I have a page and a half on notes on Cofino's presentation. I found it terribly short-sighted and subversive. I'm wondering if anyone else feels the same way? All I noticed was an air of "I am smarter than you because I live overseas." Which, by the way, she spells as "oversees."
Cofino lost me eleven seconds into the presentation when "honered" appeared in the subtext. I became skeptical immediately and perhaps watched her project with a tainted eye.
In Bangkok, which was also misspelled repeatedly for her English speaking audience, Cofino has seen monks using cell phones. This apparently is a big deal because they are adapting to technology because they have found it useful. Kim stresses, that as Americans, we need to do this. Really? She can't find any evidence? This is what I mean by short-sighted. When I was a kid, I told my mother in the morning before school that I needed to be picked up after practice at three o'clock. If practice was cancelled, I used the office "landline" or the pay phone to let her know I would be taking the bus home. Haven't we adapted today? Kids text. Parents text. Parents can text and let their kids know the moment they've arrived in the school parking lot. And the kids get the message- instantly! Too bad we Americans haven't adapted like those monks in Thailand.
I see Cofino's point overall, that yes, technology needs to be brought into the classroom. However, her evidence is lacking. She acts as though Americans can't adapt to anything. Take for example the guy who stresses that living in a foreign culture has taught him to adapt because you never know when a ten minute ride "might turn into a two hour ride." Kim, ever been on Interstate 95 heading into Boston during rush hour?
Cofino failed to leave me with a sense of urgency about establishing a global community in the classroom. Instead, she left me wondering about what she was really trying to say.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
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