Alexander Russo's article

[Lucy Gray]

Recently, reporter Alexander Russo plied our community for information about global education and his article was just published on Edutopia's site. Vicki Davis is quoted and there's even a link to the GEC at the bottom of the page! Feel free to add comments about his article at the Edutopia site, too.

Check it out:
http://www.edutopia.org/global-education-international-exchange

[Kerishma]

Hi Lucy, Very interesting article by Alexander.

As far as my knowledge goes .......Education has increasingly been seen as a key issue in the success of projects in developing countries and in the “information age” education in a connected world means embracing the Internet and teaching and learning online. An example is World Links for Development, a World Bank program aimed at taking new educational technologies to high schools in developing countries.

Electronic technology is a feature of contemporary education. We have to address this issue even if we are located in countries where its impact is still comparatively limited. I work at the University of the South Pacific, an educational institution serving twelve Pacific island countries. Obviously there are great potential benefits in using new communications technologies in delivering our distance education programmes. At the same time we have to be aware of the limitations of our resources as well as the socio-cultural uniqueness of our situation. It is important that we invest in appropriate applications of technology. In order to effectively do my work in developing distance education courses I feel I need to be better informed about what is happening in the field of educational technology, which takes me to my studies at USQ and the power of knowledge. To be participants in the new global order, small countries like Fiji must understand what is happening or risk being vulnerable to a new kind of techno-colonialism.

Regards
Kerishma