Title: The global classroom - a trick or a treat?

Authors: Lara Stefansdottir

Addresses: HMenntaskolinn a Akureyri (The Junior High School at Akureyri), Eyrarlandsvegi 28, 600 Akureyri, Iceland

Abstract: The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in Iceland published a policy on Information Affairs (1996-1999) [1]. In this article, I will focus on that policy, and look at what it means for classrooms in Iceland, focusing on internet projects and activities. It is not enough to look at a policy as a static document; one must also consider the experience of working online with people from different cultures. People who may speak different languages and countries where words can have so different a meaning that what offends one person might be appropriate for another. As an example of an online project, the Kidlink project will be used. How much are our teachers prepared to include online activities in the classroom and how can they be encouraged to do so? Questions raised in the article are: whether online activity will lead to all cultures becoming more alike or if it will lead to us understanding each other better; and will we learn ||better|| than before, ||more|| than before or ||differently||?

Keywords: internet; education; IT policy; communication online; culture.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2001.000405

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2001 Vol.11 No.4/5/6, pp.356-364

Published online: 16 Jul 2003 *

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