Globalization and Its Impact on Education - Essay Example

Name Tutor Course Date Introduction Education has become an important aspect in the people’s lives as it offers them the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake various careers and jobs. This is more so in a world that is increasingly changing as a result of globalization. The world has changed becoming more integrated with people, goods, services, and cultures being moved from one part to the other within limited time (Hylland 121). This is a result of the development better transportation methods and information communication technology that have contributed greatly to the growth of globalization by enabling people to communicate and conduct business and meetings as if they are all in one location yet they are long distances apart. Globalization has resulted in extreme changes in the ways things are being done right from education to the social, economic, technologic, and cultural aspects of life. As a student, globalization has made an impact on my education as I have to utilize information communication technologies in my education. Information communication technologies are increasingly being used in teaching as lessons are being taught through the use of such technologies as PowerPoint presentations, and online forums and discussions means as compared to the more traditional classroom setting. In addition, assignments are handed in as soft copies that are uploaded to a web designed system for marking. In addition, there are examinations that are done online without necessarily going to class to do them under the supervision of your instructor. As such, there are several challenges that globalization poses to education in my context. Below is a discussion of two of these challenges. The global economy Globalization has resulted in the creation of a global economy where countries, organizations, and people are able to trade with one another. It has resulted in the creation of a global economy characterized by regional and international trade, global financial markets, multinational companies, internalization of production, and international economic and financial institutions. Trade is carried out on a global scale as companies gear towards producing goods and services that are appropriate for use to all consumers irrespective of their location in the world (Kofman and Gillian 34). There has been a huge adoption of the capitalistic form of economic organization in most countries resulting in many countries sharing similar economic ideologies and practices which lead to better trade relations. In addition, most countries have abolished most of the trade restrictions that existed in the past so as to foster better trade relations. The global economy has resulted in a change in the approach in education due to the various new concepts that it has created (Spring 78-9). There has been a need to adopt new strategies within the education sector address the various demands that the global economy has created. Curriculum developers have come up with additional courses that are aimed at equipping students with the relevant knowledge of how the global economy operates. The global economy has resulted in the need of developing students that have certain skills and knowledge so as to be active participants in the global economy which is ever changing. The global economy has resulted in the provision of new products and services that have changed the way education is transmitted making it easier for students to learn and interact with one another and with their instructors. Goods and services that were not available for students and instructors are now available for use in the classroom enabling students to adopt a more participatory role in the learning process. An important aspect of the global economy with regards to education is the development of the knowledge economy concept. There has been a recent trend within the global economy whereby it is driven by the application of ideas instead of the earlier perception of using only physical abilities. In addition, there is a more reliance on the use of technology in the production process rather than using human labor (Christie 121). In order to fit in this kind of economy, students need to be aware of the underlying workings of the knowledge economy so as to become effective players in such an economy. This requires changes in both the formal and informal approaches to education so that students are able to better understand how the global economy works. Due to the dynamic nature of the global economy and the knowledge economy, students need to engage in a lifelong learning process as they will be required to continually acquire new skills and knowledge so as to participate in the global economy in a competitive manner. Participative culture Information communication technologies are one of the major reasons that globalization has increasingly become more pronounced in today’s world. The growth of the internet resulted in people being able to conduct business with one another despite what time it was in their home countries and the distance between them. It led to the increase in multinational companies as the parent company could communicate with its other smaller companies in different parts of the world in real time and effect various business wide decisions. The development of globalization resulted in the further growth of information communication technology especially the internet. This has resulted in a new form of media that has many applications and features that are applicable within the education sector. As more and more people are able to access the internet, they have been able to create various websites that they use to pass on knowledge on various issues and activities that interest them. This is more the case for students who are increasingly having access to computers and the internet and are able to take part in the creation and subsequent interaction in these applications. This new media encompasses social networking sites, blogs, podcasts, and official websites for various organizations that are involved in such activities as conservation, rights activism, advocacy, user sensitization, and public education (Black 67). With the access to a computer and the internet, students are able to participate in this new online through four main ways. The first is through creating their websites and online communities that contain informative