I don’t really know where to begin my reflection on Friedman’s book, The world is Flat, since there is just too much critical information (at least in my view) to comment on. In general, the book opened my eyes on what globalization is all about, despite the fact that I have been using the word (globalization) almost everyday but with no concept of its true meaning or at least not the same way Friedman puts it. The ten world flatteners were great eye opener for me first, as an educator and student, and secondly as an individual from a developing country (Kenya). Friedman explains it clearly how technology has played and still plays a critical role in flattening the world. As he puts in a simple language, “the world has been reduced from a large globe to a small flat world”.
I have been thinking more about my country as I read the book and though much of what Friedman talks about is yet to be witnessed, I could not help but identify some recent notable globalization changes already taking place in Kenya. Fiber Optic Cable is only a few months old in Kenya, but it is amazing what companies have been doing in just the last 2 month to take advantage of change in technology. With high speed internet being accessible from most parts of Kenya now, there are a number of Multi-national companies already establishing their companies in Kenya. One of my friends who is working for the government told me just 2 weeks ago that the government has entered into agreement with some European, Asian and Australian companies planning to Outsource some work to Kenya as a move to reduce unemployment of the thousands of university graduates (there are at least twenty thousand university graduates from Kenyan universities annually and only about 10 percent are employed immediately). There are five new international wireless phone companies that have just been approved by the government as a result of the fiber optic cable as well.
Another new phenomenon that seems to be changing the business platforms in Kenya is incorporating the online business mode. The government started a project to assist small businesses comply with the current global business trend by providing subsidized web-hosting and designing services. This will, according to the business spokesman, put small businesses in the global platform. This will be made possible by the newly acquired fast speed internet. I now see why Friedman referred to the world as shifting from vertical to horizontal platform. People as individuals are now more empowered to do whatever they want to do whenever they choose.
I think in education, technology has already brought changes that no one thought possible few years ago, for example online or distance learning tools. My main worry is in the U.S. education system, especially the elementary and high school levels. I believe just like Friedman noted that sciences and math is still the backbone to what make tomorrow’s leaders. I grew up in an education system where math and science are given more emphasis and even instructors teaching these classes are rewarded better. I think based on what I have heard from my fellow students, the U.S. primary education level does not necessarily require everyone to take math and science classes. Actually the trend is sometime evident at the college level, something I deal with often whenever I am counseling my student athletes. I know Friedman mentioned as a closing remark in his speech that leaders must change, but I also think education systems especially elementary and high school level must change and take a second look at math and science.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Future Forces affecting Education
Media-Rich Pervasive Learning
When I first opened Knowledge Works Foundation site I was expecting to see just an information site, but I was surprised by how great of a resource it is, not just for educators, but for everyone. I actually spent hours just looking at the different combination of issues and trends on the map and for the most part of it, I was really impressed and challenged at the same time. It is literally an all inclusive tool that has something for everyone.
In terms of education, I am still learning more about how technology can best be used in education systems as well as other forms of training. Media-Rich Pervasive Learning caught my attention because of my interest in online, distance, web-based, or e-learning evolution. I am currently doing research in online education as perceived by college students and as I read this section I kept asking myself how online learning may never match up to the traditional face-to-face learning. However this map Media-Rich Pervasive Learning claims the possibility of being able to learn any time in any place. Since technology is currently able to provide what is needed to make it happen, it is going to happen, just like we have seen real time video conferencing come to live few years ago, something no one thought possible 15 years ago.
The media that we have according to this trend will be powerful enough to bring live to online or distance education, a factor that still lacks in most of the current online / distance learning environments. According to Knowledge works Foundation, there will be a shift from “the box” (the computer or TV and the screen) to a focus on context—our physical location, the information we can access, and the people to whom we can connect, physically and virtually. The new learning in digitally enriched physical spaces revitalizes kinetic learning and the opportunities for learning through emotion and movement.
In some of the research that have been done on online / distance learning, two of the most common complains from students have been boredom and isolation from the real face-to-face environment (which is usually rich in emotions, feelings, reactions and touch among other special characteristics of a real classroom). Media-Rich Pervasive Learning seem to answer some of the concerns, it may just be a matter of time since all the tools are available. The phone is just one of them!
