Situating Cognition and Crossing Borders: Resisting the Hegemony of Mediated Education

Abstract

Advances in technology coupled with a changing social, political and economic climate is seeing a proliferation in the growth of mediated education. Recognizing that mediated education and the application of various technologies in mediated education is constructed from a particular cultural perspective, this paper proposes to challenge this perspective, arguing that we need to develop heuristic frameworks that help us think of meeting the needs of a culturally diversified population. Using the concept of communities of practice as an analytical lens it begins by making explicit the origins of mediated education and the implications this has had for culturally marginalized peoples. Arguing that mediated education, as it is constructed, is a form of neo-colonialism, it proposes to examine mediated education within the context Giroux's concept of border crossings. Implications for application are then explored. IntroductionThe convergence of communication technology with computer technology is rapidly altering the very fabric of our lives; it is changing the way we meet, communicate, socialize, spend our leisure time, and work with people. Rheingold (1993) argues that these technological developments are changing our lives on three levels. First, technology, and in particular media developments, shape our thoughts and perceptions-how we see the world is shaped by technologies, whilst the technologies we develop and use are shaped by our thoughts, perceptions, and actions. Second, technology offers a capability of many-to-many communication, offering new opportunities for interacting with diverse others and building new, geographically dispersed communities. Third, technology has the potential to challenge the existing political hierarchy through networked social organization. Derrick de Kerckhove (1997) argues these changes in technology are changing our "reality", manifesting

Legitimizing indigenous knowledge in Zimbabwe: A theoretical analysis of postcolonial school knowledge and its colonial legacy

“…In light of new and emerging conceptions of learning in the literature, the educational community has begun to reexamine the concept "knowledge" and how it is constructed (Lauzon, 1999). The emergence of new conceptions of learning, for the most part, can be attributed to the growth of constructivism.…”

“…Indigenous perspectives on learning postulate that learning environments are varied and situational, thus acknowledging the existence of multiple perspectives on knowledge and sociocultural reality. According to Lauzon (1999), this explicitly acknowledges that values inform all knowledge construction and that, from a constructivist perspective, all knowledge is socially constructed. Thus, indigenous knowledge in Zimbabwe and other postcolonial states is not "primitive" or "backward" as once portrayed in Western philosophical thought.…”

“…In order to acquire knowledge, a learner must become directly and actively involved or socially participate in a community. Learning from this perspective is a process of social interaction that takes place within a framework of participation whereby the learner acquires the necessary skills, tools, knowledge, beliefs and values to actively participate in the community (Lauzon, 1999). Learning is thus strongly linked to the survival of the family and the community.…”

Situating Educational Computing Doctoral Students in a Community of Practice: A Rubric-driven, Online Portfolio System

“…These domain-specific values and behaviors are formed through social interaction within the domain. "Thus learning is constructed," according to Lauzon (1999), "as a process of social interaction that takes place within a framework of participation whereby learners acquire the necessary tools, skills, knowledge, beliefs, and values to actively participate in the community and eventually become a 'master' within the community" (p. 264). For educational computing doctoral students, this means engaging in the activities of an instructional system designer and educational researcher: designing instruction, collecting research data, analyzing the results, and publishing or presenting findings in journals or at conferences.…”

Distance Higher Education Experiences of Arab Gulf Students in the United States: A cultural perspective

“…Studying in the United States, participants in this study certainly had more understanding of U.S. culture and educational system than individuals who have not had the chance of studying abroad. If they were not successful to do so, they would have either reduced their participation in U.S. community or be forced to leave the community (Lauzon, 1999). Therefore, it would be interesting to replicate this study with individuals from the Arab Gulf States taking distance education courses in their home countries within their culturally relevant environment.…”