Trustworthy curriculum
TIPPINST -- While revising curriculum items for delivery in 2006, I stumbled upon the musings of Stephen Heppell who noted how international delegates at UNESCO resent being "a conduit for a vast market of US curriculum materials". If a global curriculum succeeds, it is because it is "assembled by public service partners rather than delivered by vast corporations," according to Heppell. The same holds true in an Irish classroom.
One of my biggest challenges when teaching at third level comes when localising content for Irish delivery. It's often less expensive to use American textbooks but to make the information stick, the tutorial sessions must be sourced from local outlets.
It's a comment heard during Irish teaching conferences. It's one I would like to hear online in Irish virtual conferences as well but the circle of Irish educational weblogs remains undeveloped. Nonetheless, the Irish Learning Technology Association offers high-quailty summaries of useful information, some syndicated through its Moodle group.
Stephen Heppell -- "Teachers are desperately seeking a world curiculum" in educ@guardian, June 7, 2005.
Niall Watts -- "Is there such a thing as an online learning community?"
Irish Learning Technology Association is at ILTA.dcu.ie. Powered by Moodle.
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