method to multicultural education that includes collaboration, cooperation, and critical thinking. Banks limits his method to multi-cultural education, however it can easily be expanded to include all sorts of different diversity orientations. The five dimensions that he lists are content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, and empowering school culture. Content integration simply means using a wide variety of content from different places. Teachers should teach about different geographic regions, genders, SES levels, and learning styles as well. Knowledge construction is a type of critical thinking similar to role-playing that encourages students to think about the way that knowledge is created and influenced by people of certain diversity orientations, and how it might be different coming from a different perspective. Prejudice reduction is encouraging positive relationships among students of different diversity orientations, and can be achieved through the cooperative learning methods discussed in previous sections. Equity pedagogy is the acknowledgement that students from different backgrounds may learn in different ways. Teachers need to be aware of this in order to write lessons that maximize every student’s success. Empowering School Culture means that the school creates equal opportunities for success for all students, regardless of diversity orientation. This is similar to creating a positive learning community. Banks’ model lays out a good framework for a few specific methods of creating a classroom and school environment where all students can learn, regardless of their diversity orientation. There are a large number of differences between students that lead to a diverse student body and Banks identifies nine main differences between students: Race, gender, socio-economic status, nationality, ethnic group, abilities and disabilities, religion, and geographic region. The total sum of all of the differences that make up each individual and unique student will be referred to as the student's diversity orientation. A teacher must take into account the student's entire diversity orientation when devising a lesson plan in order to maximize each student's education.
James Banks designed a method to multicultural education that includes collaboration, cooperation, and critical thinking. Banks limits his method to multi-cultural education, however it can easily be expanded to include all sorts of different diversity orientations. The five dimensions that he lists are content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, and empowering school culture. Content integration simply means using a wide variety of content from different places. Teachers should teach about different geographic regions, genders, SES levels, and learning styles as well. Knowledge construction is a type of critical thinking similar to role-playing that encourages students to think about the way that knowledge is created and influenced by people of certain diversity orientations, and how it might be different coming from a different perspective. Prejudice reduction is encouraging positive relationships among students of different diversity orientations, and can be achieved through the cooperative learning methods discussed in previous sections. Equity pedagogy is the acknowledgement that students from different backgrounds may learn in different ways. Teachers need to be aware of this in order to write lessons that maximize every student’s success. Empowering School Culture means that the school creates equal opportunities for success for all students, regardless of diversity orientation. This is similar to creating a positive learning community. Banks’ model lays out a good framework for a few specific methods of creating a classroom and school environment where all students can learn, regardless of their diversity orientation. There are a large number of differences between students that lead to a diverse student body and Banks identifies nine main differences between students: Race, gender, socio-economic status, nationality, ethnic group, abilities and disabilities, religion, and geographic region. The total sum of all of the differences that make up each individual and unique student will be referred to as the student's diversity orientation. A teacher must take into account the student's entire diversity orientation when devising a lesson plan in order to maximize each student's education.
Challenge 5
What is cultural identity and cultural hybridity? And how are these concepts important for professional pedagogical work?
Training students to become aware of hybridity in near surroundings, one get’s overwhelmed by the mixing of origins of use, idea and development of products. It would be simpler to point out artefacts that weren’t hybrids. The hybrid artefacts are the products of mixed origins. Interiour, exterior, electronic devices, teaching materials. Many things were originally designed in the developed part of the world, often as a hybrid of an old and a new idea, ideally becoming a more functional matter in it’s new form. The production of globalized products are often produced in less developed countries, solely for economic reasons.
I chose to write a presentation of myself as an alternative to a cv signalling global competence with reference to “The Global 3000 Questionnaire”: "Greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark. My name is Ane Loeve. I was born in Denmark by danish parents. I have 2 sons of 10 and 19 years of age and my age is 42. I work as a substitute teacher in secondary school and study to become a teacher at night. I will complete my education in the summer of 2012. My income varies from one month to the other, because my working hours vary. I look forward to having more of a steady income; Teachers’ wages in Denmark are absolutely solid. The income for a new teacher working full time is around 3000,- € before taxes, and aound 2000,- € after taxes, depending on ones allowance.
