Dare to educate Afghan girls - Shabana Basij-Rasikh

I know this blog is about Education its aim to demonstrate that striving to improve and inspire, to enhance and progress education is a vocational life changing journey for the educator in training. This blog therefore is is reflective about my journey to become an educator, my journey that encompasses the use of information technology. As part of this assignment I have been asked to write a blog on an inspirational Ted Talk. I think possibly the aim was to show an inspirational educator, one who is innovative with regards to modern methods of education. One who is cognisant with the advancement of the twenty first century and  and its relationship to the education of the children and lifelong learners who inhabit this age.

However I have chose the Tedtalk by Shabana Basij-Rasikh: Dare to educate Afghan girls. In this the privilege of the right to education is unequivocally discussed.

 The right to education is not questioned in the Western world yet there are many cultures that see education for women as illegal and unworthy. Through the use of Information technology the power of the first hand experience of Shabana Basij-Rasikh and other inspirational women like her are delivered right into our interactive world.  The fight for education under the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan is articulated and emotionally delivered into our consciousness. 

In the case of videos like this the firsthand experience of Shabana and others such as Malala Yousafzai  (who was shot on her way to school)

the learning environment is enriched and emotion demonstrated in a way that purely discussion could never convey. The passion for the right to education is in itself education, and a privilege to witness.

Tagxedo and Snipping tool magic

Thank you Mandy for introducing me to these handy little things. Tagxedo I have discoverd will create itself from words on a web page of it will allow you to create your own. This will be very good for brainstorming creatively and adding interest and variety to resourses. The snipping tool is my new best friend .....and who says that technophobes can't see the light occasionally.....

Mobile Technology: a pervasive or welcome technology ?????? 

 I have to say that me and technology are not easy bedfellows...... I use a mobile phone and have done for many years. I resisted mobile phones when they first arrived because I felt that if I needed to use the phone I could just go and find one. Looking back that is a quaint idea with no thoughts on progression. I slowly came round to the idea that mobile phones were useful. I could now get hold of family if I needed to. As mobile phones advanced I didn't adapt easily. So i'm sure you will find it easy to understand from this confession that it has taken me a while to consider mobile technology as an aid to anything. I am not a dinosaur, you may think it.... I am just a technophobe. I find new concepts frightening and difficult to remember. So being asked to use mobile technology for education on my part is not condicsive to effective and confident learning.  I have a tablet which I struggle with, a laptop that has begrudgingly become my friend and a smart phone which is the bain of my life. I have used global posistioning devices in the form of vehicle trackers in a former life (employment) and refuse point blank to use wireless credit card payment.

Within education you can use mobile devices to connect to the internet even when you are not in the learning environment. I have done this frequently and found it to be very useful it has allowed for flexibility in my education increasing convienience and efficacy of time. It has helped me engage with my learning creating a sense of student centred learning. Additionally by using mobile devices I can access the latest research, news and contact my peers for collaborative learning

However mobile technology can also be a hindrance. By storing all or indeed any of your information on a mobile device  you are assigning it to an electronic memory rather than commiting it to your own. Long live the brain.....and by that I mean mine not one made of chips....