I recently started reading Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. I was immediately struck by how connected our world has become. And we are not just connected to the Internet; we’re connected to business, industry, educators, and most importantly – people.

We started the Certificate Program almost 10 years ago by teaching classroom teachers how to use computers. Now we are working with teachers to help them both “use” and “infuse” technology.  As our technology resources and skills advance we are finding that our opportunities to connect with others in this “flat world” are increasing exponentially.  This “flattening of the world” will once again change our program to include issues of globalization and how technology can open up the classroom to global connections. 

Eight years ago my personal technology world consisted of connecting with teachers in Michigan. Three years ago my world expanded to connecting with educators in other states including Nevada where I’ve been working with the Clark County Public Education Foundation and the Clark County School District, the 5th largest school district in the nation. Then 10 months ago my world once again expanded, this time to North Africa after being hired by the U.S. State Department to work with the Algerian Ministry of Education.  For the next two years Michigan State University will be aiding the Ministry in the development of a national technology plan and connecting high schools in Algeria with high schools in the United States. The Ed Tech program has taken the vast changes that have come our way and turned them into opportunities to connect with educators not just in the State of Michigan, or in the U.S. but around the world. 

I encourage you to think about ways that you may challenge yourself and your students to expand your own worlds beyond the classroom and connect with others globally.  Call us today to learn how the Educational Technology Certificate Program can be the first step you take toward meeting that challenge.  Whether you are a teacher, prospective teacher, administrator, alumnus, or simply a person concerned about meeting the educational needs of today’s youth, we invite you to learn more about the program that we’re developing today to better prepare educators and their students for a “flat world”. 

Best Regards,

Joseph Codde
Associate Professor and Director
Educational Technology Certificate Program

Contact us at: 517-432-9259
http://edutech.msu.edu

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 10th, 2005 at 7:39 pm and is filed under Directors' Column. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.