When I first opened Knowledge Works Foundation site I was expecting to see just an information site, but I was surprised by how great of a resource it is, not just for educators, but for everyone. I actually spent hours just looking at the different combination of issues and trends on the map and for the most part of it, I was really impressed and challenged at the same time. It is literally an all inclusive tool that has something for everyone.
In terms of education, I am still learning more about how technology can best be used in education systems as well as other forms of training. Media-Rich Pervasive Learning caught my attention because of my interest in online, distance, web-based, or e-learning evolution. I am currently doing research in online education as perceived by college students and as I read this section I kept asking myself how online learning may never match up to the traditional face-to-face learning. However this map Media-Rich Pervasive Learning claims the possibility of being able to learn any time in any place. Since technology is currently able to provide what is needed to make it happen, it is going to happen, just like we have seen real time video conferencing come to live few years ago, something no one thought possible 15 years ago.
The media that we have according to this trend will be powerful enough to bring live to online or distance education, a factor that still lacks in most of the current online / distance learning environments. According to Knowledge works Foundation, there will be a shift from “the box” (the computer or TV and the screen) to a focus on context—our physical location, the information we can access, and the people to whom we can connect, physically and virtually. The new learning in digitally enriched physical spaces revitalizes kinetic learning and the opportunities for learning through emotion and movement.
In some of the research that have been done on online / distance learning, two of the most common complains from students have been boredom and isolation from the real face-to-face environment (which is usually rich in emotions, feelings, reactions and touch among other special characteristics of a real classroom). Media-Rich Pervasive Learning seem to answer some of the concerns, it may just be a matter of time since all the tools are available. The phone is just one of them!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Reflection on video conferencing
This is my reflection on the video conferencing tool used by Scott county school system. It is a great tool that could be used across the international borders as well.
You can also click here to access it. My reflection on Video Conferencing
You can also click here to access it. My reflection on Video Conferencing
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Globalization: Kenya Getting Linked to The World
Skype experience: I had heard of Skype a couple of times before, but had never used it until i downloaded it for the this Technology class. I started using the phone feature to call my friends and family-- who are by the way more than 8,000 miles away for fairly cheap rates. Due to Skype reliability and convenience, i have pretty much done away with other long distance phone services i had subscribed to before Skype. The conference feature is really amazing, one can practically hold a bussiness or any other kind of conference call from anywhere. When i used it for this class, i was just experimenting, but wow!!
Back to the conference call: It is really amazing how technology has changed the World. About ten years ago, i often heard leaders especially in my country (Kenya) saying the World was going to be a global village, it did not cross my mind then what they meant. It was not until i started reading Friedman book " The World is Flat" that it started dawning on me that the World was in fact becoming a global village.
I became curious and started skyping to my friends in other countries to see what they thought of technology "leveling" the World. I was particularly surprised by what my friend in Kenya brought to my knowledge. He said Kenya had signed a deal a couple of year back with an Asian fiber optic company to lay cable all the way from Japan under the sea to Kenya and eventually to South Africa. The main reason was to connect Kenya to the rest of the World for business reasons. My friend told me that the cable company was almost done networking all the major cities and towns in Kenya with fiber optic cable, a move that has already started transforming the country.
There has always been a monopoly in media and telecommunication companies in Kenya. However, with fiber optic cable other companies have joined in to share the "pie". The "sharing" according to my friend has proven benefitial to the common man. The rates that used to be extremely high have been lowered significantly due to competition for customers. The quality of services have also improved tremendously.
Let me also share a litte bit about what else is happening in Kenya. Due to the fiber optic project, my friend told me that many international companies are now seeking to do business in Kenya. This is a golden opportunity for many companies looking to reduce their cost of production and maximize on revenue. Why....?
Some quick facts about Kenya:
In Kenya there are at least 20,000 graduates graduating from Kenyan universities annually. Due to the high unemployment rate, less than 20 percent are employed. This number increases every year, and it is becoming more and more competitive even to be considered for an interview. In most cases to improve the chances of getting employed, one has to climb the educational ladder all the way to Ph.D. or Doctorate. It is becoming more common now than ever to see university graduates going all the way. Some of them end up being send through governments labor programs to other countries that may be in need of manpower e.g. teachers, college instructors, nurses or even engineers.