Globalization is not only a topic of current interest. In globalization lies all the questions and answers of our future life on the planet.
Personally I tend to worry about my childrens future and my own future as well. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. But it makes me happy to know, that the world is filled with opportunities and new mysteries to be solved.
My favorite food is the food that makes me feel good. I try as much new food as I can. I like trying the new. I spend a lot of time in my kitchen developing new recepies experimenting with ingredients; the wellknown and the unknown.
In future I expect to travel abroad to work as a teacher in a local project. I want to go to the U.S., my language skills will see me through many problems. But I would also like to work in Spain and Southamerica. But I need to learn spanish first, which is the first course I’ll attend to, when I’ve a teacher".
Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World by Arturo Escobar
The entire book free of use on the internet! Hail globalization 3.0!
Challenge 6
What is the third world, and why are some countries developing while others claim to be developed?
What are the prospects for democratic empowerment of the individual citizen of the world? Will there still be major gaps between rich and poor? Is it only the belligerent nations, NATO and the UN, which ultimately sets the agenda and as yet not doing it because governments brakes for a reasonable development for the common good? Are we living in discourses less violent than in the years of The French Revolution, or is our strtegic outlook just different? What has reslly changed about the way we treat each other on a whole? In Denmark it is an offense to hit children, to use violence as a mean of bringing up children. But it is still considered being a hero to participate in wars. That is only logical, because of the intermediate accounts we know to be 'true'.
Conditions of globalization has changed through history. From Globalization 1.0 starting with the official discovery of The Americas in 1492, lasting till 1800’s where Globalization 2.0 showed itself to be an integration of economies through international trading, which along the entrance of new millenium, has been renewed by Globalization 3.0 as the beginning of a new era. The era of communication. At this point; The world is flat, according to Thomas Friedman, the author of ”The World Is Flat”, 2005.
Our teacher, Johnny, said that a new discovery is always absolutely positive. Why? Because that is the main view in a dominant discourse of development! Because as Johnny also pointed out: Who has the right to claim being the discoverer? Who knows and who cares, who discovered () first? All our personal patterns of thinking, can be seen as an average of the discourses we live in. Up to this day and age, the western dominating discourse on race, education, violence and wealth had influenced the construction of todays discourse. Positive, that the discourse had built in a belief in development..! Or we would be stuck in time and space. What is logical, may not be true and what is true, may not be logical..
We're made aware that the voice and control can sound from other than predominant parts of the world: the western world power and the industrialized world. Many third world countries recovered from collapse and famin. The same countries may now be viewed as fully competitive. Globalization and development is therefore available in a broader perspective that includes more cultures than the European ruling class mentality, which until the present has been the dominant discourse in relation to development. What is globalization all about? Up to now it has been about economic growth and economic assimilation. Countries (and individuals) requires an increasing empowerment simultaneously with a global homogenization of the strong exponential growth. Globalization is about to become public property, is about to become the air we breathe. We can manage global development from the couch. But that doesn't promise healthy developments for the future? On a large scale it would require that we learn how to succeed in a forum with new rules. The global space-fora. We will have the equipment to shape the world as global citizens, but the w.w.w. is neutral as is power in relation to the theories of Focault. one could expect more acton on social and environmental conditions. if the agenda is set by people, but still about who has power and how that power is maintained. by the help of setting people up to their ears in debt. Debt is a vicious spiral, a forceful economic powertool system, which has followed us since the first copyholder.
