Final Blog Assignment

Three Consequences of Learning Internationally:

1. Limited resources- Internationally there have been a lack of resources available to students in comparison to more developed countries such as the United States. These students are limited in their academic ability to advance in their education.
2. Political- Internationally the political systems differ from the United States so they have a different value on education than other countries. These countries are big on manual labor so being educationally inclined is not a requirement for those type of jobs.
3. Financial- The financial budget of other countries is lower than it is here in the United States. Internationally they have to proportion the funds evenly and ensure that no measure is left out and that is why less money is attributed to education.

A goal that I would have for international awareness is for teachers to be required to be assigned to an international contact each school term. That will help to bounce ideas off of one another and use creative techniques in the classroom. This will also increase awareness of the hardships that are present internationally.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

In the conversation this week, when we discussed the professional goals that we shared for the field of ECE, my contact shared with me that their aspiration was just to make the learning process much easier to achieve for their students. Sharon, my corresponding contact, stated that she has seen a tremendous deal of improvement compared to the treatment that education has received in earlier years in their country. It has grown a great deal and they are proud of that accomplishment, but compared to other countries their children are still receiving "the short end of the stick" when it comes to education.
I reflect personally on the way the we are here in the United States fighting for more educational advances, and there are countries that are wishing and hoping to have the opportunities that we have. Despite us thinking that we are still not achieving our maximum potential, there are children and educators that would be very grateful to be in our shoes academically.

Sharing Web Resources

I have explored all of the links on the website and they lead to an assortment of resources. How to become a member, what membership status perks are available, advocacy, programs and events that are coming up in the upcoming months and nearby areas, and publication access.
I had the opportunity to explore various publications that were not restricted to member only usage. I also got the chance to look at the research that is available and what is proactively being looked at in the early childhood sector internationally. They spoke heavily on inequality in early childhood and that speaks volumes to our discussions of equity in our class.

Analyses on the Inequality of Well-being

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has released the 2016 World Happiness Report in two volumes--the 2016 Update and the Special Rome Edition, including an update on national rankings and new analyses. A key focus this year is on the inequality of happiness within and among countries around the world. The Report argues that inequality of well-being provides a broader measure of equality than is provided by measures of inequality in the distribution of income and wealth.

- See more at: http://acei.org/news/analyses-on-the-inequality-of-well-being#sthash.0RDUcY7a.dpuf

Getting to know your international contacts -part 2

My contacts did not even have to share with me the inequity that they experience with their children. The children in their schools do not have the resources needed to make education as successful as possible. Limited supplies, academic books, and even technological supports inhibit these communities from accessing the needed tools to make learning creative and interesting for their students. Nigeria is still trying to repair their government from the past demolition that was done to it from the past leaders. The students do not start their education until they are 6 years of age and often times are hindered from being able to get an education at that point. They are forced to stay at home or obtain jobs to help their families provide for each other. In Rwanda, they are opposite in a few ways compared to Nigeria. They are expanding their agricultural aspects and creating work opportunities to embrace economic gain for their residents. The students education is geared more towards labor education, but it is better than them being deprived of an education at all.

Sharing Web Resources

The Association for Childhood Education International    http://acei.org/

The section of the website that is most impactful to my professional development is advocacy. This segment, respectfully, goes into detail about the aspects of education that need to be uniform globally, and seek to increase the awareness of differences that appear in education. As an instructor the ultimate goal is to eduacate and strive to have students to reach the same academic platform of success.  A subject on the website that heightened my attention and made me seek to explore more was the recent development of the International Code of Ethics for Educators. This was a very important implement to me being that children around the world tend to be at different levels academically, even thought they may be in the same age bracket.

"The ICOEE will be designed as a universal instrument that reflects internationally accepted humanitarian values, United Nations treaties, and other international agreements. It may be adapted and applied by educators around the world as a tool for critical reflection and professional aspirations. As it is meant to be a living document, the code will be reviewed and adapted to respond to changing global circumstances (ACEI, 2014)."

This leads me to know that politicians and ecomonist are looking at the education sector around the world and not just in America. They are pushing to invest in the futures of all children and not just here in the United States.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

I have had one response from each of the countries that I chose to communicate with. I was able to formally introduce myself as well as they did the same. They both spoke on the same issues and what they wanted to address in their countries, improving education. They want the children in their countries to have the opportunity to learn without being in fear or without limiting themselves due to race. In my initial email, I spoke on how in America, children are still faced with adversities despite being in a country where education is embraced. The children here are faced with economic issues in the home that carry over into their academic achievements. I have not received a response to my latest email, but I am excited to get into a depth conversation about the educational aspects that are prevalent in other countries. From the discussion and application this week, I see that poverty is prevalent among other countries and is not a just an epidemic that is here in the United States.  Children as a whole are entitled to educational gain and long-term successes. We, globally, must band together and make it possible for our children to thrive.

Sharing Web Resources

ACEI    http://www.acei.org/

The Association for Childhood Education International is an organization that is geared towards implementing works globally for students and educators. This program is geared towards promoting the best optimal education to children across the world. All children are deserving of a quality education, even if resources are limited. This group seeks to provide educators with the necessary materials needed to make an educational leap with their students. "ACEI's tagline is "Bright futures for every child, every nation," which highlights ACEI's commitment to support and advocate for access to education, equity in educational settings, quality educational content, and the child's right to education. (- See more at: http://acei.org/about-acei#sthash.cmAsdGfN.dpuf) Despite living conditions, economical downfalls, or even cultural variations, this program fights to ensure that education is top priority along with social change.

A recent issue that has been discussed by this organization is gender disparity in education. The countries that display the highest prevalence of these disparities are in the Arab States, South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. It is said that twice as many girls as boys will never attend primary school. Due to cultural norms and fear of violence or retaliation, most girls often shy away from education for safety. If girls would be afforded the same educational opportunities, the impact and socio-economical changes would drastically move in a positive direction.