Facilitating Educational and Social Change Online
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Interaction

Interaction, as an educational term, is frequently misused, and therefore misunderstood. With the introduction of CD-Roms and other educational software to the classroom, educational technologists have begun to use the term "interactive" to describe programs that facilitate interaction between students and information. These programs are designed to give students control over the pace at which they proceed through the program and the information they eventually reach. The same is true of many educational Web sites which are pitched as "interactive" based solely on the hyper-navigability of the Web.

This redefining of interactive education ignores both the original meaning of the term and the most potentially valuable contribution of the Internet: the facilitation of interaction among people. In the spirit of Multicultural Education, self-development, and prejudice reduction, the Internet can facilitate such interaction on a global, intercultural level.

DiversityWeb, for example, houses the Leader's Guide and the Institution Profiles, both rich informational resources. We have taken advantage of Internet technology to create a centralized hub where such information can be easily stored and accessed. We also provide contact information for individuals behind the programs and institutions we highlight, affording individuals the opportunity to connect with colleagues doing similar work, teaching similar classes, or facing similar challenges at other institutions of higher education. Likewise, the Pavilion also houses the Multicultural Discussion Board, a Web-based version of MCPavilion.. Through these and other resources on the Pavilion, educators can learn from each other's experiences and become part of the Multicultural Education dialogue which, until recently, has been dominated by academicians and educational theorists.

Sites Encouraging Interaction with First Person Sources:

  1. Sidney Finkel's Page: A Holocaust survivor tells his story, and invites discourse from visitors to his page
  2. Chabad-Lubavitch in Cyberspace: Encourages visitors to send in questions about Judaism
  3. Eyewitness: A North Korean Remembers: The online autobiography of Kim Young Sik, a North Korean, sharing his memories of the Korean War and encouraging visitors to email him

Sites Facilitating Intercultural Interaction Among Educators and Students

  1. Cyberkids Connections: A virtual online community for children around the world to communicate via chat rooms and discussion boards with online penpals, and hosts a kid's talk group
  2. Intercultural Email Classroom Connections: A service to connect teachers and classes interculturally via Email discussion forums
  3. Youth Lists from YOUTH! Be Yourself: Email discussion forums for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth, offering support and an opportunity to share their stories and ideas
  4. The Multicultural Forum: Web-based discussion board specifically for discussing multicultural issues and education
  5. DiversityWeb Work Rooms: Discussion boards on specific issues regarding diversity in higher education
  6. Outproud! Message Boards: Discussions for educators and others from the National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth
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Designed and maintained by Paul Gorski
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/multicultural/presentations/AmStudies/interaction.html