What are the prospects for democratic empowerment of the individual citizen of the world? Will there still be major gaps between rich and poor? Is it only the belligerent nations, NATO and the UN, which ultimately sets the agenda and as yet not doing it because governments brakes for a reasonable development for the common good? Are we living in discourses less violent than in the years of The French Revolution, or is our strtegic outlook just different? What has reslly changed about the way we treat each other on a whole? In Denmark it is an offense to hit children, to use violence as a mean of bringing up children. But it is still considered being a hero to participate in wars. That is only logical, because of the intermediate accounts we know to be 'true'.
4/13/2011
"Educating for the 21st Century" by U.N. mandated University For Peace in Costa Rica
This looks familiar - would still love to participate next summer though..
4/11/2011
Chicago school bans homemade lunches, the latest in national food fight
Looks like the battle we've had in Denmark concerning the food in kinder gardens.. If the alternative is not a representative for healthy and nutritious food - don't do it! We had scary examples of kindergardens wanting to save money - leaving the children with the worst food possible - much worse than the food the parents were critizised for giving them in the first place.
4/09/2011
Education in The United States
Informative, non-critical article of the fundamental structure in the american edu-system
4/08/2011
Challenge 8
What do you see as the biggest challenge in the world today?
Having participated in Globalization and professional change, my answer would be that the dominance of the cultures percieving their beliefsystems to be right and righteous is theoretically the biggest global challenge. Proving to be right in a western set of eyes, closes a discussion and makes it very difficult to change anything. The sense of direction in society is planned and implemented by the people in power.
The only hope for a shift is for the will of every individual to let go of being indisputably right - it only equals possesive behaviour and self righteousness. Arrogant and utopian thinking, you might think, and at least for many decades and even centuries to come, the work ahead of us to make a shift to approach a new global consciousness, is the practical challenge. What seems to be the primary object then, is a balanced development between cultural evolution and human revolution.
In these times of enviromental and human made disasters, it's clear to see, that we move faster on a material plane, than we evolve as responsible creatures. The material development and human evolution are not in balance. As a race we are ruining the natural balance of living for all parts of nature - from planet to particle. Speaking of human relations and cultural development, we seem lightyears behind any humanitarian ambition of globalizing this world.
The teacher of the multicultural classroom or/and with a global mindset, should train students to ask how rather than why. In a western culture, the academic way of investigating always starts with a why, in it's search for definitive answers. Asking why is basic knowledge, but to reflect (upon cultures), one needs to ask open questions. That may lead to a diversity of answers, but nevertheless asking why, is asking for a solution, which may not be there. There are no correct answers in the reflexisive mindsetting, just open possibilities.
Imperialism with a human face
Haitian disaster upon natural and historic disasters: Earthquake, imperialism, slavery, dictatorship, U.S. domination, violence, resistance and failing to deliver relief - is it all a plan of death?
4/02/2011
National Slide Into Pink Slip Purgatory Has Consequences
Read about the american job security for elementary school teachers.. I sincerely hope, that's not where Denmark is heading towards. Only votes can change this sad development - please use your voice for the sake of justice..!
3/28/2011
Culture Shock & The Problem Of Adjustment To New Cultural Environments
A very useful article on culture shock from a different part of the world; Brazil.
Key Excerpts of The Global Conversation
A small appetizing excerpt from the blog of Neale Donald Walsch; The Global Conversation:
"The basic message of all the sacred scriptures is the same. What is different is how human beings have been interpreting them.
There is nothing “wrong” with having different interpretations. What may not benefit you, however, is separating yourself over these differences, making each other wrong because of these differences, and killing each other as a result of these differences.
This is what you are now doing.
It is what you have been doing for quite some time."
