Something to Get You Thinking

In preparation for my Journey Grant, I've been searching the web for articles, videos, books, whatever I can get my hands on that pertains to globalization and education.  There are interesting videos you can find on YouTube if you're interested in the pros and cons of globalization, globalization and education, or even just globalization. 

While perusing through the worldwide web, I was on ASCD's website and I found an interesting chapter from a book (side note:  if you're a teacher or just someone who is interested in education, you should look into becoming an ASCD member--they have some really interesting things accessible for educators).  This book, titled World Class Education by Vivien Stewart, has a chapter titled "Globalization and Education" (pretty pertinent, right?).  This chapter has some great information that you should read before I start my expedition into epics.

Firstly, Stewart talks about what globalization is.  She discusses how the world has shrunk, or in Thomas Friedman's words, "became flat" due to globalization.  She tells readers:

"Friedman's book described how technology and the fall of trade barriers have led to the integration of markets and nations, and enabled individuals, companies, and nation-states to reach around the world faster and cheaper than ever before. We see evidence of this interconnectedness in our lives every day—from the food we eat to the coffee we drink to the clothes we wear. Sports teams recruit talent from around the globe, and the iPhones we use to communicate are manufactured in more than 19 different countries."

There's how globalization has taken us over, folks.  There's nothing we can do to stop it from happening, and she goes on to discuss how this phenomenon has influenced education.  In the chapter, she talks about the growing global talent pool, the challenge from Asia, how the U.S. fails world standards of excellency and equity, comparison between U.S. students and other industrialized countries, what we can learn from having an international comparison is, the high cost of low educational outcomes, and the growing need for the U.S. to become a world-class. 

I know this post is long, but I think Stewart's chapter is an interesting read.  It'll get your brain juices flowing and allow for you to ponder education and globalization before I discuss why we need to teach epics in the classroom when our world is flat.

The link to Stewart's chapter is http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/111016/chapters/Globalization-and-Education.aspx

GO READ IT!

Signing off,

Cassy

What is this??

What in the world is this blog?  That's the question probably going through your mind as you check this page out.  Well, let me fill you in, folks.  This blog is made by yours truly.  I'm a junior (almost a senior, AH!) at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.  I'm studying English and Secondary Education and I play on the women's basketball team here.  This little liberal arts college has recently allowed students to take part in what they call a Journey Grant.  Essentially, students are allowed a grant to enhance their educational experience.  For my Journey Grant, I decided to do what I titled Epic Research over epics, globalization, and the classroom (epic can be a pretty punny word).  This blog is going to encompass what I'm doing with my Journey Grant.  I could have traveled Europe, studied in some fancy library across the country, but I chose to do this at Jewell.  I'll begin blogging at the beginning of June (I know, you're going to be waiting a little while).  I'll blog every week (or more if you cross your fingers) over a different epic.  The list includes The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Beowulf, The Divine Comedy, The Canterbury Tales, and Paradise Lost.  Blogs will consist of a discussion over each epic and how they fit into the classroom today.  Our world is ever-shrinking because of a thing called globalization.  Globalization is making it to where a student in Missouri can Skype with a teacher in Spain and have lessons over Spanish.  The essential question I'll be getting at is why teach these ancient texts in our globalized world?  What do they have to offer to students of the 21st century?  So, I'll leave you for a month so you can get excited and anxious about my blogs. 
Until then,

Cassy