Analyzing Forces of Change in Shing New Learning - Literature review Example

nаlysing fоrсеs оf сhаngе in shарing nеw lеаrning Name: Institution: Аnаlysing fоrсеs оf сhаngе in shарing nеw lеаrning Introduction The term globalization was first applied in the sector of economy. However, the process of globalization has also affected the social, cultural, economic and technological aspects of societies. Globalization has been perceived as a basic concept in directing the social, cultural and economic policies. Dreiser (2009, p. 44) points out that globalization has a close linked to education. Kalantzis, & Cope (2012, p. 39) argues that because education is significant in shaping societies, it should be connected with globalization, and it should impact on the education sector. This essay will discuss the forces of change in relation to new tools of learning and globalization. Consequently, the coexistence among individuals with different desires and needs have led to the need for interaction, particularly in the environment characterized by different cultures and personalities. Globalization has necessitated the need for efficient communication strategies, and education sector is not an exception. The globalization process has encouraged closer social, economic and political interaction. Moreover, globalization is necessitated by the fact the national and distance borders no longer matter, the ease with which customers interact with businesses across the globe can occur easily and the geography and nation state are no longer important for economic reasons. While benefit and opportunities are emphasized by both supporters and proponents, there is a growing disillusionment among economists and policy-makers about the costs as well as risks involved (Spring, 2008, p. 330). Globalization is contributing to enhanced focus on internationalization of the educational curriculum. It further contributes to various opportunities for partnership in teaching, learning and research with institutions and agencies across the globe. Globalization remains one of the powerful forces responsible for transforming the basis of competition in the business world. Communities of practice make it possible for organizations not only to build and share but also apply the competence required to compete favorably in the global economy. Economic, cultural and social values have led to new challenges. Therefore, with globalization, various changes are expected in the education sector, as the traditional structure has to be done away with. Learners are both partners and customers of the provided sources in the learning process. Learners in judging their experience in education might perceive its quality in terms of what it provides. In most cases, they might end up overlooking time taken to study the material or learn. Therefore, it is important for the emphasis of the learning systems to focus on the future, and learners should have an idea of how globalization will change it. Furthermore, the focus should be on both global and local society. Learners of education expect the learning system to be aware of exigencies, opportunities and circumstances in both. Moreover, learners need not only preparation but also practice towards lifelong learning that include self-directed learning and continuous learning, which are mandatory in the global and ever changing technological world (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012, p. 39). Moreover, globalization of learning process is perceived as a paradox and not a paradigm. Many challenges emerged in the education sector due to globalization of learning. While the globalization of education/learning not only makes the spreading and using of skills and knowledge easier, it also contributes to individualization of messages. Therefore, the mentioned aspect of learning occurs rapidly and gains significance for individuals to obtain knowledge on the basis of their learning speed in the globalised world. Furthermore Meister and Willyerd (2010, p. 57) points out that new technologies have made it possible for the people to communicate easily across the globe. For example, advancement of the electronic systems have enhanced instant delivery of information a required. Additionally, huge storage capacities of CD-ROM can offer continuous layers of information on various subjects, and when used for instruction purposes, they cannot only remediate but also provide assessment. All the mentioned gives artists, writers, instructional systems developers and technical communicators various alternatives for presenting information (Kell, Vialle, Konza and Vogyl, 2008, p. 46). According to Halsey, Lauder, Brown and Stuart Wells (1997, p. 78), the development of distance education provides the easiest and fastest entry into the transnational educational projects. New technologies carries it across borders, and it can be provided cheaply on the transactional basis compared to other forms of education. The benefits of this areas are similar to those of television and film sector. It is possible to develop courses for a particular market, hence control the costs. Moreover, with minimal investment, it is possible to offer the same courses in other nations. Therefore, it is not surprising that distance education is being recommended as a form of education in the globalised world (Tondeur, Van Braak, & Valcke, 2007, p. 968). It is evident that with globalization concept, new values and attitudes are coming into action. People are required to learn new concepts and adapt their ways of life to match the technological world. Each nation makes new regulations with an aim of educating learners according to the demands of the global world. For example, Dreiser (2009, p. 41) remarks that internationalization has made Japan to make an international contribution not only in education but also research that will math its increasing economic power and expanding nature of scientific research. By carrying out vigorous education as well as research activities in accordance with progress in the scientific research, learners will be prepared to meet the challenges of the globalised world. In the modern world, the rate at which the education sector changes has remained unabated. The implication of the e-learning due to globalization is that teaching and learning have been moved to desktop, whereby teaching as well as learning occur in virtual classes through the use of various synchronous tools. As the e-learning technologies grow, and become more advanced, it became possible for learning to be customized easily according to the learners needs. Meister and Willyerd (2010, p. 47 ) there are various technologies that enable threaded chat room, discussion groups, meeting tools in addition to various technological software that are adapted in e-learning. The introduction as well as the vital roles, which technologies have played across the globe in an attempt to connect different spaces and people are at unprecedented levels. Therefore, in the education sector, various pedagogical approaches have been adopted with the changing technological advances as required by the increasing demands of education such as influx of students across the globe. The mentioned have created pressure on the demands on technology not only to deliver but also come up with more efficient approaches and methods to information approaches and dissemination that are user friendly, and convenient to