3/27/2011
First-Ever International Summit on the Teaching Profession
Sixteen Countries and Regions Convened for First-Ever International Summit on the Teaching Profession to Promote Building, Developing and Sustaining World Class Teaching Force held by U.S. Department of Education. The summit will assemble education ministers, national union leaders and accomplished teachers from countries with high performing and rapidly improving educational systems (based on the latest PISA 2009). In addition to the United States, the invited countries and regions are Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
http://www.eng.uvm.dk/Aktuelt/News/Eng/2011/Marts/110317%20Education%20summit%20in%20New%20York.aspx
http://www.eng.uvm.dk/Aktuelt/News/Eng/2011/Marts/110317%20Education%20summit%20in%20New%20York.aspx
3/11/2011
3/10/2011
President Obama on Education at TechBoston
President Obama's comments on education in the U.S. at TechBoston this tuesday. For more information on the american educational system, get hold of "Waiting for Superman", a highly recommendable documentary from the director of "An inconvenient truth", Davis Guggenheim.
3/09/2011
Challenge 3
Which tools can we use to become increasingly openminded as individuals and as professionals?
Since teenagehood I’ve sought out my culture-fix, as I named it, regularly. In a way, one could call it an addiction, but at least not a harmfull one. Nevertheless it's not always popular going for the seemingly unexplainable. Taking it's starting point in a predilection to the things in life, which I do not understand, with an innate fundamental feeling that understanding is not the primary goal, rather it is a different experience of joy, without being able to explain exactly why, because I'm never sure that I quite understand the situation as I'm supposed to myself. I guess most people can relate to this, but rarely to the same extent. An example is looking at art. There are never two similar analysis to one painting, and there can never be a correct analysis. Another example is musical lyrics. What can be quite as entertaining and cheering as children singing along in a language they don’t understand? They put their own meaning into the song, make up their own version, living in a fantasy creating assimilation as they go along. Later in school they accomodate, finding out what the song was actually about, but they will always carry the first adventorous experience inside, even though it wasn’t the truthful meaning of the song.
Encountering another culture cannot be much different. Our memories are intact. All it takes, is a similar experience or situation to recall a certain feeling. We cannot decide to throw away what we’ve once been taught, but we can decide to think twice about our approach. Wanting to get as close to understanding a culture as possible, there must be certain criteria of which to reach the optimum of understanding the strange and not alienating it. The tools we’re given are other individuals to pass on their knowledge and our own common sense of how to communicate in a given situation. To get answers, one needs to ask questions, but these questions has to be formulated on the conditions of the foreign culture. How can one formulate a question on these conditions, without knowing the culture? There is no certainty to that off course, but it is important to be aware of one’s own cultural identity, here lies the answer to one’s own reactions towards what is encountered. A useful tool of communication is to ask authentic questions of high appreciation in a dialogical discourse. This method was introduced by Olga Dysthe as both a didactical and pedagogical tool of teaching and learning. Another useful communication tool is ”Non-violent Communication” or ”Compassionate Communication”, introduced by Marshall Rosenberg. This method involves three recommendations:
1. Describe without using evalualistic judgement or moralistic labels.
2. Avoid blaming or behaving defensively, illuminate the personal needs of the other.
3. Request the specific behaviour. Avoid demand, threat, guilt or shaming.
Vi vil ikke assimilere os - We don't want to assimilate
Even though this is a danish news spot, I find it absolutely relevant to our ongoing discussions about cultural differences and dilemmas. The youngsters in the interviews are asking for a definition of being danish, relating to the newly appointed Minister of Integration in Denmark; Soeren Pind. On his first day of appointment, Pind states that all foreigners in Denmark shall assimilate, the integration has failed. Many concider this to be a harsh statement, coming from the supposed leader of integration in a country, that is increasingly dependent on foreign workers and know-how - a country which already has the very sad reputation of being xenophbic and at the same time (the danish government) manages to support and cooperate with the global elite; The government of The United States. Wonder how that all adds up to Hares and Amir?
Hares El Daoud from Palestine (left) and Amir Hassan from Egypt.
"Not all our values can be combined with the Danish."says Hare.
Hares El Daoud from Palestine (left) and Amir Hassan from Egypt.
"Not all our values can be combined with the Danish."says Hare.
3/08/2011
Challenge 4
How to cope with cultural dilemmas in an increasingly globalized world?