Technology as Friedman acknowledges, has flattened the World beyond anybody's imagination. I am interested to see what the powerful force will do in my neighborhood (Kenya) especially after reading what it did to India.
Technology has created a new World called the "Global Village".
Back to the conference call: It is really amazing how technology has changed the World. About ten years ago, i often heard leaders especially in my country (Kenya) saying the World was going to be a global village, it did not cross my mind then what they meant. It was not until i started reading Friedman book " The World is Flat" that it started dawning on me that the World was in fact becoming a global village.
I became curious and started skyping to my friends in other countries to see what they thought of technology "leveling" the World. I was particularly surprised by what my friend in Kenya brought to my knowledge. He said Kenya had signed a deal a couple of year back with an Asian fiber optic company to lay cable all the way from Japan under the sea to Kenya and eventually to South Africa. The main reason was to connect Kenya to the rest of the World for business reasons. My friend told me that the cable company was almost done networking all the major cities and towns in Kenya with fiber optic cable, a move that has already started transforming the country.
There has always been a monopoly in media and telecommunication companies in Kenya. However, with fiber optic cable other companies have joined in to share the "pie". The "sharing" according to my friend has proven benefitial to the common man. The rates that used to be extremely high have been lowered significantly due to competition for customers. The quality of services have also improved tremendously.
Let me also share a litte bit about what else is happening in Kenya. Due to the fiber optic project, my friend told me that many international companies are now seeking to do business in Kenya. This is a golden opportunity for many companies looking to reduce their cost of production and maximize on revenue. Why....?
Some quick facts about Kenya:
In Kenya there are at least 20,000 graduates graduating from Kenyan universities annually. Due to the high unemployment rate, less than 20 percent are employed. This number increases every year, and it is becoming more and more competitive even to be considered for an interview. In most cases to improve the chances of getting employed, one has to climb the educational ladder all the way to Ph.D. or Doctorate. It is becoming more common now than ever to see university graduates going all the way. Some of them end up being send through governments labor programs to other countries that may be in need of manpower e.g. teachers, college instructors, nurses or even engineers.
Technology as Friedman acknowledges, has flattened the World beyond anybody's imagination. I am interested to see what the powerful force will do in my neighborhood (Kenya) especially after reading what it did to India.
Technology has created a new World called the "Global Village".
Saturday, February 7, 2009
My First Podcast
This podcast is the first review from Dr November's educational podcast series. It was really fun learning how to podcast especially the hard way. I think this will be valuable and may come handy some day.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Fitness training tips
Fitness training is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. Fitness training is not just for professional athletes, but also everyone who cares for his/her health. Here are some few points to consider:
Fitness instructor:
Fitness instructor is an important part of achieving great fitness. There are many fitness instructors available everywhere today either for free or for a fee. When choosing a fitness instructor, you to consider the following crucial points:
• Fitness instructor’s certification or qualification and experience
• Fitness instructor’s location or facility location if you have to commute to the fitness training facility
• You must get approval from your physician if you are starting out, but not necessarily for the seasoned individuals.
• Consider the fitness instructor program to make sure it fits in your schedule
• If you are following a fitness instructor program from home, ensure the program is simple to follow.
• Before you purchase any fitness equipment for home use, seek guidance from your fitness instructor or other experience individuals
• Fitness instructor must be somebody who can motivate and encourage clients especially beginners
• Remember patience, self discipline, hard work and persistence are key factors to success in fitness training.
Remember you don’t have to start with 10 steps, just go one step at a time. If your goal is to loss weight it will surely happen as long as you don’t give up.
It is important that you stay healthy as you train if you are to achieve your goals. Eat right, drink lots of water and sport drinks, and don’t forget your supplements.
