The Foundation also funds the Pearson Foundation
which is creating online courses and assessments for the new Common Core
curriculum that are then sold by the Pearson for-profit company. Microsoft and Cisco are big promoters of information
technology in education with an obvious corporate interest in sales and
profits.
Joel Spring in his book, Education Networks, points to "shadow networks" of
people who move from corporation to foundation to government, linking and
pushing the IT policies.
But do those links operate on a global basis as
well? Not surprisingly, the answer is
yes and here are a couple of examples.
Microsoft linked up with UNESCO in 2009 to create a
UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and IT. A UNESCO-Microsoft agreement was announced at
a meeting of 150 education ministers and top bureaucrats. A UNESCO officer said that "Through the
creation of the UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force...we will help mobilize critical
strategic resources to better assist ministries of education worldwide."
(p.37)
Spring reports that the" agreement allowed
Microsoft to make major inroads into national systems of higher
education." Microsoft put $50
million into the project--in the form of
"free software and certifications which would lead to future
purchases of Microsoft products by the world's higher education systems."
(p38)
The World Economic Forum (Davos) plays a role as
well. It published a report (written by
two corporate executives of Cisco Systems who formerly worked for the World
Bank) called The Global Information
Technology Report 2010-2011 which claims that "ICT has also
proven...an important instrument for bridging economic and social divides and
reducing poverty." It's a claim that
seems somewhat overblown when compared to reality.
The future promised by the report is of a
"global consumer class" who can afford personal ICT. They are part of "a 'new global Internet
culture' where users across countries generally share similar opinions and
habits." (p. 57)
This is reminiscent of Thomas Friedman's "flat
world" thesis that globalization and technology have homogenized the
globe. It, of course, ignores the
reality of the billions of people who are not part of the global consumer class.
What are the links between national education
decision-makers and the corporate and transnational organizations promoting ICT
in education?
Is the technology having the impact of creating a
global culture? If so, is this happening
because it is desirable and desired? Or
is it an unintended consequence that can be altered if there is a social
consciousness and will to maintain diversity?
Can ICT be used to contribute to maintaining cultural diversity?
Reference:
Spring, Joel.
(2012). Education Networks: Power, Wealth, Cyberspace and the Digital
Mind. (Routlege: New York)
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