Is the concept of culture useful when we talk about human differences? My claim is that the usefulness of the concept, it’s usability lies within and depends on the culture, and it also depends on, what the information about the culture is used for. In a very individualistic culture with a low belief in authorities (a low score in the Power Distance Index, G. Hofstede), it doesn't make much sense to talk about culture as a link between people. This is very evident for Danes. But in a culture with a strong belief in authorities (a high score in the Power Distance Index) as in Indonesia, the culture gives meaning to every action that takes place. Nothing takes place outside the cultural stipulations without someone noticing. The reaction doesn't have to be punishment, but it will always be brought to attention. For stronger violations, as infidelity, there are most certainly ways or parameters to act within.
Geert Hofstede has shown us, that it is in fact possible to determine which behaviour one can expect, when living and working in another culture. There is in almost every case of cultural meetings a built-in paradox: The culture is meant to sustain and maybe even develop a society, but all values of one culture seldom matches the values of another culture. As Hofstede describes it: " Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster." Harmonizing cultures is either hard work or impossible. Whether it is a single individual or a whole nation wanting or having to harmonize, the cultural dilemma is the question of who has to compromize the most.
Geert Hofstede's five cultural dimensions
In Hofstede's homepage you can compare your own culture to your host culture (or any culture). Just click on the header of this blog. This is what you basically need to know about his measuring system, which applies on all cultures:
Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and anybody with some international experience will be aware that 'all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others'.
Individualism (IDV) on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. The word 'collectivism' in this sense has no political meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state. Again, the issue addressed by this dimension is an extremely fundamental one, regarding all societies in the world.
Masculinity (MAS) versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. The IBM studies revealed that (a) women's values differ less among societies than men's values; (b) men's values from one country to another contain a dimension from very assertive and competitive and maximally different from women's values on the one side, to modest and caring and similar to women's values on the other. The assertive pole has been called 'masculine' and the modest, caring pole 'feminine'. The women in feminine countries have the same modest, caring values as the men; in the masculine countries they are somewhat assertive and competitive, but not as much as the men, so that these countries show a gap between men's values and women's values.
Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) deals with a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man's search for Truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured situations are novel, unknown, surprising, different from usual. Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth; 'there can only be one Truth and we have it'. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. The opposite type, uncertainty accepting cultures, are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within these cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not expected by their environment to express emotions.
Long-Term Orientation (LTO) versus short-term orientation: this fifth dimension was found in a study among students in 23 countries around the world, using a questionnaire designed by Chinese scholars It can be said to deal with Virtue regardless of Truth. Values associated with Long Term Orientation are thrift and perseverance; values associated with Short Term Orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting one's 'face'. Both the positively and the negatively rated values of this dimension are found in the teachings of Confucius, the most influential Chinese philosopher who lived around 500 B.C.; however, the dimension also applies to countries without a Confucian heritage.
Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and anybody with some international experience will be aware that 'all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others'.
Individualism (IDV) on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. The word 'collectivism' in this sense has no political meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state. Again, the issue addressed by this dimension is an extremely fundamental one, regarding all societies in the world.
Masculinity (MAS) versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. The IBM studies revealed that (a) women's values differ less among societies than men's values; (b) men's values from one country to another contain a dimension from very assertive and competitive and maximally different from women's values on the one side, to modest and caring and similar to women's values on the other. The assertive pole has been called 'masculine' and the modest, caring pole 'feminine'. The women in feminine countries have the same modest, caring values as the men; in the masculine countries they are somewhat assertive and competitive, but not as much as the men, so that these countries show a gap between men's values and women's values.
Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) deals with a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man's search for Truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured situations are novel, unknown, surprising, different from usual. Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth; 'there can only be one Truth and we have it'. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. The opposite type, uncertainty accepting cultures, are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within these cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not expected by their environment to express emotions.
