Final Blog Week 8

Blog Week 8

Three Consequences with working with International Awareness: I have learned many things over the past eight weeks and hope to continue learning as time goes on. One of my consequences from this course is that I have learned so much about poverty/economics and how it affects children everywhere. Many people think poverty isn’t in their neighborhood-but it’s all around us. We should all work to help alleviate poverty by working together and joining organizations that work to make changes happen.

Next is how important it is to interact with educators around the world-I briefly made contact with two professionals and it was interesting hearing how education is handled where they live. In some countries education is put on the back burner or if you’re a girl you are not allowed to go to school or risk being hurt or worse, we need to make education mandatory for everyone as well as safe no matter where you live.

The last is in regard to education for professionals and how important it is for anyone working with children and families to understand how complex and different each and everyone are going to be!! We all need to learn about children developing, diversity, languages, family interactions and many other complex areas in regard to children.

The goal that is related t international awareness for me is how I can work at being an advocate for children everywhere and continue my interactions with my contacts to learn more about education in their countries. I hope to be a voice for children and families in other countries so that they will be able to get better education, drinking water, food, and the many things that most of us here in the United States take for granted. I have really enjoyed this course and hope to continue what I have learned and keep in contact with my classmates throughout the remaining classes and further-hopefully we will meet one day and even work together on some project for bettering children’s lives.

Blog Week 7

Blog week 7: Well, here we go with the alternate for the blog, no reply from my international contacts again. After going to the website (www.unesco.org), and looking over the many articles and sections I have found some that really made me stop and read more. The first article that I read was “Teaching pre-school children about the environment”. This was done in Germany and it taught children 3-6 about how energy happens and about their environment through hands-on activities and play. I really like that they tied everything together and this helps children to use these skills forever. The article states “What children learn in early childhood strongly influences their further learning, health and behaviour. I truly believe this is right-if we let them have many opportunities for playing and hands on activities then they will retain more and this will also help them become better adjusted in life. Young children are sponges that will abosrb as much as they are given.

The second article that I found interesting was “Early Childhood-Getting the big picture”. This one caught my attention because it took pictures from children around the world that would “represent the aspirations of children for education and for their lives, and aim to mobilize additional support from the general public and policy makers for early childhood care and education”. All of the pictures were on display at the UNESCO headquarters to help show the importance of education around the world as well as the work that Global Action Week and UNESCO does for getting the word out about education.

I also found the section about Access and Equity very interesting on this website; they talk about the importance of early childhood education and care. All countries involved are committed to “expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children”. Care needs to be given to all children regardless of where they live or any other difference. All governments need to work harder to have equity and access to every family and not come up with reasons that it will not work. This is a great website that offers so much great information and it is also very easy to navigate. This organization helps so many people everywhere and they are also trying to help education become a topic talked about by everyone. If we talk about it more maybe something good will happen for the many children that are still being denied an education.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/

Week 6: Sharing Web Resources

Blog week 6: Sharing Web Resources

While looking over my e-newsletter from the “Association for Childhood Education International”, www.acei.org, the area that I clicked on was an article for “Global Initiative on Education”. I then followed the links to the global gateway and then general links and resources. This is something that the United Nations is working on to make sure every child is going to school no matter where they live. They are working to make it so all children regardless of their sex, race or anything else is in school, but there are still many factors that make it hard for children (economics and gender ) being the two biggest obstacles. According to the Global Compact on Learning, “quality education generates greater economic growth, creates a lasting impact on public health, and leads to safer more stable societies”( http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/universal-education). This article also states that just because a child goes to school-does not mean they are learning! There was so much to read and look through that it will take awhile too really look at all this site has to offer. The global Initiative on Education wants to do so many things for all children-but they can’t do it alone, they want everyone-everywhere to work for the children and make it happen so they can start school early and stay in school and learn the foundational skills that everyone needs to be a part of society.

Both the newsletter and the website share information that pertains to what we are learning and as I read more it is helping me to gain a better picture of what we need to do for all children. Just because we live in the United States does not mean that we can’t help children around the world-we just need to find ways to help by advocating, volunteering, and if possible going to another country to help in some way. It is our job to help all children get their education, be safe, and have what they need to be healthy, happy in their childhood. Resources: www.acei.org http://www.acei.org/general-links-resources/education-research-policy.html http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/universal-education/global-compact-on-learning

Week 5

Blog Assignment: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

This week I have not heard back from my international contacts, so I am doing the alternative by looking into the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website. The articles that I found interesting were the “Zambian Early Childhood Development Project” and a focus on Brazil and children’s health. The Zambian project was focused on the effects of the anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia. This was started in 2009 and they also did a Zambian Child Assessment Test (ZamCAT) in 2010 that followed how children developed through a certain time frame.

The second article about Brazil covers the science of child health and development and how it helps to make better policies for children and their families. This website in general has so much to offer anyone wanting to learn or help in regard to children around the world. I have learned that each year since 2000 the area of early childhood development has continues to receive more attention around the world by the people that make the policies we follow. These is still much that needs attention and more help-some of these being poverty, food and clean water issues everywhere and equal education for all children on matter where they live or their circumstances.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/activities/global_initiative/zambian_project/ http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/download_file/-/view/1181/