Blogging. Challenging. Fun. Inspirational.

Retrieved from: http://worldwidegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/want-to-be-geneablogger.html 

Globalization and fast developing era of Internet has played an important role in the process of learning and teaching.  Taking advantages of digital media educators and students are integrating various technologies and techniques into education. One of the tools to assist process of education, particularly, writing skills is blogs. For one semester blog posting has become a new form of academic writing and at the same time way of self-expression to the Master Students of Graduate School of Education at Nazarbayev University. Before describing personal experience of blog posting, it noteworthy to share with the growing number of literature on the topic of blogging in the context of education.

On the one hand, authors nicely admit positive sides, such as usefulness of blogs during the language learning, social communication, exchange of ideas, attraction of social audience, development own sense of voice, and progress in natural self-expression (Warschauer, 1997; Warschauer, 2010; Montgomery, 2015).

On the other hand, Montgomery (2015) claims that blog posting generated more personal issues, such as students’ responsibilities and self-confidence. A new learning environment had negative impact, since given freedom and autonomy in choosing topics confused students. As a result it took sufficient time to get used to the online and public learning environment. However, in general authors assert that blogging helped people to transform from consumers to the producers of information (Warschauer, 1997; Warschauer, 2010; Montgomery, 2015).

As for my personal experience related to the blogging, it can be described by few key words: challenging, fun and inspirational.  In the beginning of the semester as a novice public academician I struggled a lot.  Firstly, I had inner feeling that my blog post is worse than others’, I think it is directly related to the personal issues mentioned by Montgomery (2015) before.  The thoughts that your writing will be public and every single person can read, comment and judge bring to uncertainty in own confidence and self esteem. Second challenging moment was the structure of writing, when author needs to balance between keeping academic style of writing at the same time should sound natural without being artificial and boring. Lastly, the given autonomy was struggling too, personally, I could notice that it is much more easier to write on particular topic with given guideline and even better if literature is provided as well. Choosing interesting topic, searching for related literature, planning and expressing in own voice were the most difficult task to manage and control. However, as it is well know that everything comes through practice and there is no other magic way to become better writer and academician. Second part of spring semester became easier, motivational and fun, owing to the fact that panning process simplified the task; moreover it has turned to be inspirational to share own ideas and comment to others.   

In summary, I would like to admit that the experience of blogging was incredible. Such experience enables people, especially students who got used to be guided, to be more independent, confident, free and diverse.  This online educational platform is obviously place of ideas and social academic networking. 

References:

Montgomery, D. P. (2015, April). Did you read my new post?; Improving autonomy, English and engagement through class blogs. Paper presented at The International Conference for Building Cultural Bridges, Suleyman Demirel University. Kaskelen, Kazakhstan: ICBCB.

Warschauer, M. (1997). Computer-Mediated Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice. The Modern Language Journal, 81(4), 470-481.

Warschauer, M. (2010). Invited commentary: New tools for teaching writing. Language Learning & Technology, 14(1), 3-8.

Education and human development: reality or just miracle?

As series of Human Development Reports show, people in many countries experiencing better quality of life. Steadily progress in human development is measured by many factors, among which equal chance and access to education plays one of the important roles (UNDP, 2014). And today, many countries understand the value of education in struggling with the instability and human development, and it faces new challenges that should be solved in order to construct competitive state.
UNDP describes the human development that it is “about expanding the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy in which human beings live” (UNDP, About Human Development, n.d.). Experiences of some countries show that education can play an essential role in constructing welfare state.

