Global Education Network

Global Education Network is very important and beneficial for all people in the world. With technology, we can gather around a screen in a small town and connect with a classroom in cities all over the world. Instead of just sending information out about a holiday, custom, or community that child in our classroom experience, we can have an exchange and receive information back in return about cultural practices, customs, and communities other children experience around the world. Technology in the delivery of education worldwide is very necessary to be used. Focusing on developing countries, technology can be instrumental in creating global learning experiences because technology has the power to breakdown geographical, economical, language, and time-zone. Technology also allows for a two-way street. There are barriers associated with technology acquisition and use, no matter what the intended purpose. There are unquestionably endless possibilities associated with technology. Many initiatives, as noted above, exist and will ultimately provide educational opportunities to tens of millions of people. The resulting information, knowledge and economic development are positive benefits. These initiatives reflect a political, cultural and economic will on the part of participating institutions and individuals. Educators in developing countries face several challenges in access to staff development. Long distance/high cost travel, visa acquisition, and prohibitive professional journal costs present insurmountable difficulties. Nowadays, children need new skill sets in order to communicate and collaborate and to work and play together. We should utilize it as an opportunity to engage young children in an ongoing exploration of the world. By creating global learning experiences, early childhood teachers have the ability to expose children to concepts of diversity, multiculturalism, and multilingualism at an early age. This type of early exposure can make issues of equity and equality, as well as global understanding, accessible and relevant to children and hopefully less of a struggle to understand and practice as they grow into adults. A significant benefit to instant global communications is that students can improve their language skills through student-to-student conversations regardless of where they live.  The introduction of Peer-to-Peer video conferencing using devices students are familiar with can increase personal interaction. And it can be accomplished from anywhere – opening the world to students who do not have the time or resources to travel. A contact network can help students to develop business leads, find new job opportunities, and increase their knowledge of other countries and cultures.