Global+Education

Global Awareness is an awareness of 'others'. It's an understanding that others exist outside of ones cultural group. And that those 'others' have their own culture and beliefs that may be similar to, or diametrically opposite to ours. It is the knowledge that individuals exist beyond //ones// culture and immediate bubble- be it school, community, State, Country and Nation. One's customs, history and present make up one's culture and who they are. This is a pluralistic and interdependent globalized world. With the interconnectedness of the world through the speed and span of the internet, our students find themselves IN another culture. Being a teenager, this can be a dangerous venture. When I was 19 I went to India, and before I left my mother had a heart-to-heart with my favorite High School teacher, Doc. Smock, because she was so worried about my trip. Well, the internet is like taking a daily trip to India. We need to teach our students how to travel carefully, be open minded about other cultures they encounter, be mindful of ones own culture so that they can understand anothers culture. We need to teach them global awareness so that they can think critically about what they find and what finds them as they connect with others globally. In order for students to participate in Global Citizenship, and become competitive in the futures workplace, students need skills such as technical fluency, effective communication, leadership, being a team player, problem solving and creativity. This requires the authentic, essential and appropriate use of technology and the following: Content Knowledge- social studies education can foster universal understanding, lifelong learning about people that are different about them and the capacity for recognizing stereotypes, etc. Pedagogy Knowledge – purpose and values of education, assessment, classroom management, curricular design. Collaborative learning, concept-based learning (i.e. over- expansion and over-spending). Technology Knowledge- applying tech to content pedagogy.
 * How would you define global awareness?
 * To what extent would you say global awareness is an important 21st century skill? Please explain your answer.

Holistically, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge is the goal. To teach for learning content using technology in constructive ways. This includes: Web-based research, interpersonal communication, collaborative projects and telefield trips (interpersonal exchange, info collecting and analysis and problem solving).



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This map could be used as a supplemental resource when referring to a variety of U.S. locations spanning 1607 - 1863 during direct teaching. Increasing global awareness includes interpersonal communication, web-based research, info collecting and analysis. Students can use web-based research and mark locations of battles, migration of peoples and geo-political changes over time. So cool.

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