Monday, May 4, 2009

Introduction to the Blog



The first decade of the 21st century is likely (among other things) to be remembered when the west at least recognized that the word "global" referred to more than a pretty looking sphere that we occasionally touched and spun around in the comfort of our libraries.

The arguments to include a serious global dimension in the curriculum are becoming stronger with every month that passes. The "fear factor" is of course driving much of this interest ever since 9/11 --we have added to our collective sense of global insecurity--including flu pandemics, global warming and in addition to terrorism we now have of course a global financial meltdown. There is a danger in all this that in responding to the need to better prepare our students with a wider vision of the world they will inherit, that we maybe giving a negative tilt to the entire enterprise. How do we help our students think more positively about their global future--in terms of the new opportunities globalization presents? I will be blogging more about this topic and I also want to discuss the responsibilities we owe to each other when almost 40% are living on $2.00a day while many of us tweet, text and email each other using a device (that if monetized in terms of unit cost and internet service) would feed a village for more than a few weeks. At any rate much to talk about and welcome to the blog!