Technology and Global Citizenship Education

Dr. Eunhee Jung, IVECA Founder, speaking at the UN-AI forum on "Unlearning Intolerance: National and International Perspectives in Global Citizenship Education" - Photo Credit: The UN Academic Impact

From the United Nations Academic Impact

December 1, 2017

One of the indicators of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, is the extent to which global citizenship education has been mainstreamed at all levels in national education policies, curricula, teacher education and student assessment. In this first of a two-part series on global citizenship education, we interviewed Dr. Eunhee Jung, founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization IVECA International Virtual Schooling, on the use of information and communications technology in global citizenship education.

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Dr. Jung describes an epiphany she had regarding the nexus of educational training, intercultural communication and technology. I saw a Korean man who was practicing English using his cell phone. In a flash, I had an image of students ere sitting on a playground here and there in groups and working together on school tasks using mobile devices. Soon afterwards, she decided to take up graduate studies in educational technology and international/comparative education. Her doctoral thesis at the University of Virginia dealt with Intercultural Competence Development: Implementing International Virtual Elementary Classroom Activities for Public School Students in the U.S. and Korea. Out of this research grew the IVECA (Intercultural Virtual Exchange of Classroom Activities) programme, an international online schooling platform that Dr. Jung founded and now directs.

According to Dr. Jung, IVECA harnesses the recent affordable developments in information and communications technology to enable elementary and secondary school as well as university students from different backgrounds around the globe to interact directly with each other. She sees IVECA's virtual learning experience as promoting a new sense of living together. Partnered school students can communicate in a genuinely reciprocal manner, indeed, in a way that offers some distinct advantages over what is all-too-often a one-way learning environment in which visiting students must adapt to their host country and assimilate to the local culture. Dr. Jung believes that IVECA helps create a learning space especially suited to global citizenship, inasmuch as online connectivity allows the participants to learn from one another on a more equal footing.

Global citizenship means to Dr. Jung communicating and collaborating appropriately and effectively with people in both local and far-flung communities. Interacting with people from different backgrounds brings with it a powerful potential to reflect on the relationship between global dynamics and individual choices. Global citizenship also means being able to solve problems creatively through compassion and respect for cultural diversity, Dr. Jung says. Whether virtually or in situ, the interconnectedness of phenomena that lies at the core of global citizenship, she believes, can best be tangibly grasped through face-to-face interaction and collaboration with people in diverse cultures and countries.

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The original full article at https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/technology-and-global-citizenship-education

Relevant article at: https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/unlearning-intolerance-national-and-international-perspectives-global-citizenship

Equal Opportunity for All: Race, Gender, Poverty, and Education

Education is a powerful tool for growth and transformation that can change peoples’ paths by increasing personal and professional opportunities throughout their lives. However, depending on gender, race and socioeconomic status, people often don’t  have the same opportunities to pursue a quality education. Impaired by discrimination, racism, and poverty, young people throughout the world find their access to education limited. Hoover High School (The United States) and Noeun High School (Republic of Korea) met virtually on November 29 to discuss potential answers to address inequality in education.   

The students examined pieces of non-fiction examining the relation between educational opportunities and socio-historical backgrounds. Their conversation focused on the multiple challenges individuals face in order to receive a quality formal education. They analyzed several books and documentaries, identifying personal stories where characters experienced a big change in their lives through the power of education. Additionally, they exchanged their impressions about each author’s’ style and discussed the main role education plays in each book and film.

The passion for inclusive education these students demonstrated is an inspiration.  They remind us all to keep fighting for a world where education is accessible to everyone.

The program became more meaningful to students thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of the lead teachers – Ms. Jillian Thomas, Ms. Hejin Kim, and Mr. Jonghyeok Keun – and the indispensable support provided by each school’s administrators. A US student reflected how the experience was through her final message: 

“Thank you all so much for this allowing us to share this wonderful opportunity with you. We feel that we have benefitted from this, and hope the same to you. This experience has been very eye-opening for us all… We are grateful that you all have agreed to do this [exchange] class with us, and are very excited to have become friends with you all… Thank you so much for sharing this opportunity with us.” 