Long-Term Orientation (LTO) versus short-term orientation: this fifth dimension was found in a study among students in 23 countries around the world, using a questionnaire designed by Chinese scholars It can be said to deal with Virtue regardless of Truth. Values associated with Long Term Orientation are thrift and perseverance; values associated with Short Term Orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting one's 'face'. Both the positively and the negatively rated values of this dimension are found in the teachings of Confucius, the most influential Chinese philosopher who lived around 500 B.C.; however, the dimension also applies to countries without a Confucian heritage.
John Pilger; The new rulers of the world
A journalistic documentary on the influences of globalization and what caused it to begin with; Profits. Pilger chose to analyze this allegation through visiting factories of global businesses in Indonesia.
3/06/2011
Jacob Holdt's lifelong effort to break down prejudice between cultural differences
For the last four decades Jacob has been and still is the most prominent spokesman of cultural barriers and investigating the why and how to break down prejudice even towards people, who most believe to be condemned. His approach is telling about his own experiences, travelling through the lowest social layers in the U.S.A. and by living with the people whose lives he wants to describe, he manages to win their confidence; living under the same conditions as them. Travelling by hitch-hiking, with no money in his pocket, alone with his camera, he managed to document a truthful and heartfelt picture of the poorest citizens of The United States. He has worked independently by his own initiative and never in the interest of any government or organization.
His book "American Pictures/Roots of Opression" on the internet:
http://www.american-pictures.com/roots/roots.htm
This is from his second trip, disentangling the existence of Ku Klux Klan:
http://www.kukluxklan.info/#Ku_Klux_Klan
In March, Jacob is hosting a week of lectures showing his pictures in Imperial Bio, this page is in danish, please run Google translate or similar:
http://www.holdt.us/to/Imperial/
His book "American Pictures/Roots of Opression" on the internet:
http://www.american-pictures.com/roots/roots.htm
This is from his second trip, disentangling the existence of Ku Klux Klan:
http://www.kukluxklan.info/#Ku_Klux_Klan
In March, Jacob is hosting a week of lectures showing his pictures in Imperial Bio, this page is in danish, please run Google translate or similar:
http://www.holdt.us/to/Imperial/
2/27/2011
An example of increasing the awareness of differences between cultures
On friday I brought my students from 9th grade to Rundetårn, to watch the exhibition: "Hungry Planet". I recommend this to everybody, because it is such an eye-opener. Most of the material and information is well known to all of us, but the exhibition shows, that it is not fiction or theory. Globalization has meant a lot of good to civilization - but also destroyed cultures. Equal possibilities are further away, than we can imagine, there are no excuses for not taking action in our own lives to help minimize the damage we are doing by consuming more than we need. The exhibition tells the stories of 30 different families consuming habits in 24 countries around the globe. We get to compare.
Link in english:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5005952
Link in danish (use this if you want to go to the exhibition):
http://www.hungryplanet.dk/index.html
Link in english:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5005952
Link in danish (use this if you want to go to the exhibition):
http://www.hungryplanet.dk/index.html
Challenge 2
How can schools and learning environments for children and youth go global today?
In my primary school years attendancy, in the mid-seventies, there were only libraries, telephones (including telephone books from the monopolized telephone company) and the postal service (also monopolized), as tools to connect with the outside world. Almost all information on connecting to the outer world, depended on the skills of these organizations and their willingness to deliver service and information. At that time we compared our situation to the generations before us, we compared ourselves to the USSR, and thought it was amazing, how the telephone and postal services were able to connect us all (in western Europe) to the rest of the world. Television was sometimes brought via satellite, and only few imagined the future to be at near hand, as described in science fiction literature and in scientific exhibitions and magazines. In fact, we were already living in a science fiction, when it came to infrastructure.
Fourty years has past since then, and what should have been an evolution became a revolution. All infrastructure, but especially 'cyberspace', has changed the world as we knew it. Right this moment people around the globe are risking their lives to freedom, because they know, they can be part of a new world order - they can make a difference in creating tomorrow via the internet.
