So, I have been working hard lately to figure out what my purpose is in doing what I am doing (i.e. EVERYTHING). I think I have uncovered various places where more communication needs to exist between interested parties. One are that needs a lot of help seems to be language teachers. I think that the language classroom should be rich with culture, and what better way for cultural exchange than over the internet?
I had a language teacher really talking with me the other day about whether or not the world is “shrinking”. I was on the “it is shrinking” side and they were on the opposite side of the fence. I realized that it is not so much a differing opinion, but two different realities. My world IS shrinking, theirs is not. I don’t know if this is a question of digital divide or not, but I do know that the world is “shrinking”… but only in certain places, and by the actions of certain people.
It is up to us to have an intercultural exchange of Earth-shrinking proportions. We must be the ones who control and shape our destinies. If we want the children of the world to grow up with understanding we must expose them to the world in the proper way. I am a socio-cultural theorist. I believe we create our world and our understanding of reality through our experience and through the world we learn about. We need the world to have more understanding.
Thus, as I go off to Japan, I will use technology to teach my students about Japan and I will reach “homeward” with kid friendly videos and more about Japan. Maybe I will come up with more ideas, too. We’ll see how it goes and if it is used/appreciated.
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