Multicultural Education, the Internet, and the New Media

Citation

Dockery, R. (2007), "Multicultural Education, the Internet, and the New Media", Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 192-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/17504970710822386

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT's) and the internet within the classroom and home is no longer a subject for future thought or planning, it is here with us now. Robert Muffoletto and Julie Horton are skilled at bringing together a disparate group of writers, ten in total, excluding their own contributions to the book which amounts to a joint piece “The internet and multicultural education: a potential for globalization” and two individual pieces “New media representation and education” and “Developing a multicultural discourse with preservice teachers using discussion boards” respectively. The editors have managed to assemble authors who offer their own take, through case studies, on how computers, media and the internet interact with one another within a multicultural arena. The format of the book lends itself successfully to providing the platform for assorted writers to articulate their own experiences, ranging from a media ecology perspective in both North America and Bhutan to an analysis of cultural concepts of computers in respect of Hispanic women. The discussions cover a wide selection of fears, benefits and apprehension associated with the internet, ICT's, learning, multicultural education and society.

These case studies provide the basis for discussion for a multitude of experiences within this arena and serve to illustrate the breadth of topics and concerns that people and institutions have in respect of creating an inclusive digital environment. In many ways the sharing of experiences can serve to help not only learners but also teachers as they strive, not only to understand how they fit into this new multicultural world, but also how to make this new world as equitable, accessible and relevant to the greatest number of students. Facilitating the thoughtful use of technology from a position of knowledge will undoubtedly aid in both teaching and learning. This book achieves this through its range of authors and associated case studies. Holistically, the ten chapters are concise in their approach providing the reader with detailed information, conclusions, areas for discussion and a reasonable amount of references for future research. In addition, there are 12 brief author biographies, an author index and a subject index.

The concepts, practices and conclusions contained within these sections promote critical thought through the linking of practice and theory. The initial chapter “The internet and multicultural education: a potential for globalization” sets the tenor for the rest of the book as it is written by the co‐authors/editors. Their ultimate goal is to make culture and more specifically digital culture as accessible as possible through the sharing of best practice and a democratic process of knowledge construction. For this process to be successful they believe “… an education that is multicultural must deconstruct the management of gender, race, socioeconomic status (SES), and the historical nature of knowledge as normal practice”. For this process to be of any relevance it has to be iterative, based around individuals and respectful of all cultures. This view is supported by reference to leading writers within the field such as Banks, 1991, 1994, 2003; Sleeter, 1996; and Bennet, 2003. The rest of the chapter is divided into contextualising educational technology, highlighting the fact that knowledge construction is not free from bias:

Thus, education can never be a “neutral assemblage of knowledge” (Taylor, 1994, p. 22) due to the mix of competing theories, ideologies, economics and politics from educators, politicians and society which continually shift and change.

The chapter is concluded with discussions on globalisation and power within the context of the internet and multicultural education.

Chapter 2 “Students in wonderland: voice, identity, and new realities online” by J. Hollenbeck argues for the creation of democratic learning environments which would foster free speech and give some ownership to students in respect of their own learning. Hollenbeck takes the reader through a brief chronology of online learning leading to the section “culture and the current location of online learning” which contextualises learning management systems or LMS's and their use today. This is supported with his section “subsumption of technology in a technology” which questions the reason why LMS's like “blackboard” are being adopted and how they affect the vision of inclusive education. Hollenbeck goes on to state “the possibilities for inclusive learning are becoming more diminished as an increasing number of universities see online learning as a way to accommodate and/or expand student enrolment”. This section is supplemented with pieces analysing democracy; democracy in the context of the classroom, with examples of democracy in four schools; voice, how people express themselves online; new realities, how LMS's are perceived; wonderland, differentiating fact from fiction and a conclusion that emphasises the need for a learning environment that is conducive to student‐centred learning or as Hollenbeck states, “key is the ability of all participants to express themselves freely, share information, create learning situations and exercise autonomy”.

Chapter 3 “Prometheus unbound: technology and the spiritual marketplace in education” by D. Carr‐Chellman and A. Carr‐Chellman. Takes an unconventional look at how to engage with students through the use of technology, within the context of religion and understanding the human experience. “The binding of Prometheus” according to the authors is a fitting allegory in understanding the relationship between religion and technology. A modern or literal take on Prometheus would be technology that facilitated/allowed people to complete Olympian tasks which could sometimes be to their loss if not coupled with guidance or instruction. “A modern abdication” contextualises the argument in the twenty‐first century whilst “Religion as ecological healing” presents the argument for spirituality “… spirituality and its multiplicity of material manifestations are core components to making the world a better place ‐ albeit neglected core components”. The argument is further strengthened with reference to human activity and the role that religion has in the twenty‐first century, likening it to other human needs such as sex, sport, and music. The other needs we, as humans, have such as sex, sport and music.