activities related to their areas to interests in education such as fictional writing, mash-ups, digital sampling, and video making. This is more so the case as more students are being able to acquire their own personal computers without having to rely on those provided by their schools or local libraries. Secondly, Students could also become affiliated with such websites through membership which in most cases is free. Through membership, they can join and participate in various online communities that are of interest to them such as social networking sites which include Facebook, MySpace, Classmates, Flickr, and Tagged. The third way is through working through collaborative problem solving sites such as online encyclopedias like wikipedia that contain articles on various subjects. The fourth way is through participating in circulative online communities such as blogs and podcasts. Participating in these activities provides students with avenues of learning, and engaging in creative expression that allow them to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for the job market. Why these two challenges are significant to my context The global economy The global economy is significant to my context because of the role that it is playing in instituting changes in the education sector. It has now become compulsory for all students to acquire computer skills because of the increasing use of information communication technologies in the running of the global economy. Most of the activities carried out within the global economy have a huge reliance on the internet and other computer based technologies to increase the speed and efficiency at which they are done (Kofman and Gillian 102). Most of the transactions carried out in international trade do not involve a lot of paper work as it was the case twenty years ago. The use of electronic mail has become the main method of communication between business executives. Most documents used are also in electronic form which helps in ensuring their safety and easy accessibility from whatever location one could be at as long as there is an internet connection available. As such as a student, I need to be able to use the various information communication technologies that are used in enabling communication among the players within the global economy. As a result of the global economy, there are now numerous goods and services that are now available to me as a student. Most of the computers, laptops, projectors, and other supportive materials are usually imported into Australia as they are produced in other countries. These are products that have become an important part of education as their reliance in making education more participative has increased over the recent ten years. Most students are now able to access these products and hence the need to be able to use them effectively to facilitate better learning. The reliance of information communication technologies especially internet has resulted in the need for specialists in this area who are able to ensure that the various organizations using these technologies are able to do so appropriately (Marcelo and Desirée 67). This has resulted in the creation of new specialized disciplines and courses that are geared at equipping students with the necessary skills to operate and maintain the various technologies that an organization could be using. Such disciplines as information technology, computer networks, database administration, computer security, and end user applications development have now become increasingly important as organizations aim at hiring the best individuals with these skills and knowledge base (Hugh 89-91). The knowledge economy has resulted in the application of ideas instead of the earlier perception of using only physical abilities. This plays an important role in changing the approach to education from teaching students to use physical abilities to teaching them to use more of their intellectual capabilities. The traditional approach has placed more emphasis on the acquisition of manual skills and knowledge that will enable the students to work in labor-intensive careers. Conversely, the knowledge economy requires individuals who are able to develop new and novel ideas and concepts that will be used in producing new goods and services. In addition, the knowledge economy requires students to rely more on science and technology concepts in the production of goods and services which requires them to acquire additional knowledge. Participative culture The new media that has been created by information communication technology is an important avenue for learning and which I need to utilize more and more. Students who have had exposure to these forms of online communities are able to interact better in class and participate more as they are already aware of how they work. Since they have already joined them before some of us, they are ahead of the other students as they already know a lot of things as a result of their participation in these communities. These are students who from an early age have access to a wide range of knowledge that is available in these online communities enabling them to inform in various areas of interest. Most of these online communities allow a participatory environment where people get involved in discussions and share ideas with one another in a manner that does not involve any kind of reprimanding for incorrect information. Instead, one is corrected by others who are well versed in that area or topic hence fostering interactive learning. Moreover, studies have shown that these forms of participatory cultures characterize best learning environments as participants are able to actively engage in the activities carried out in those online communities. This is much the case since the students are able to overcome the barriers of age, gender, educational level, and class that could hinder them in a normal classroom setting to interact openly fostering effective learning (Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robinson and Weigel 45). Such learning environments, also known as affinity spaces, are usually productive as they allow students to participate in the learning process based on their present level of skills and interests without feeling looked down upon since these communities offer peer-to-peer learning experiences (Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robinson and Weigel 101). This allows the