Social Education 67(3), pp. 134-139 © 2003 National Council for the Social Studies Bringing the World into the Classroom with Advancing Technology Advancing Online Global Newspapers By David Hicks and E. Thomas Ewing social studies educators can use the Internet to create learning opportunities that enable students to examine current events, expand their global understanding, foster open communication, The Internet , as a societal force, might prove to be explore alternative perspectives, and strengthen media literacy surpassed in its significance for the learning process only skills. In particular, we address this question by examining how by the invention of a written language. Mastery of the access to online newspapers from around the world can provide Internet and its resources can greatly enhance the quality of a connected space through which students’ understandings of learning experiences in social studies classrooms.”1 current events can be broadened, deepened, and reexamined in the face of diverse, alternative, and to some extent contradictory Reading does not consist merely of decoding the written worldviews. We argue that global newspapers on the Internet word or language: rather it is preceded by and intertwined provide an accessible, convenient, and innovative approach for with knowledge of the world. Language and reality are using instructional technology to acquire information, develop dynamically interconnected. The understanding attained by skills, and enhance understanding. critical reading of the text implies perceiving the relationship between text and context.”2 Online Newspapers as an Instructional Tool The decision of when, how, and why to use such technologies ow can interactive technologies such as the Internet pre- as the Internet within the classroom ultimately rests with the pare young adults with the training necessary for informed teacher.6 Shortages of time and training, the problem of equip- Hdeliberation, civic engagement, and active decision mak- ment breakdown, and doubts about the extent of real improve- ing in a culturally diverse and globally interdependent world? ments in teaching and learning have all been stumbling blocks The quotes cited above suggest that the remarkably expansive to the integration of technology in the classroom.7 Given these potential of the Internet as a source of information must be obstacles and concerns, teachers need to ask two foundational accompanied by the development of the critical skills needed to questions prior to using technology within their classrooms: understand the relationship between content and context. Even 1. To what extent will the Internet allow me to conduct for the novice user, the Internet offers access to an astonishing worthwhile lessons that I could not have done before, or sea of information. Yet the skills to “decode” this information—to that I could have done but can now do more efficiently?8 identify authors and intended audiences, or to grasp multiple 2. How can I use technology to strengthen the “social and layers of meaning—require the kind of critical engagement in civic functions” of schools in order “to create better com- which the reader of the text simultaneously becomes the maker munities and build stronger citizens?”9 of meaning.3 The Internet has great potential value as a tool Answering these two questions is relatively easy with regard for global studies, as the web transcends geographical distance, to online newspapers. Using technology to access newspapers political boundaries, and chronological divisions to become is an improvement on existing approaches to teaching about genuinely “worldwide.” At a time of increasing global interde- current events, about the peoples and cultures of the world, and pendence, the ability not only to locate information about other about the international position of the United States. These top- countries, peoples, and cultures but also to make sense of this ics are staples in the social studies curriculum, and for decades, significant knowledge needs to be central to the social studies teachers have used outside readings, including national and curriculum and the practices of teachers.4 local newspapers, as teaching aids.10 Yet these materials, while Recent publications on social studies and the use of tech- extremely useful, face inherent limitations. Published materials nology have explored the promise as well as the potential can never be fully up-to-date, subscriptions to newspapers are problems of these new approaches to teaching and learning.5 expensive, locally available materials inevitably favor certain This article builds on such emerging literature by asking how regions and cultures, and ongoing trends of media consolida- Social Education 134 tion further restrict the range of topics citizenship “provides an instrument for and views available to readers. Without living with difference” with regard to the Internet, access to international news- how people act with and toward other papers is extremely slow, prohibitively citizens, societies, and cultures within expensive, and generally unreliable. With a global community.13 In this way, the Internet, access to global newspa- students are in a better position pers is inexpensive (no cost above the to uphold President George W. expense of the computers, basic soft- Bush’s call for schools and teachers to ware, and local access provider), timely encourage “young people to participate (newspapers can be read on the same in activities that increase their knowl- day they are published—or even the day edge of and appreciation for global issues, before, depending on the time zones), languages, history, geography, literature, and convenient (most newspaper URLs and the arts of other countries.”14 Incor- are easily located and generally stable, porating global newspapers into a social websites are reader friendly, and mate- studies curriculum is an excellent way to rials are content-rich). On all of these expose pupils not only to a range of levels, bringing the world into the class- perspectives but also to the pro- room through online newspapers dem- cesses and forces that shape these onstrates how instructional technology other perspectives.15 makes possible a previously impossible approach to instruction. Reading the Words of the World Most importantly, the use of online Gaining access to newspapers around newspapers facilitates the introduction the world is remarkably easy. Using search of multiple, global perspectives into the engines and resource pages, we identi- classroom and the curriculum. In this fied thirty-five English language news- new era of uni-polar world politics, it has papers from five different regions: Africa, become too easy for many Americans to the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the adopt a perspective that divides the world Middle East. We then created links into “friends” and “enemies,” in which to these newspapers and posted “you are either with us or against us.”11 Yet them on a website, “Newspapers such a dichotomous perspective inhibits Around the World,” which uses meaningful exploration of diverse values basic web page formatting (see Table and points of view. People everywhere 1).16 The newspapers listed on this web evaluate issues and processes in terms page represent not only a range of regions of their own local, regional, national, but also a variety of formats, approaches, and international concerns. Worldviews and content. AllAfrica.com, for example, in other countries are certainly affected provides a digest of daily reports from by the policy priorities of the United throughout the continent. The homep- States, but this one factor coexists with age offers daily headlines from across multiple other influences and interests. Africa, as well as links to fifty-four This “de-centering” of the United States countries for more detailed news is one of the clear lessons to be drawn reports. The “Newspapers around from reading other newspapers. Educat- the World” website also directs read- ing American students to become global ers to the weekly Botswana Gazette, the citizens does not mean that they are Ethiopian weekly Addis Tribune, the being pushed to change their view of the South African Daily Mail and Guard- United States and the world, but rather ian, the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation, they are being asked to recognize that the daily newspaper The Monitor from other peoples do not necessarily share Uganda, and The Guardian from Nige- their concerns, perspectives, and points ria. Each of these newspapers offers of view. More importantly, American stu- in-depth coverage of a particular dents are being asked to understand the nation as well as topical cover- range of factors that shape this diversity age for different regions of the of perspectives around the world.12 Such continent. an ability is a vital attribute of the concept “Newspapers Around the of citizen, for, as Dahrendorf contends, World” also offers online access to A p r i l 2 0 0 3 135 two well-established European news- globalization. Nhan Dan from Vietnam papers, The Times of London in and People’s Daily from China repre- England and an English-language sent the views of their respective govern- weekly version of the Frankfurter Allge- ments. The Jakarta Post provides news meine from Germany. The other Euro- from Indonesia, recently in the interna- pean newspapers reflect the geographical tional spotlight because of its strategic diversity of the continent, including the location and majority Muslim popula- Moscow Times from Russia, the Budapest tion. Yet articles in all of these newspa- Sun from Hungary, the Norway Times, pers illustrate how the focus of world the Prague Post from the Czech Republic, attention, especially as determined by and the Irish Independent. These news- the American media, tends to overlook, papers offer interesting perspectives on distort, or simply ignore many vital con- the process of European unification, cerns of these Asian nations. as long-standing national divisions Newspapers from the Middle East exacerbated by the Cold War are offer the most strikingly different perspec- yielding to economic, political, and cul- tives on current events.