Later in the chapter “Provisional paths towards provisional wholeness” expands upon the notion that religion is beneficial, in fact Carr‐Chellman and Carr‐Chellman believe that engagement with religion will foster the development of a person's character or as the authors declare:

… it is religion that affords us the greatest opportunity for growth: this is the religion, “the power that can reach into the petty strivings of plain human existence and set them aright if only provisionally” (Anderson, 1999, p. 87).

This sentiment is echoed in the final section within this chapter entitled “Prometheus unbound” which presents the case for religion to be included, considered and respected in any debate that educators, families or groups may have in respect of accessibility, fairness and understanding of other cultures. Just as Ellen Rose in her chapter “Culture, internet technology and education in North America and Bhutan: a media ecology perspective” view's new technologies as a way of enlightening and informing people about other cultures. This though comes with a proviso as Rose encourages the reader to analyse the biases that are found in technologies and media and relate them, in an ecological way, to education and culture. Rose uses the Bhutanese experience as a vehicle and means of attempting to understand, analyse and re‐contextualise the relationship between global information technologies, culture and education.

Media ecology is a field of research concerned with communication and people. Rose highlights Lewis Mumford, Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman and Harold Innis as major contributors to this body of research as she goes on to present the contrasting cases in relation to culture, internet technology and education.

The North American perspective, tries to be as pluralistic as possible allowing as many people from diverse backgrounds a say. Rose goes on to state:

Given the popular conception of the online world as a democratic space that provides equal opportunities for access to information and social participation by people from diverse social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, access to internet technology is increasingly represented and demanded as a fundamental right – hence, its growing presence in North American schools.

Whilst in Bhutan the opposite is the case, they (the Bhutanese hierarchy) view the internet as a way of presenting to the world an homogenous view of Bhutanese life and culture, not promoting diversity and pluralism. This arguably comes from their history and the constant threat of invasion from their neighbours India and China. So much so that now, although multi‐ethnic in its makeup, they believe strength comes from unification of the culture or as Carr‐Chellman states:

… national strength and survival, as well as successful modernisation, depend on the maintenance of a unified, “post‐ethnic” (Mathou, 2000, p. 245) Bhutanese identity based on values, beliefs and practices of the Ngalong ethnic group.

Which are the ruling group even though they only make‐up 15‐20 per cent of the population. The additional sections within this chapter take the reader through the key ideas of media ecology. Carr‐Chellman and Carr‐Chellman then use this framework to understand the relationship of both North America and Bhutan in the context of internet technology, culture and education. They conclude with “multicultural education reconceived” which reinforces the points made earlier especially in respect of technology and how multimedia artefacts, the internet included, have cultural biases. Chapter 5 “Face to face in a third space: hypertext design and curriculum theory” by David Shutkin encourages the reader to consider the manipulation and presentation of the world that we find in western culture and the assumptions that are made about cultural diversity. Shutkin persuasively argues and questions the truths found in authorised/official educational media and texts whilst also calling for hypertext to become a liberator and source for people in recognising the identity of the other.

This Shutkin expands upon in “The reduction of the other to the knowing subject” which he contextualises the piece be outlining the concept of ethical responsibility of the self for other. This is further reinforced with reference to Emmanuel Lavinas (1996, 1998c) in “The excess of the other” which Shutkin believes can be used positively in a digital environment to analyse and question the legitimacy of the subject of power. “Face to face in an immemorial past” takes us through a more thorough analysis of Levina's writings, especially in relation to challenging the rule of western ontology. The penultimate and final sections “The diachrony of hypertext and the ethical saying” and “Postcolonial critique of multiculturalism”, respectively, add more weight to an already convincing argument for the revisiting of western histories in light of our hypertext world.