Fitness instructor:
Fitness instructor is an important part of achieving great fitness. There are many fitness instructors available everywhere today either for free or for a fee. When choosing a fitness instructor, you to consider the following crucial points:
• Fitness instructor’s certification or qualification and experience
• Fitness instructor’s location or facility location if you have to commute to the fitness training facility
• You must get approval from your physician if you are starting out, but not necessarily for the seasoned individuals.
• Consider the fitness instructor program to make sure it fits in your schedule
• If you are following a fitness instructor program from home, ensure the program is simple to follow.
• Before you purchase any fitness equipment for home use, seek guidance from your fitness instructor or other experience individuals
• Fitness instructor must be somebody who can motivate and encourage clients especially beginners
• Remember patience, self discipline, hard work and persistence are key factors to success in fitness training.
Remember you don’t have to start with 10 steps, just go one step at a time. If your goal is to loss weight it will surely happen as long as you don’t give up.
It is important that you stay healthy as you train if you are to achieve your goals. Eat right, drink lots of water and sport drinks, and don’t forget your supplements.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I was really surprised
As mentioned in my introductory entry below, i am from Kenya and for those who have no idea where Kenya is, i will just say it is in the eastern part of Africa. For those of us who love wild animals and white sand beaches, Kenya would be a good choice. OK, that will do for a quick update in Geography for now. Until this week, i didn't know of the existence of an international body called ISTE that is responsible for setting standards of Educational Technology.
Until i came to the U.S. to go to college which is less than eight years ago, i was not used to computers in the practical sense, ...well, i took a computer class while going to college in Kenya, but it was all theory. Thank God most colleges have since acquired some computers just for those taking computer as their major and a few more for all the students. When i came to the U.S. to go to college, it was really hard trying to learn the basics of a computer let alone using it for my school work. It took me a whole semester trying to figure out how to survive with all my coursework all of which required the use of a computer. As if that was not enough, i took IT as my major hoping to maximize on the opportunity to learn more about a computer as one of the vital technology tools in the educational system. In other words if you don't learn technology when still in college, you are more than like not going to be able to do so after college and consequently, in whatever it is that you plan to do in your career it may prove really challenging, at least in the modern world.
The standards laid down by ISTE are great, but i will frankly say they don't apply in all the countries, or at least not in the Kenyan educational system. There are some learning institutions in Kenya that know technology only in theory. However, some of the private educational institutions have started introducing computer learning as one of the elective courses offered, but one has to pay extra to be enrolled. After the challenges that i went through trying to fit in the U.S. educational system, i decided to put my children in a private primary school where computer learning is offered, at least to be more considerate and responsible as a parent. I know little about the U.S. school systems, but i will consider myself really fortunate to be at ETSU. I think the technology is up to date and i hope as an administrator later when i go back to Kenya, i will visit ISTE site more often now that i am enlightened.
Until i came to the U.S. to go to college which is less than eight years ago, i was not used to computers in the practical sense, ...well, i took a computer class while going to college in Kenya, but it was all theory. Thank God most colleges have since acquired some computers just for those taking computer as their major and a few more for all the students. When i came to the U.S. to go to college, it was really hard trying to learn the basics of a computer let alone using it for my school work. It took me a whole semester trying to figure out how to survive with all my coursework all of which required the use of a computer. As if that was not enough, i took IT as my major hoping to maximize on the opportunity to learn more about a computer as one of the vital technology tools in the educational system. In other words if you don't learn technology when still in college, you are more than like not going to be able to do so after college and consequently, in whatever it is that you plan to do in your career it may prove really challenging, at least in the modern world.
The standards laid down by ISTE are great, but i will frankly say they don't apply in all the countries, or at least not in the Kenyan educational system. There are some learning institutions in Kenya that know technology only in theory. However, some of the private educational institutions have started introducing computer learning as one of the elective courses offered, but one has to pay extra to be enrolled. After the challenges that i went through trying to fit in the U.S. educational system, i decided to put my children in a private primary school where computer learning is offered, at least to be more considerate and responsible as a parent. I know little about the U.S. school systems, but i will consider myself really fortunate to be at ETSU. I think the technology is up to date and i hope as an administrator later when i go back to Kenya, i will visit ISTE site more often now that i am enlightened.
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