A BETTER WORLD THROUGH EDUCATION

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a worldwide program of international education to promote intercultural understanding and respect? Such a program could encourage students across the world to become compassionate learners who understand that other people with their differences can also be right. The program would develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young  people who would help to create a better and more peaceful world. Some higher level courses could be added and blended into the standard high school curriculum. Several foreign languages would be required as well as a Theory of Knowledge Course designed to encourage students to reflect on the nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and historical). Sounds great doesn't it?


Well it IS great and it already exists!! The name of the program is International Baccalaureate. I recently learned about it because my granddaughter is a participant at Adrian High School. The program, headquartered in Switzerland, was started 40 years ago for internationally mobile students preparing for university. It has grown into a major force for good in the world. It enriches the lives of students in 140 countries and over 3000 schools. It promotes critical thinking skills and international-mindedness necessary for life in our globalized world. I commend Adrian High School for being a part of the IB World School and I am proud of Clara for participating. More info is available at http://www.ibo.org/

FREE EDUCATION ON THE WEB

On the right side of this blog page, there is a list of recommended sites. The second site listed is Open Culture. This is the most amazing site that I have found on the web. It brings together all the free, high-quality educational media that is scattered across the web. Its mission is to centralize all this media and give you access to this content whenever you want it. Free courses, free lectures, free audio books, free eBooks, and free movies, are all available. If you are interested in lifelong learning, this is the site for you. There are 250 online courses from top universities on every subject you can think of! And, did I mention they are FREE? I am currently enrolled in a Computer Science class at Harvard University. I listen to lectures, do workshops, and watch videos, all on line. It is truly an amazing experience. I am learning about hardware, software, the Internet, Multimedia, security, Website Development, as well as programming. I am now a “Harvard Man”. You may want to go to Yale or Stanford or any one of a number of first class universities. You can download these audio and video courses straight to your computer or mp3 player. Check it out! Apache JavaScript Tag a Packet on Gnutella! (Programing jargon)