Class Seven: Globalization

Three major concepts arose from this class.
Globalization is a phenomenon which deserves close scrutiny. It is a term fraught with difficulty, and is easily dichotomized into a positive/negative split. Globalization in the classroom is opposed by localism. Do we teach the world? Or do we teach “our own backyard.” Problems of globalization include the breaking down of borders, the potential disappearance of local cultures as “stronger” cultures take over. Today that means American culture. In education, globalization is evidenced in online universities and courses. The autonomy of the university as being grounded in a “sense of place” is challenged. The entrepreneurial aspect of education takes over from the academic. This negative side of globalization is expressed in phrases such as “the McDonaldisation of society, ” a term which is relatively self explanatory


The second paper was grounded in three simply and provocative questions.
Does the web make learning more accessible? Does it improved learning? Does it reduce cost? It may well be that the answer to each of these questions is “No.” In spite of evidence to the contrary, the common perception is to answer “yes.”

AT THIS POINT, I NEED HELP. I LOST THE REFERENCE THAT SUGGESTED THE OPTIMUM CLASS SIZE FOR AN ONLINE COURSE IS ABOUT 20. CAN ANYONE HELP ME?

To conclude the class, a portion of the video series Nerds 2.0: A history of the internet was screened. Most interesting perhaps, was the overarching theme of entrepreneurship. The raison d’etre of the internet seems to be to make money and become rich. And to be a millionaire is not enough. One starts counting at the billionaire level. This stands in stark contrast to the idea the the internet is something useful and needed for education, for pedagogy, and to enhance our culture.

To review. What are the three concepts covered in class: (1) globalization. (2) Key questions to ask re the educative value of the web: accessibility, learning, cost. (3) focus of the internet, as per the video, is metaphor #3 in the survey question, ie. to make money...the web as marketplace.