Globalization: What does it mean to you?

Erich B. Coppersmith

What is globalization? Well that would depend on who you talk to. Some people would say that it is about world markets merging. Some might say that it is the shrinking of the globe by the speed of communication. While there still are others that would say that it is the blurring of the cultural lines among nations. Globalization could indeed be any and all of these things. The term has taken on many meanings to different people.

Some people blame globalization for the loss of jobs due to outsourcing while others rejoice at the new found employment opportunities brought to them.

 While some people  become mobilized to stand guard against the rising tide of globalization in fear that it will erode their national  identities as borders are blurred; others will look upon the new found wealth of culture available to them.

The point here is that the world is full of people, many different kinds of people and the resources available should be available to everyone. We have the technology now to monitor and distribute vast quantities of data and goods to all corners of the globe. In order for the world to become a more fair and equitable place we must use these tools to their best advantage.

I propose a new concept in Globalization. Education needs to graduate to the next level. I envision a whole new way to teach and learn. A “Global Education”  consisting of top of the line ,completely scalable and upgradable digital classrooms for the 21^st century.  If teachers and students have the very best equipment available to them at all times in all classrooms a transparency is created that students will encounter when they go out into the world of the modern job seeker.

 The actual world and everything in it is becoming more and more intertwined in its  virtual counterpart. This needs to be considered if future students are to be expected to make a seamless move into the modern job market. Theses aforementioned considerations should not be limited to post-secondary education. These ideas should be implemented all across the board, from primary education all the way up to create a 21^st century baseline equality in education. I believe that with these elements in place colleges will become more free to offer even more specialized programs, which would in turn create more demand for educators in the post secondary sector.

 Everyone in today’s world can see that through technology and communication the world is getting smaller and much more easily accessible. As time goes by we see small steps toward more truth in world history, not just the wildly varying and overtly nationalist views that we currently find. So why not take education to the next level?  Our constantly expanding world view and broader perspective on world history  needs to be incorporated into educational curriculum, as well as daily life. We must , as a nation turn out global citizens in order to be truly competitive in the next century. A large number of American graduates, particularly those from expensive, private academies can find the “real world” quite overwhelming compared to what school actually prepared them for. Anyone who has been on a fabulous vacation or trip knows the value of being exposed to other cultures and customs. This is a must for American children in particular who often do not have a very strong understanding of the world’s cultural geography With the implementation of a digital education on a global scale students of all ages in all locations on the planet would have access to a standardized , high quality education that could be started, stopped and resumed anywhere at anytime. This is my vision of what Globalization could mean.