teaching Scout

I was recently presenting for my class on the issue of Sustainability and Scottish Education. Before that, I had to create a portfolio for a class on Sustainability.

Also recently, I have been looking at this whole web 2.0 concept and also the school 2.0 concept, and feel that for the large part I am only starting to catch up with all that has been going on. Although, I feel that the two link together (sustainability and web 2.0 etc) quite substantially. In-fact, they are inextricably linked. Everybody seems to be talking about the fantastic opportunities web2.0 is giving us. Us? The third of people in the world who have access to a computer? In fact, I think the statistic is that less than a third of the worlds population have access to a phone. I understand that web2.0 has the potential to improve the situation for everyone.  Michael Welch, the guy behind the video (that I was probably the last to see) also recognises this:

“So if there is a global village, it is not a very equitable one, and if there is a tragedy of our times, it may be that we are all interconnected but we fail to see it and take care of our relationships with others. For me, the ultimate promise of digital technology is that it might enable us to truly see one another once again and all the ways we are interconnected. It might help us create a truly global view that can spark the kind of empathy we need to create a better world for all of humankind. I’m not being overly utopian and naively saying that the Web will make this happen.”

But do the majority recognise this? Though the real question on my mind is what are we really doing to create this ’spark’? The potential is there, though as of yet I have not seen any thing with true purpose as to increasing a  global sustainable awareness through new technology. It literally seems a bit self centred (in structure). I do credit that a lot of people are doing a lot of good things for creating sustainable schools and communities. We are in the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development aren’t we? I see the $100 dollar laptop project doing fantastic stuff (though it makes me wonder about priorities). I see that everyone is going along this whole new technology idea with the right intentions. But I wonder what is happening? I wonder if we keep going down the route of ‘the next better thing for ourselves’ we will create an even greater divide with those who clearly don’t have the same opportunities.

No one person can change the world but is there a real common focus on doing so within Education? I guess when I start teaching in August, my answer may be that I can only do the best in my own classroom -  I can only educate the pupils I see on a daily basis. I wonder though, is it only because I am not a teacher yet and don’t fully understand the realities of teaching life that I am questioning this perspective?