In the future, there will be no need for books to find information. It will all be on the internet. Every human being on the planet should have the birthright to a computer and internetconnection to participate with a global membership. This is the demand of millions, and cannot be dictated otherwise. Many sources on the internet are deficient today. The task is to expand and increase the level of information and sources. As an example, when I'm in doubt about translating, I use Google Translate, but only because my knowledge of the english language is sufficient enough to know whether it is a fairly correct use of the language, that Google suggests. In most cases Google is absolutely inadequate when it comes to translation of foreign words or combined words.
By studying the pages of E-twinning, ESP (European Schools Project Association), Comenius and other attempts to connect with pupils and teachers around the globe, I found that the means and the tools haven't really changed since I attended to primary school in the seventies. But these sights have made it so much easier to connect and choose from the variety of possibilities of cooperating, learning and inspiring each other. There are multiple ways of learning from each other, and I find it nescesarry for all students around the globe, regardless of position, that we increase our understanding of our own and others' cultures. Where do we meet? Or what is the premise of meeting, exchanging and learning? First of all, I believe, that exploring and knowing ones own culture and being aware of it's distinctive characteristics, is the foundation of learning about other cultures. Knowing something about prejudice and ethnocentricity from the beginning, is also basic and essential in being able to expand ones consciousness of cultural differences.
On a practical level I prefer using computers for all subjects in school in 10-20 % of the lessons, which is also the recommendations of the Danish Education Ministry. I sincerely hope that all of the danish students will have access to their own personal computer in school, or at least one for sharing in the classroom, by the end of this decade. I am fortunate to be a language teacher - I will be able to start a project of "The image of the other". There is no doubt, that this program will give both teacher and pupils basic skills of communicating with a class situated in another culture. Having this experience, I would like to try a more practical project, exchanging methods, trying them out and evaluate. It would be obvious to experiment with daily needs like cooking, gardening or "A day in the others life" in continuation of "The image of the other".
2/23/2011
A blog is for blogging - blogging is for ?
A bit mystified by this way of connecting.. In my point of view it would be obvious for us to use a messageboard and a chat on which we would be able communicate with each other. By blogging there is no real interaction between the participants of this course.
After three weeks, approaching four, my own teachers are still not counting among my followers, actually none of the participants are following me. That is somehow a very lonely way of sharing thoughts and opinions of globalization, isn't it? Studying globalization should to some extend activate everyone involved in the project, but as it looks up till now, no one seems interested in sharing this possibility of connecting - that is a shame.
It is essential for us as students, to communicate with each other - but crucial to be able to stay in touch with our teachers in their roles of supervisors. We should all be able to connect from the same (and simple) platform.
After three weeks, approaching four, my own teachers are still not counting among my followers, actually none of the participants are following me. That is somehow a very lonely way of sharing thoughts and opinions of globalization, isn't it? Studying globalization should to some extend activate everyone involved in the project, but as it looks up till now, no one seems interested in sharing this possibility of connecting - that is a shame.
It is essential for us as students, to communicate with each other - but crucial to be able to stay in touch with our teachers in their roles of supervisors. We should all be able to connect from the same (and simple) platform.
2/21/2011
2/10/2011
Challenge 1
1: The 3 biggest challenges concerning globalization in the world today
information - knowledge - awareness
We had a vivid discussion about the general challenges of the world in opposite to challenges causes by the globalization.
a. poverty
- hunger
- education
- disease
b. climate/global warming
c. environmental consequences
In addition there are challenges worldwide especially caused by globalization:
d. cultural loss / cultural borders
e. immigration/ refuge
f. war/ terrorism
2: How can we work on that as professionals?
- create awareness/cultural awareness
- provide contact between different cultures / lifes / people
- compare lifes
- little action by starting from the bottom
- look towards what others have done with a (similar) challenge and learn from their experiences. Study and be open to all ideas
- be an example
2/09/2011
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