Diversity, Cultural Understanding, & Global Awareness
Living and teaching in a rural town has been a very rewarding part of my life.I have enjoyed the quiet and peaceful corner of the world in which I have been a part. However, these surrounding have limited the experiences and cultural awareness of the students in the community. With digital communication capabilities, these students can have the capabilities to broaden their view from their immediate surrounding to another state, country, or even continent. The statement, "It's a small world," is more true today than it ever has been before. Students today have the means to not only communicate through messaging means, such as email, with people all over the world, but they can also communicate through video chat.
As an educator, it is my responsibility to make sure students have these opportunities to broaden their views of the world. Collaboration tools make it possible to work on projects and assignments with not only one another, but also with other students in a different location such as a different school. A partnership with a local school, or a school in another state would be a step toward broadening their cultural understanding. Students could work together on a project in real time by using a collaborative tool such as Google Docs. It could also be as simple as digital pen pals to learn about each other's diverse background. This local connection can be broadened to students from anywhere in the world, offering students the opportunity to connect with students from all over the world.
Another way students can experience different cultures and diversity is through virtual reality or augmented reality. This technology allows a student to experience things they never would have the opportunity to in their real-life circumstances. In virtual reality, they can experience cultures and environments from around the world as if they were actually immersed in them. Augmented reality allows them to bring aspects from another culture into their own environment. Either way, it gives them the opportunity to see and somewhat experience life from a different point of view.
Not only can digital communications affect students and how they see the world, they also give educators a means to communicate with parents from diverse backgrounds. Software that translates languages gives people the means to communicate when they otherwise would have to have a human translator present. This opens the door for better cultural understanding and connects parents and educators in ways that were not possible before.
As an educator, it is my responsibility to make sure students have these opportunities to broaden their views of the world. Collaboration tools make it possible to work on projects and assignments with not only one another, but also with other students in a different location such as a different school. A partnership with a local school, or a school in another state would be a step toward broadening their cultural understanding. Students could work together on a project in real time by using a collaborative tool such as Google Docs. It could also be as simple as digital pen pals to learn about each other's diverse background. This local connection can be broadened to students from anywhere in the world, offering students the opportunity to connect with students from all over the world.
Another way students can experience different cultures and diversity is through virtual reality or augmented reality. This technology allows a student to experience things they never would have the opportunity to in their real-life circumstances. In virtual reality, they can experience cultures and environments from around the world as if they were actually immersed in them. Augmented reality allows them to bring aspects from another culture into their own environment. Either way, it gives them the opportunity to see and somewhat experience life from a different point of view.
Not only can digital communications affect students and how they see the world, they also give educators a means to communicate with parents from diverse backgrounds. Software that translates languages gives people the means to communicate when they otherwise would have to have a human translator present. This opens the door for better cultural understanding and connects parents and educators in ways that were not possible before.
Comments
Post a Comment