Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

Exploring UNESCO website @ http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/

Three new ideas/insights gained from exploring the UNESCO web site include a vast amount of information regarding early childhood education internationally, improvements being made for education interantionally and information regarding various cultures across the globe.

The section that I explored for early childhood education covered areas such as Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Each section gave a brief statement on what different organizations where doing to help improve the quality of education for children and then several news articles regarding teaching in those regions and what is being done to help make improvements.

One of the improvements trying to be implemented is the use of mobile technologies and learning. According to the Education Sector, “at the end of 2012 there were an estimated six billion mobile phone subscriptions in the world. The unprecedented uptake of mobile phones in particular, in both developed and developing countries opens up new possibilities for increasing education access, equity and quality. Mobile learning, a growing field of ICT in education, has the potential to significantly impact the delivery of education” (2013).

The section that I explored for culture was my favorite. You can access this section here http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/

I watched a video regarding saving Mausoleums in Africa that had contained thousands of manuscripts. They discussed trying to reconstruct many of the buildings and the loss of the manuscripts. There was so much information on various cultures and items from around the world and articles for different cultures. I spent an hour just reading about treasures, artifacts, and heritages. It was very interesting as well as informative. Here are some of the manuscripts from the 12^th to 15^th centuries.

  

“Subjects treated in those works span a vast range of ancient learning: from theology to mathematics, medicine, astronomy, music, literature, poetry, architecture, as well as esoteric practices. Together they bear a unique testimony to the cultural past of the city as a centre of learning and crossroad of trade and cultural exchanges. They also contain invaluable information about the pre-colonial history of Muslim Africa” (UNESCOPRESS, 2013).

This section of the UNESCO web site was just so wonderful, and I am glad to have been able to

explore this segment and learn more about what UNESCO does. This was interesting to me also because it gave a glimpse of heritage, culture and background of the children who UNESCO helps with education.

 

Education Sector (February 2013). ICT in Education. Learning with mobile technologies. Retrieved from  http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/single-view/news/learning_with_mobile_technologies/

UNESCOPRESS (January 2013). Timbuku’s documentary treasures. Building Peace in the minds of men and women. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/resources/preserving-the-moslem-cultural-heritage-of-mali-and-africa/

 

Sharing Web Resources

Follow some of the outside links that you have not yet explored. Where do they lead?

The first link I clicked on led to an article about Obama and his plan for expanding preschool for children below the poverty level. The article Obama pushes preschool plan in GA visit was published in the Associated Press February 15, 2013.

http://valdostadailytimes.com/todays-top-stories/x766088339/Obama-pushes-preschool-plan-in-Ga-visit

The second link led to another article that was an extension of the Obama push for preschool education but it discussed why it is important for preschool children to go to school so young. Brain studies fuel push for early education was published February 15, 2013 and discussed how children learn more in the early years and the price of the funding. http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/latestnational/839067-8/brain-studies-fuel-push-for-early-education

 

Thoroughly search one area of the site. What do you find?

I have found that a conference is coming up from April 30-May 3, 2013 in Washington DC that I would love to attend.

If you receive an e-newsletter, follow a link related to one of the issues you have been studying. What new information is available?

Through the e-newsletter information is available for government affairs updates, innovation for Head Start and how the program works, and a policy agenda which we have been discussing in class through discussions and applications.

 

Additionally, find out if the site you selected at the beginning of this course offers any information about the issue of this week:

Does the website or the e-newsletter contain any information that adds to your understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education?

The website does add to my understanding of equity and excellence in early care and education by allowing me to learn about the current trends and issues and what is being done to help children, families, and educators in the early childhood field.

 

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain this week from exploring the website and/or the e-newsletter?

 

New insights I gained were definitely about the push for the expanding of free preschool programs, I missed the President’s state of the union address earlier this week, however, the website was filled with information and articles discussing the issues of a nationwide free program for preschool children.

http://www.nhsa.org/

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

World Forum

From the World Forum Foundation Video by Tori Hogan, I have learned that the World Forum gather together and collaborate on early childhood issues. This has been taking place for over a decade and each year it gains more people and attention to address the issues of the early childhood field across the globe. Hogan states that in doing a workshop, it empowers people to take action. Anyone involved or interested in early childhood may attend and walk away with so much more knowledge and resources to help continue the plight for quality for our children. It is a shame I cannot be a part of this project, it sounds amazing!

 http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us/

 Harvard Web

Three new ideas/insights found from the Harvard web site include a project in Brazil where they are going to try to use science to help create stronger policies to generate larger investments into their child development programs. Another project I have found from the site is one from Africa that includes the launch of the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project in 2009. This program was created to measure the effects of the anti-malaria on child development. The last new idea I have found from the site includes the world’s policymakers have increased their attention to early childhood health and development stating that “the foundations for successful adulthood are established early in life” I thought this appropriate considering we have been discussing this same this in class.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/global_child_development/

Sharing Web Resources

What specific section(s) or information seemed particularly relevant to your current professional development?

In the first week of this class one of the sites that I used was the National Head Start Association. This is relevant to my current professional development because I work for a Head Start agency and it is nice to see how Head Start is on a national level instead of just local. I joined their blog and I read some of the “news” articles to see what is happening through their prospective.

Which ideas/statements/resources, either on the website or in an e-newsletter, did you find controversial or made you think about an issue in new ways?

One of the articles on the website that was a bit controversial was that fact that after a 3^rd grade follow up of 5000 students, it was implying that Head Start does not work, however, “Yasmina Vinci just wrote an article for Reuter’s which puts the findings in clear perspective, laying out more than 45 years of evidence that Head Start works!” (Let’s Keep Things in Perspective, 2012).

What information does the website or the e-newsletter contain that adds to your understanding of how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field?

 The website contains so much information that it is hard to pinpoint just one area; however, there is a section now about a seminar that was held on January 31 that fits with what we are discussing in class. Here is the pre write up for the event:

 

The number of children in poverty is nearing a level not seen since the Great Depression. At the same time, dollars for public programs have stagnated or been cut and public sentiment is focused elsewhere. This opening session will start a dialogue about getting off to the “right start” for Head Start in this New Year, new Congress, and new Administration. Led by Ralph Smith from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, it will address where we can refocus our priorities, conversations, and work in order to make a real change for the children and families touched by poverty. (National Head Start Association, 2012)

 

What other new insights about issues and trends in the early childhood field did you gain from exploring the website or e-newsletter?

I have found that these issues that we have been discussing on our local levels are discussed on a national level through this site. I am able to read about policy makers and what they are trying to do to help low income families.

News you can use. (2012, January 11). Let’s Keep Things in Perspective: Release of the Head Start Impact Study Third Grade Follow-up. National Head Start Association. Retrieved from http://www.nhsa.org/news_you_can_use_week_of_january_11_2013