Becoming Globally Literate: Teaching Cross-Cultural Awareness Through The Use Of Social Networking Sites

Abstract

The digital era has enabled educators the opportunity of breaking the confinement of the four walls of the traditional classroom and accessing information across cultures and nations. This session discusses the implementation of an innovative online graduate teacher education course focusing on global perspectives.  Over the course of the semester, teachers learn how to use social networking sites as a means of gaining tools to cultivate a greater understanding of their own stereotypes and prejudices while learning how to enhance the global literacy of themselves and others.  In addition, through the creative nature of blogging, this course provides strategies for teachers to draw on personal experiences as they develop their own network of classroom consultants, across the globe, to foster a greater level of cultural literacy in their students.