roundtable: Re: Responsive Proposal (fwd)

roundtable: Re: Responsive Proposal (fwd)

Re: Responsive Proposal (fwd)

Majid Tehranian (majid@hawaii.edu)
Fri, 1 Sep 1995 18:00:31 -1000 

Date: 	Fri, 1 Sep 1995 18:00:31 -1000
From: Majid Tehranian <majid@hawaii.edu>
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject: Re: Responsive Proposal (fwd)
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950901180009.22666H-100000@uhunix.its.Hawaii.Edu>


dear vigdor:

i'm grateful for your vigorous response.  it is better to be opposed than 
to be ignored.  i share most of your concerns, but i still believe it is 
better to focus on the process of building up a global classroom rather 
than decide ahead of time what that classroom is going to teach.  i have 
enough faith in my acenet colleagues that i hope the classroom will 
enlighten all of us on some of the issues you have raised.  but in a 
systematic and scholarly fashion.  

cheers, majid

Majid Tehranian
<majid@hawaii.edu>


On Fri, 1 Sep 1995, Cynthia Bock-Goodner wrote:
> > 
> >Sender: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
> >Subject: Responsive Proposal (fwd)
> >
> >Here is an issue shaping up of immiediate concern to educators but also
> >of vital concern to the future of the Internet.
> >
> >Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
> >
> >---------- Forwarded message ----------
> >Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 08:35:40 -1000
> >From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
> >To: Multiple recipients of list <ace-l@hawaii.edu>
> >Subject: Responsive Proposal
> >
> >
> >ACADEMY FOR GLOBAL COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION (ACENET)
> >A Proposal for Collaborative Global-Local Learning
> >------------------------------------------------------
> >A Response for the Creation of a Desirable Future
> >By Vigdor Schreibman
> >
> >To confront the problems of the world and search for ways to overcome them,
> >Majid Tehranian has proposed that educational institutions around the world
> >collaborate in globalizing and localizing the utilization of educational
> >resources.  The evident intent is to take charge of the opportunities
> >presented by the advent of global information and communications systems, for
> >the good of mankind.  Nevertheless, to keep this initiative simple, Majid
> >would define no governing purposes and values, no explicit set of problems to
> >be overcome, and no systemic strategies or methodologies by which competent
> >collaboration toward those ends may be realized, suggesting that these may
> >best be defined independently, at local levels of the proposed ACENET.
> >
> >In the absence of explicit definition of the governing systems of action,
> >what is certain is that they will be governed by the implicit set of purposes
> >and values that now dominate the world order.  This proposal is, therefore,
> >a prescription to take over the emerging opportunities that are inherent to
> >global communications and assure maintenance of the status quo in the
> >global structure of power.  I rise to strongly oppose this proposal.
> >
> >Any collaborative effort designed to foster genuine progress for humanity,
> >through utilization of the emerging information and telecommunications
> >infrastructures, should start with a sound methodology for the creation of
> >a desirable future [See e.g., Christakis, A New Policy Science Paradigm,
> >FUTURES (Dec. 1973): pp. 543; Ozbekhan, Toward a General Theory of
> >Planning, in PERSPECTIVES OF PLANNING (OEDC Report, Jantsch ed. 1968): pp.
> >47-155)].  This requires an assessment of the existing situation and a
> >vision of the future that the people desire to create, together with a
> >strategy that can most likely overcome the gap between where we are and
> >where we desire to be.
> >
> >Rather than trying to solve the problems of the world without defining
> >them and without a clue as to the most effective strategy to follow, I
> >have recommend below that a modest undertaking be carefully considered by
> >the global educational community.  This would involve the design of the
> >infrastructure that is emerging in the United States to assure that it
> >serves the paramount public goods that the market system disregards,
> >instead of serving primarily to maximize the profits of the
> >mega-corporations that Alvin Toffler has called "global gladiators," who
> >are now unilaterally driving the emerging systems.
> >
> >Warm regards to all.
> >
> >Vigdor Schreibman <fins@access.digex.net>
> >
> >--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >[document 3 of 3]
> >
> >Date:   Mon, 28 Aug 1995 10:47:20 -1000
> >From: Majid Tehranian <majid@hawaii.edu>
> >To: Multiple recipients of list <ace-l@hawaii.edu>
> >Subject: proposal
> >
> >dear acenet friends:
