Grassroots Global Education

by Nasreen Rahim, EVC Council of Division Reps, Faculty, Instructional Technology, Evergreen Valley College

Global education is becoming one of the most important aspects of 21st century life. As educators become more knowledgeable about global education and understanding of different cultures and educational systems, they will be able to work with professionals with whom they previously had no connection. Global education opens up opportunities to better understand cross-cultural efforts to effect positive global educational change.

In the book, ‘The World is Flat,’ Thomas Friedman describes how swiftly technology and communications connect people all over the globe. In other words the world has become flat in terms of instant communication and global economics. Therefore, a number of skills are necessary for students to be able to succeed in the work environment in the increasingly flat world of the 21^st century. Students need the ability to use emerging technologies to learn the 21^st century skills and knowledge known as information, communications, and technology literacy.

Technology Trend in Bangladesh

As the Instructional Technology faculty, I have been training faculty to use technology in education and to develop online, hybrid and web-enhanced courses at Evergreen Valley College for almost a decade. In the past couple of years, I began following the technology trend in my native country, Bangladesh. That’s when I realized that

technology, if integrated more effectively in education, holds the promise of helping teachers prepare the students with necessary skills for employment in our changing world.

With time I became more curious and decided to visit Bangladesh in January of 2009. I landed in Dhaka, Bangladesh after more than ten years. So much has changed! The impact of technology in the daily lives was quite obvious even with limitations and barriers. I was able to present at a seminar arranged by the Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (BELTA) on Online Teaching and Learning at the Presidency University in Dhaka. The audience of new and experienced teachers who attended received the presentation with curiosity and fascination. That is how I got more enthusiastic about the idea of global education.

Village Schools and Orphanages

My next stop was to explore the schools and orphanages in the villages to get an idea of technology and education in rural Bangladesh. There may be some areas where they have a better infrastructure but where I visited there were no such set up. There is an unbelievable ‘digital divide.’ However, the most productive means of communication is the mobile telephone. Presently, more and more research is being carried out on how to use the mobile telephone as educational tools.

Once I returned to the US, I deeply felt the need to connect the students and teachers of Bangladesh with the college where I teach. In June of 2009, I again left for Bangladesh and this time I was invited to present in the 8th International Conference on Language and Development. My topic was Teaching and Learning Language with Web 2 Technology. The workshop dealt with fundamentals of Web 2.0 technologies. What are they? How do they work? Why should we use them? How are they changing teaching and learning language? How these technologies are shaping the ways millennial students choose to learn? It provided an overall understanding of each technology, and the potential uses in teaching and learning of language with these emerging technologies.

From thereon I was in a roll doing some philanthropic services for my country of origin. Thus, I was able to give back to my roots by presenting seminars and day-long hands-on workshops in the various educational institutions. It was obvious that there was a tremendous need. These were services I provided in the cities. Where I long to contribute the most is in the village schools, for I cannot forget those large eyes looking up to me, so eager to learn!! Perhaps I’ll be able to fulfill my goal during my sabbatical next year.

Our Global Village

We live in a global village where international events affect us locally in ways unthinkable only a few years ago. Technologies developed at the speed of light and global communications are all bringing the world to our living rooms, offices and shopping centers. Practically any service can now be delivered from half a world away.

Beyond economics, knowledge and understanding of other cultures supports greater social cohesion and increased appreciation of one another. At the heart of education is its power to help us overcome fear and ignorance that so often leads to conflict. The globalization of education will help enable greater numbers of students from across the world to access some of the finest teaching and learning available. It will also help eradicate poverty and hunger and particularly empower women.

As President Obama emphasized in his June 4, 2009 speech in Cairo, ‘….we will expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, ‘…. invest in on-line learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network…’ Thus a college student in Bangladesh can communicate instantly with a college student in San Jose.