participants to become motivated to obtain new knowledge and skills. As such, students who are able to participate in such online forums are in a better position as compared to students who do not participate in these forums or are unable to have access to such forums. These online communities offer students with an informal learning experience that is normally experimental as opposed to the traditional formal learning experience that is normally conservative. These communities offer students an innovative avenue of learning which is able to respond to the needs of the students at a much faster pace than the formal classroom setting. They are open forums that students can join and leave at will as well as provide students with localized content that is better appealing to them making them more appealing to students as compared to the formal classroom (Bruce 201). Ways of addressing these challenges In order to address the participative culture challenge, there is a need for schools and the governments to undertake in ensuring the participation gap between students with access to online content and communities and those who do not have access is decreased. This calls for great investments in providing students with access to computers and internet coverage so that they are able to participate in these online communities like the rest of the students. Access is a major success factor for students to be able to enjoy the benefits of these participatory learning environments and should be a major reform initiative among schools and state governments. Schools also need to encompass new media literacies that will enable them to offer programs that will enable students with the social skills to interact and participate in these online communities effectively. This is because these online communities usually involve a lot of community involvement where people get to interact with lost of people from different walks of life and from different age groups, gender and social class (Klas and Ilan 19). It is therefore important that students are equipped with the best social skills so that they are able to profit from these social media. In order to address the challenges posed by the global economy, there is need to develop new courses that are integrated into the main curriculum to equip students with skills needed to work with the information and communication technologies used by various organizations within the global economy. This is important as it will equip them with right skills that are necessary to gain employment and make them productive members of society. Some of the main courses involving computer and internet studies need to be added to all disciplines so that all students acquire the basic skills to enable them work in a global economy (Hugh 145-7). There is also need to develop a curriculum that focuses on entrepreneurial skills rather than on the traditional labor intensive curriculum. This will equip students with the skills to develop novel ideas needed ion the knowledge economy that characterizes today’s global economy. There should also be a lot of emphasis on technical courses that will provide students with the adequate technological base required for working in the knowledge economy. Conclusion Globalization has resulted in extreme changes in the ways things are being done right from education to the social, economic, technologic, and cultural aspects of life. The two challenges that I have faced in my education context as a result of globalization are the global economy and a participative culture. The global economy has resulted in a change in the approach in education due to the various new concepts that it has created. The participative culture has resulted as a result of a creation of social media that has many applications and features that are applicable within the education sector. The global economy is significant to my context because of the role that it is playing in instituting changes in the education sector. It has now become compulsory for all students to acquire computer skills because of the increasing use of information communication technologies in the running of the global economy. The new media that has been created by information communication technology is an important avenue for learning and which I need to utilize more and more. Students who have had exposure to these forms of online communities are able to interact better in class and participate more as they are already aware of how they work. In order to address the participative culture challenge, there is a need for schools and the governments to undertake in ensuring the participation gap between students with access to online content and communities and those who do not have access is decreased. In order to address the challenges posed by the global economy, there is need to develop new courses that are integrated into the main curriculum to equip students with skills needed to work with the information and communication technologies used by various organizations within the global economy. Works Cited Black, R.W. Access and Affiliation: The Literacy and Composition Practices of English Language Learners in an Online Fan fiction Community. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 2005, 49 (2): 118-128. Bruce, B. Diversity and Critical Social Engagement: How Changing Technologies Enable New Modes of Literacy in Changing Circumstances. In Adolescents and Literacies in a Digital World, ed. D. E. Alvermann. New York: Peter Lang, 2002. Christie, P. Globalization, the ‘knowledge economy’ and education. Opening the Doors of Learning: Changing schools in South Africa. Johannesburg: Heinemann, 2008, pp. 41-71. Hugh, L. Education, globalization, and social change. Sidney: Oxford University Press, 2006. Hylland, T. Globalization: the key concepts. New York: Berg Publishers, 2007. Jenkins, H., Clinton K., Purushotma, R., Robinson, A.J., and Weigel, M. Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Chicago, IL: The MacArthur Foundation, 2006. Klas, R., and Ilan, G. Education in the era of globalization. London: Springer, 2007. Kofman, E., and Gillian, Globalization: theory and practice. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003. Marcelo, M. and Desirée, Q. Globalization: culture and education in the new millennium. Berkeley, Ca: University of California Press, 2004. Spring, H. Globalization of education: an introduction. Sidney: Taylor & Francis, 2008. Read More