> >
> >i'm grateful to vigdor for breaking the silence of august on acenet.  his
> >idea is an excellent one, and here is my response to it.
> >
> >when we started acenet, the main objective was to provide a global
> >classroom that could educate its members for global citizenship.  this is
> >an urgent need in a world torn by parochial interests.  but we also felt
> >that the feat could not be achieved except through collaborative
> >global-local collaboration.  the following proposal has been already
> >submitted to the Dean of Social Science at the University of Hawaii.  He
> >has welcomed it and intends to look into fund-raising possibilities for
> >the project.  would you also consider it for your institution?  if we
> >find a sufficient number of institutions willing and able to collaborate,
> >we will have opportunities for abled as well disabled people to reach out
> >to each other in learning about what plagues this world and how we can
> >approach some possible remedies.
> >
> >
> >ACADEMY FOR GLOBAL COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION (ACENET)
> >A Proposal for Collaborative Global-Local Learning
> >Submitted by Majid Tehranian
> >University of Hawaii  & Harvard University
> >
> >        With the introduction of INTERNET and the World Wide Web,
> >interactive global communication and education have become real
> >possibilities.  Currently, INTERNET reaches over 100 countries and about
> >30 million users.  By the year 2000, a network nation of over 100 million
> >users around the globe will be employing its resources for a variety of
> >purposes.  The challenge will be how to employ these resources toward
> >education for global citizenship and local responsibility.   This
> >proposal for the establishment of an Academy for Global Communication and
> >Education (ACENET) is aimed at such an enterprise.
> >
> >Purpose.  The objectives of ACENET are threefold:
> >        1) To provide an exceptional educational opportunity for students
> >at all levels to pursue an intensive and in-depth course of study on a
> >particular global theme selected for each different academic year.
> >        2) To globalize educational processes through a maximum use of
> >all available face-to-face and telecommunication channels to bring
> >students and teachers together from as many nodes,  countries, and
> >perspectives as possible for collaboration in joint educational and
> >research enterprises, including telelectures, telecourses,
> >teleconferences, and tele-research.
> >        3) To localize educational responsibility by mobilizing the
> >resources of each node in order to enrich the total intellectual and
> >material resources available to the global network.
> >
> >Organization:  ACENET will be a network organization.  The network will
> >be kept simple and decentralized with a minimum of administrative
> >overhead.  At each node, a director and a steering committee will
> >determine the educational policies and programs in consonance with the
> >local educational rules and regulations.   The directors of the local
> >nodes will, in turn, form the steering committee of the global ACE
> >network responsible for the development of its global educational
> >policies and programs.
> >
> >Curriculum:   Each ACENET node will determine its own policies with
> >respect to the recruitment of its local faculty and students, the
> >courses offered within ACE's global framework, and the methods of course
> >evaluation and accreditation.   Topics might include Human Rights,
> >Environment, Disarmament, World Ocean Resources, World Trade and
> >Development, Science and Technology Transfers, Global Communication,
> >Wisdom, Tolerance, Multiculturalism, Intellectual Property Rights,
> >Ethnonationalist Movements, and Women and Development.   An
> >interdisciplinary  program of course(s) will be offered around any of
> >these topics during the entire academic year.  The year will culminate in
> >an international conference on the same topic at site(s) to be chosen by
> >the steering committee.  Students and teachers of the host institution(s)
> >will be responsible for the organization of the conference.
> >
> >Budget:   Each ACENET node will be essentially self-supporting with its
> >own budget raised from intramural sources.  However, to establish the
> >global network, to develop prototype curricula, to hold international and
> >regional conferences, and to disseminate the results would require
> >foundation, corporate, government, or membership support.
> >
> >Status:   Since June 1995, an ACENET listserv has been established at
> >the University of Hawaii, including over 100 members from a diversity of
> >institutions across the globe.  The group is currently exploring the
> >possibilities for global-local learning collaboration via INTERNET and