In Chapter 6, “New media, representation, and education” Robert Muffoletto presents the case for the use of various technologies and forms of media to create education that is truly multicultural, this he argues would come through the construction of one's own identity through the construction of the other. In “changing the menu” Muffoletto outlines his argument for a changing menu/curriculum in relation to teachers, students and learning. He argues that the mere introduction of computers and technologies changes the day‐to‐day lives of teachers and learners. Building a learning community via the internet would enable broader communication between a diverse number of people. “Digital media and multicultural education” explores this notion calling for the teacher‐centred/Euro‐culture centred learning to be superseded by online communities with a more rounded inclusive worldview. For this to be successful, Muffoletto suggests communities that respect and value diversity should embrace interactive digital media.

Chapter 7 “Cyberbabble: a cautionary tale about cyberschools in Pennsylvania” by Dominic Scott presents the reader with a case study in relation to cyberschools and the limitations that arose during their expansion within Pennsylvania. Scott also outlines why multicultural education should limit its expectations in relation to how technologies can enhance the field. “The promise of e‐learning” sets the scene outlining the chronology of events over the last five years and the proliferation of cyberschools within the USA. Money, profitability and a globalised educational market are the main topics within the. “The hidden curriculum of e‐learning” section whilst the “Legal basis for cyber schools” outlines the steps taken, not only by Pennsylvanian charter school law but also by 36 other states to enable or facilitate the creation of cyberschools. This then is expanded within the “History of cyberschools” section that presents a more comprehensive account of how cyberschools performed throughout the USA with particular attention being drawn to the problems faced with by Pennsylvanian Cyberschools, hence the title and cautionary tale. Chapter 8 “The impact of dominant discourses on cultural conceptions of computers of Hispanic women” by L. Rivera and K. Murphy has some similarities to the previous chapter and the need for caution as it outlines a qualitative study investigating the impact/influence of ICTs upon what Rivera and Murphy refer to as 12 “economically challenged” Hispanic women who are part of an adult literacy program.

They begin with presenting the theoretical background to how we as humans are influenced by the media around us “most media messages emphasise that computer technologies bring progress to our lives”. Counter to this, media also highlights the danger of these technologies, the potential dangers to children of pornography and the potential dangers or reservation people have with online dating. The methodology section then takes the reader through the logistics of the experiment outlining reasoning for the qualitative approach adopted, the context, the participants, data source and analysis.

The results from the experiment are brought together in two late sections within the chapter “Perceptions of computers being important and necessary” and “Recognition of negative and positive aspects of computer technologies” which are good at providing additional details of the study and go some way to supporting the findings of Rivera and Murphy as well as other scholars, i.e. that individual's conceptions are socially constructed and influenced by the dominant culture through different bodies within society.

In keeping with Chapters 8 and 9 “Developing a multicultural discourse with preservice teachers using discussion boards” by J. Horton analyses peoples' perceptions this time to illicit views on the impact of race, ethnicity, class, gender, language, exceptionality and sexuality on education. This is achieved through online journals used by preservice teachers. Horton contextualises the study with a synopsis of the “learner diversity” course she runs and the reasons for “this crucial class” outlining development and use. This argument is supplemented with a literature review supporting the need for multicultural education in the development of identity and critical thinking. Horton then takes the reader through the methodologies used within the study before highlighting areas for discussion and persuasively arguing that all teachers should be able to teach to diverse populations. In the final chapter “The English‐language learner, the teachable moment, and emerging technologies” L. Pacifici and C. Vaccare highlight and give a voice to an often overlooked grouping of people, namely English language learners and how their needs are addressed. “English language learners” outlines the backdrop in which this analysis takes place giving rise to a call for culturally sensitive pedagogy, whilst “The teachable moment” outlines in greater detail the intangible qualities of the concept, as (Garrison, 1977) states:

… a conscious awareness of the role that imagination, need, desire and interest play in the teachable moment can serve the classroom teacher who seeks to create effective classrooms for ELLs.

The chapter is concluded with a look at emerging technologies and the creation of an emerging technologies rubric that combines both time and place.

This book contains sufficient social and intellectual issues to generate rich discussions in all areas related to media, technology and multicultural education. With the exception of one particular chapter the accessibility of the language makes this an informative read which at times belies the intricacy of the areas under discussion. One constant throughout the chapters is recognition that computer use in education is not neutral just as educators who use computers cannot be neutral. The book itself is well organised and in the main clearly written. The two editors/authors have successfully brought together disparate case studies and provided a wagonload of food for thought and potential areas for continued research. The detailed biographies, authors index and referencing all aid in that continued research. Whilst the strong research base and practical experience contained within the book will help practitioners in the here and now.