For many Americans, the scenes playing out on our TV screens were all “over there,” in a foreign country thousands of miles away. There was no personal connection to what was unfolding along the shared border of West Germany and East Germany—and especially so for those of us who were students, just beginning to learn about and make sense of the world. We knew only what the news anchors and on-site journalists reported on the evening news—or perhaps what our history and world geography teachers told us in the ensuing days.
Through digital eyes
Imagine if the Berlin Wall had come down in 2010 instead of 1989. Our interpretation and appreciation of the events—particularly if we were students—would likely be dramatically different because the technologies we now use to communicate news and events are no longer limited to television.
- American students would use video conferencing to communicate with their German peers thousands of miles away, learning first-hand of the personal impact that tearing down the Wall would have on their friends, families and daily lives.
- Reactions and emotions from West and East Germans would be posted in real time via Twitter® to their followers all over the world.
- Photos from atop the Wall would be shared with Facebook™ friends seconds after being snapped.
- Videos from vantage points along the border would be recorded on cell phones and later appear on YouTubeSM.
- Blog entries would be posted about what life was like before and after the Wall was built.
People would respond with opinions and comments, creating multi-continent conversations. Introducing those conversation threads into the classroom would serve as a basis for discussions about politics, geography, biases/stereotypes and history. These are the kinds of interactions that students can’t get from a textbook or a teacher. Personal perspectives of those actually living the experience would complement the fact-based reports by journalists covering the story.
For American students, Germany suddenly wouldn’t be such a faraway reunited land—it would be made up of people much like them.
Tearing down walls
When many of us were growing up, the filmstrip projector was perhaps the most high-tech equipment in the classroom. There was no Internet connection—let alone a personal computer—and no way to immediately communicate with our counterparts in Asia, Europe or Africa. We kept up with current events by watching the evening news or reading the daily newspaper. We learned about other cultures from years-old textbooks, field trips to a heritage museum, letters from a faraway pen pal, and interactions with the occasional exchange student.
Today’s children—our future leaders—are experiencing the world in a whole new way, and are learning how to respect, understand and interact within a more culturally, politically and economically diverse world, thanks to technologies that connect them to others inside and outside their classroom.
Just as cranes tore down the Berlin Wall, technology is tearing down the walls lined with bulletin boards and chalkboards within which learning was traditionally contained. Here’s how technologies are being used in the classroom to bring global issues and people a bit closer:
- In the United States and Palestinian territories, students share their first-hand experiences with cultural conflict through blogs, videos, online discussion boards and other technologies. Each side learns about human rights based on real experiences, and broadens their ability to think more critically and inclusively.
- College students in South Carolina and Ecuador link up via video conference to expand on textbook theory about globalization. Over the course of the semester, they discuss events that occur throughout the world, and the political and economic ramifications on affected countries.
- Elementary school students in Kansas and Hong Kong research aspects of rainforests, then create a variety of artwork about what they learned. They exchange the artwork, and each school creates a mural using the other school’s art pieces. Photographs of the murals are sent via the Internet to the original school to see how they interpreted and learned from each other.
Technology may be a way of life for children of all ages, but using it as an educational tool is having an impact on the way students learn, and in how they interpret the world. Students learn how to collaborate and communicate effectively via these technologies for reasons other than social networking. They develop long-distance friendships. They reconsider any biases or stereotypes they may have held about their peers. In the process, they also gain a better understanding of how interconnected we all are, and what it means to be culturally, politically and environmentally aware citizens, ready to manage the opportunities and challenges that affect everyone, regardless of where they live.
References
Possibilities for 21st century education. (2008, August).
Martin, P. (2005, February 24). Calling Quito: Teaching globalization in a global classroom. The Globalist.
Gibson, K., Rimmington, G.M. & Landwehr-Brown, M. (2008, January-March). Developing global awareness and responsible world citizenship with global learning.
The Berlin Wall falls 1989: NBC coverage part 1. (1989, November 9). NBC News.
A crack in the Berlin Wall. (1989, November 10). ABC News.
Klein, J.D. (2010, August 30). When you can’t bring your classroom to the world, bring the world into your classroom. Youth Media Reporter.
Facebook is a trademark of Facebook Inc.
Twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc.
YouTube is a trademark of Google Inc.