learners. In regard of the mentioned, the online distance learning has become popular, and it is the best option to reach learners across the globe. This is one areas where technology has been useful in the education sector. This is because without technology, no meaning communication would be realized between lecturers and learners. The effects of telecommunication boom in the education sector has been changing in the recent times. The unprecedented changes in the technological sector are not only linked but also commensurate with other economic and social changes. The mentioned has led to increased demand for education and training to cater for increasing demand for knowledge society and knowledge economy. The mentioned has made distance learning to develop, change and represent both the mode of communication and learning, where the learner is not required to travel long distance to attend lectures. However, it is important to note that the mentioned is only possible if there is appropriate resources, infrastructure and ICT apparatus in place to ensure effective communication between learners and lecturers. E-learning has helped in such cases where the tutor and the learner have to interact through technology. Plomp (2013, p. 337) argues that with growth of globalization, there has been both dire need as well as urge among individuals to improve their knowledge and skills in the face of competitive job market in addition to general environment, resulting into many people enrolling for different courses in order to develop their skills. Therefore, people are forced to combine work and learning. However, there is a dilemma how people could work and learn simultaneously. The best option for many is to enroll for distance education programs where communication could facilitate easily communication between them and their respective institutions. Additionally, Dreiser (2009, p. 48) for cyber enthusiasts, the new technologies have enhanced their choices. It is argued that the existence of myriad of information technologies have enabled cyber-enthusiasts to use available alternatives to improve their skills. The same is available for individuals who wants to improve their knowledge and skills by enrolling for tertiary courses. On the other hand,for learners attending full-time lectures, use of modern technologies have improved their comprehension of different concepts as the utilization of communication tools like chat-rooms, blogs, wikis, discussion forums and podcasts have made the student population to be more interested as teaching and learning change and become more luxurious. Discussion forums, chat-rooms, as well as e-conferencing has provided an excellent forum whereby international activities are not only enhanced but also promoted while at the same time individuals share ideas on different topics and issues. In the communication sector, pedagogy facilitates effective communication better the tutor and the learner. This is because it involves the method that the tutor applies in disseminating information. The emerging technological innovations has made educationists to examine and explore the possibility of using different social utilities for not only educational purposes but also research. Use of ICT in the educational sector has contributed to good results, exciting learning and reduced work for tutors (Dreiser, 2009, p. 47). There is no doubt that education is the highly ranked sector of nation-states and it plays a significant role in not only preparing but also shaping the future of children in an increasing globalised world. In most cases, a lot of resources is allocated to the education sector because of its importance to the country's economy. To attain the goals of education, in traditional sense, most nations developed their education policies on what they perceived as important to the nation and not to the world. In other words, in the past, educational policy remained a national affair. Nonetheless, with increasing globalization, education has changed and become an international affair. It plays an important role in the global economy by investing in people, knowledge and skills. Plomp (2013, p. 339) argues that education policy is mainly internationalized because of dominance of the global economy. Therefore, it is evident that presently, education policy is not only formed but also implemented on the global context. In most global contexts, education policy of nation-states have focused on improving the global competitiveness. According to Plomp (2013, p. 340), nations states have recognized the importance of creating education policies that will ensure that they competitive economically with other nations. Furthermore, nations have increasingly become competitive by improving the productivity of their labor force. The mentioned can only be attained introducing new educational programs, policies and reforms that will enable learners to compete effectively in the global labor market. Conclusion Globalization is defined as a continuous process of political, economic and social concept. It is widely spread because of emerging technologies. It is a phenomenon that is increasingly changing the world, including all aspects of not only production and distribution but also business processes. Therefore, as the store of knowledge and skills expand all over the world, it is important to develop new learning strategies. This is because globalization contributes to a new life to individuals, and learners are expected to evaluate world events in a holistic approach. Furthermore, globalization enhances the ability of learners to manipulate symbols, hence focus on abstract concepts. Learners also enhance their ability to acquire as well as utilize their knowledge. Globalization further encourages teamwork among learners. This is important in the job market, as employees require individuals who can work as a team for increased productivity. There is no boundaries of either space or time in a globalised world, and there is no boundaries between individuals. This is because new technologies make it possible for people to communicate across cultural boundaries more effectively. References Dreiser, R. 2009, ‘The integration of learning with business processes’, in Designing the smart organization:how breakthrough corporate learning initiatives drive strategic change and innovation, Jossey-Bass, SanFrancisco, pp. 41-56. Halsey, A. H., Lauder, H., Brown, P. and Stuart Wells, A. 1997. Education: culture, economy and society,Oxford University Press, Oxford. Kalantzis, M. & Cope, B. 2012, ‘New learning’ in New learning: elements of a new science of education, 2ndedn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 17-37. Kell, P., Vialle, W., Konza, D. and Vogyl, G. (eds) 2008, Learning and the learner: exploring learning for new times, University of Wollongong, Wollongong. Meister, J. C and Willyerd, K (2010). The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today. Dunmore, PA: HarperBusiness. Plomp, T. 2013, Preparing education for the information society: the need for new knowledge and skills, International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 3-18. Spring, J. (2008). Research on globalization and education. Review of Educational Research, 78(2), 330-363. Tondeur, J., Van Braak, J., &Valcke, M. (2007). Curricula and the use of ICT in education: Two worlds apart?. British Journal of Educational Technology,38(6), 962-976. Read More