Thoughtful Integration of Global Learning Throughout Guatemalan Classrooms

By: Ms. Helen O’Neal, Teacher at Colegio Americano del Sur, Guatemala

The Colegio Americano del Sur (CAS) grade 7 class presented their projects on Human Life and the Environment on June 21st, 2017.  Our IVECA class partnered with Boram Elementary School in Korea. The work of the students was supported by teachers Ms. Sanha Lee from Boram Elementary and Mr. Edgar Caniz, Ms. Ema Hernandez, and Ms. Helen O’Neal from CAS. For our live class presentation, each student group researched a different technological innovation, examining the innovation’s positive and negative aspects. The class focused on the similarities and differences between our two countries’ daily activities and impacts on the environment. The IVECA course encouraged our students to examine possible solutions to our impact on the environment from a local and global perspective. Our IVECA program lasted three months and included topics integrating language arts, social studies, and science.

Our middle school English teachers collaborated on the extended classroom project. The IVECA program facilitated horizontal alignment within our existing curriculum. Ms. Hernandez, our English Language Arts teacher, focused her students’ work on different stories and narratives addressing her curriculum objectives such as text and author analysis. Ms. Hernandez tells us, “Students wrote a narrative about life at CAS in which they expressed how happy they feel to be part of this school.” Working on the assignments, students were able to build upon prior knowledge and activate prior skills to complete each topic. Also, the program integrated technology, making use of 21st-century skills within the classroom. The variety of topics and integration of technology provided an appealing platform for students to work and interact with their Korean partners.

IVECA motivated our CAS students to participate and to collaborate within groups and with students from different Korean cultures.  The topics of the IVECA course were interesting and relevant to the students. In English Language Arts, the students analyzed characters and techniques of local narratives such as Rigoberta Menchu and La Nina de Guatemala. “Rigoberta is one of the most important characters of modern Guatemala. La Nina de Guatemala is one of the most well-known poems due to its relation to historical events,” Ms. Hernandez explains. The science projects, led my Mr. Caniz, pushed students such as Juan Ignacio, to take responsibility and lead his group to completion. The projects researched local Guatemalan innovations such as “biobardas,” plastic barriers that protect riverbeds. The topic of technological innovations encouraged students to explore further ideas to protect the environment. Mr. Caniz adds, “Something really interesting was that many of our grade 7 students were surprised to find out that in Guatemala, as well as Korea, there are many people who have invented technological innovations that have helped our world.” Leaders emerged from each group and the students worked to their fullest potential. It was a unique experience for our students to share and discuss these topics with their peers across the globe in Korea.

Finally, the farewell activities demonstrated our students’ talent and enthusiasm for their local culture. Each class, from Guatemala and Korea, presented a performance reflecting the history and traditions of our country. Korea presented the traditional Korean sport of Taekwondo and choreographed a modern K-Pop dance. CAS student Ligia played the national instrument of Guatemala, the marimba, while students danced in Guatemalan dress and presented traditional flags. Ms. Hernandez adds, “Marimba music is so beautiful. Guatemalans are very proud of it.” This performance was followed by a skit, the conquest of the Maya by the Spanish invaders in Guatemala, directed by student Luis. These activities featured our students in a personal and fun way, bringing our cultures closer together through art, performance, and music. Overall, the IVECA experience provided our students and teachers at CAS with a memorable and productive experience!

Throughout the IVECA course, our students and teachers made meaningful connections. Connections were made across our middle school curriculum and across the world with our partners and friends in Korea. The IVECA platform facilitated the sharing of our students’ projects; meanwhile, our students practiced their 21st-century technology skills and abilities. The Colegio Americano del Sur 7th grade class was pushed to boundaries of their abilities and talents in a new and exciting way with IVECA.

#IVECA #GlobalCitizenship #InterculturalCompetence #GlobalCurriculumIntegration #VirtualExchange #GlobalEducation