> >the Web.
> >
> >with best wishes and looking forward to your responses, majid
> >
> >
> >[document 2 of 3]
> >
> >Date: Sun, 27 Aug 1995 08:10:43 -0400 (EDT)
> >From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access1.digex.net>
> >To: ace-l@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu
> >Subject: Query
> >
> >I recently published a 3500 word essay on the topic "Common Sense in
> >Cyberspace: A Cause for People Power." An individual responded by
> >suggesting that we begin to empower the people through a survey of their
> >recommendations with regard to the telecommunications infrastructure.
> >This individual is a permanently disabled former navy man, who lives with
> >his wife and children, in Arizona, and is interested in political
> >discussion.  My response included a recommendation that we consider
> >development of a tutorial that would prepare participants with adequate
> >understanding of the existing situation and alternative possibilities.
> >
> >I also suggested that ACE might have something to offer such an
> >undertaking.  What do members of this list say?
> >
> >
> >[document 1 of 3]
> >
> >Date: Sun, 27 Aug 1995 07:39:09 -0400 (EDT)
> >From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access1.digex.net>
> >To: ZenWheels@aol.com
> >Subject: Re: People Power
> >
> >On Sun, 27 Aug 1995 ZenWheels@aol.com wrote:
> >
> >> In a message dated 95-08-26 11:21:49 EDT, you write:
> >>
> >> >The only way to get real competition, which all Americans would applaud,
> >> >is by greatly enlarging the empowerment of the people to tell their
> >> >representatives in Washington, what they desire for the future.  Until we
> >> >get that broad and sustained deployment of people power, things will likely
> >> >continue to go in the very opposite direction we would both like to see.
> >>
> >> We can take this idea and do something constructive.
> >>
> >> Start a survey. Ask everyone to name ONE thing that the telecommunications
> >> industry should be asked to do that would have the MOST effect on improving
> >> the lives of Joe Public. Compile the results and send an abstract to our
> >> fearless leaders in congress.
> >>
> >> Be glad to help with this any way I can.
> >
> >  Not a bad idea.  Let's think it through together.  Here are my first
> >impressions.
> >
> >  As you are aware the telecommunications infrastructure is a multilevel,
> >complex piece of machinery. We are unlikely to obtain the most meaningful
> >results by just dumping the ultimate raw question on the users.  What is
> >necessary, in my view, is an understanding by the participants of the
> >existing situation and viable alternatives, before a competent choice of
> >preferred alternatives is possible.  In addition, a description of the
> >existing situation and preferred alternatives should reflect all of the
> >important dimensions of the knowledge and perspectives that the problem
> >situation and alternatives arise from.
> >
> >  Perhaps, someone with distance learning capabilities could help create:
> >a) a tutorial that would satisfy the above; and b) a survey questionnaire.
> >There is one group that I know of on the Net that could possibly help in
> >that regard.  They have a discussion list called the "Academy for Global
> >Communication and Education" (ACE-L).  This is how they describe their
> >purpose:
> >
> >        The purpose of this listserv is to develop global classrooms and
> >        to encourage collaborative global-local educational projects and
> >        experiences. It may thus be considered as a mutual exploitation
> >        society of kindred spirits to promote global learning.  Members
> >        of the  list are at once teleprofessors and telestudents employing
> >        the vast resources of the cyberspace for their joint educational
> >        ventures.  At the simplest level, this could mean giving a
> >        telelecture in a colleague's virtual classroom. At a more complex
> >        level, it could mean collaborative teaching/learning in a
> >        telecourse designed together wholly or partially. At still higher
> >        levels of ambition, it could involve a collaborative research
> >        project, book, or any other creative work.
> >
> >  The most immediate need, I would think, involves broad bipartisan
> >sponsorship of the initiative.  The important qualification of participants
> >should be their commitment to genuinely empower the people to become
> >disciplined masters of their own shared future.
> >
> >  Libraries and public interest groups I know, who could be expected to
> >commit themselves to such an exercise in people power with enlightened
> >good will, may be interested in signing on to such an undertaking.  Your
> >thoughts?
> >
> >Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>

[CNI Home Page]