For example, in the Human Development Index, most of the top performed countries are Western (UNDP, 2014). Western nations designated as development countries by their “high level of literacy and educational provision” (Aldcroft, 1998, p. 240). These countries have common in understanding the importance of education in the modernization. Education is used as a powerful political tool in conducting ambitious state plans, not only build new abilities, competencies in new technologies and meet world demands.
On the other hand, incredible developments show East Asian countries, where in the short length of time they become highly industrialized countries. Most of them demonstrated the human development through the reforming of educational system. In fact, education plays an essential role in the process of development of East Asian countries. Aldcroft (1998) in his article “Education and development: the experience of rich and poor nations” defined several views, particularly, that The World Bank (1993) emphasized the role of education in East Asian countries’ success, Cowley (1991) believed that development was occurred due to the well-educated labor force, and also Dornbacsh & Park (1987) assumed that Korean growth mostly benefited from the highly trained workforce.
Despite the fact that researchers all over the world argue about the role of education in human development, positive findings of their studies make a huge contribution in improving education for better quality of life. Nowadays this phenomenon mostly occurs in developing countries, as our, where most authority bodies, as a subject of corruption and blind to social needs, are able to deprive a country of a source of development. The real progress of human development depends not only on expanding choice opportunities and access to education, but also on the reliability of achievements and condition for further human development (UNDP, 2014).

These words, in turn, raise following questions in my mind: Can we borrow such experiences in our country? Or, does quality education truly use as a tool for better life in Kazakhstan? 

References:

 Aldcroft, D. H. (1998). Education and development: the experience of rich and poor nations. History of Education, 27(3), 235-254.

Cowley, A. (1991). Asia's emerging economies; burning bright. The Economist. 16 November, No. 321

Dornbusch, R., Park, Y. C., Collins, S. M., & Corbo, V. (1987). Korean growth policy. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 389-454.

UNDP. (2014). Human Development Report 2014. Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience. New York: PBM Graphics.

UNDP. (n.d.). About Human Development. Retrieved from United Nationas Development Program. Human Development Reports: http://hdr.undp.org/en/humandev

World Bank (1993). Adjustment in Africa: Reforms, Results and the Road Ahead. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 349

What is the fourth way of global education? 

Education and its development dramatically have been changed across the world over the last four decades. Unsatisfying with the status quo brought to bring changes in educational context, reform educational policy, and innovate new ways of teaching especially after II World War. However, each country was in the way of developing its own practices and building own traditional system. Also, the need of looking around at “neighbors’ backyard” was emerged within education. The countries started to ask: How others work on growing the tree? What methods they use to cultivate? What`s the secret of getting fully-repined fruit? What can I learn from them in order to experiment in my own backyard? This was the process of rethinking and comparing own system of growing to other countries` development and striving even to make better. This post is based on Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley`s book “The Global Fourth Way” which gives alternative explanation for global education.

Hargreaves and Shirley (2012) divided the period of educational development into four ways of educational change: The First Way is innovative and inconsistent (1960-1970). It was a decade of innovation and investment in education although it was not considered as real depth change in society, curriculum and teaching methods were designed freely and there was little engagement of community and parents in schools.

The Second Way is markets and standardization after 1970 to 1990. This was decade of competitiveness in education, promoting salaries and   resources, parents get more involved and made choice of schools. Also, the term “costumers” “consumers” appeared in educational sphere such as opening private higher educational institutes. Authors explained it as “customized learning pathways”.

The Third Way is performance targets after 1990s. In these last decades, the attention was paid to targeting the literacy and mathematics, working in collaboration, supporting teachers with resources, professional trainings, importance of student achievement and school moral and so on.  Moreover, authors were looking forward to the future by explaining the The Fourth Way which is inspiring, inclusive, innovative mission.  What they are hoping is that there will be public engagement and community development; investment in moral economy and students will enunciate their voice freely, teachers will be high qualified and remain at their jobs. In order to realize the fourth way, Hargreaves and Shirley (2012) proposed to develop education via comparison based on analyzed experience. In other words, successful achievement of education will be reached by learning and comparing with other countries` best practices. Fulfillment of comparative education bases on study of policy borrowing and lending which transfers the best educational practice from one country to another (Steiner-Khamsi, 2014).

To conclude, this is great opportunity to develop education by learning from other countries` best experience and exchange the best practices. I really hope as these authors do that the global education goes further with its innovative mission to bright development of future.

References

1.      Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. L. (2012). The global fourth way: The quest for educational excellence. Corwin Press.

2.      Steiner-Khamsi, G. (2014). Cross-national policy borrowing: understanding reception and translation. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 34(2), 153-167.