Fostering an international dimension and global citizenship in secondary education with digital technologies

This chapter examines related discourses internationalisation, globalisation different emphases with the term 'dimension' focusing more on institutional considerations and 'citizenship' more on individuals and their dispositions, values, attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding. It explores the rationale behind the introduction of an international dimension and global citizenship in the secondary curriculum. Social presence is understood by the authors as the participants' ability to identify with the community; cognitive presence about meaning-making through sustained reflection and discourse; and teaching presence as the pedagogical fostering of personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes. With social mobility remaining a key function for formal education, a strong focus on digital technologies can be seen to contribute considerably to a number of variables often identified as contributory to social mobility, such as economic, cultural and social capital. In the world of education, globalisation has tended to manifest itself in the form of international comparisons and league tables.