Bridging Gaps - A Review of the Online Session

The Bridging Gaps online session offered numerous insights for anyone concerned with using the internet to further multi-cultural understanding.

Most of the session was conducted by Elaine Hoter who gave an overview of the courses conducted by the Center for Technology and Multi-Culturalism. Dr. Hoter offered three different definitions of peace:

• Negative Peace - the absense of violence


• Positive Peace - cooperation, harmony, commerce, mutuality
  
• Structural Peace - equality, independence, sovereignty

She showed us that the Arab and Jewish populations of Israel each adhere to different definitions, hold different narratives about what peace entails:

Hoter emphasized that student teachers in Israel hardly ever meet their counterparts from other populations, and that the purpose of the multi-cultural course the Center runs isn't to solve problems, but is instead considerably more modest - to facilitate meetings that take place on an equal basis.

Hoter, Ganayem and Shonfeld have developed a model for interaction based on the Contact Hypothesis. Their model makes use of the internet as a buffer that permits people to establish contact before they actually meet face to face:

The presenters emphasized that even in this somewhat sheltered situation it was preferable to avoid some topics that might on first glance seem innocuous but carried numerous political overtones. They also stressed, however, that the students in the course noted that the interaction between the teachers in the course served as a model of harmony for the students themselves.

Overcoming stereotypes is, of course, never easy, but the Bridging Gaps session (a recording is available here) showed that the internet, and a great deal of goodwill, can go a long way toward doing so.

Bridging Gaps with Technology

In a couple of days (Wednesday, April 22, at 20:00 to be exact) we'll be holding a webinar devoted to the question:

How can the internet be used to bridge gaps between populations?

Israel is a society where question of multi-culturalism are critical, but that's no doubt true of many other countries, so we're hopeful that others will be able to learn from our experience - and to contribute from their own.

In that webinar the three leaders of the Center for Technology and Multi-Culturalism, Dr. Miri Shonfeld, Dr. Elain Hotter and Aasma Ganayim will discuss (in English) their experience with courses and seminars that the center facilitates.

From the Center's web site:

Teacher education colleges train the future teacher population for technology-based environments, for change and for a pluralistic society emphasizing the cultural uniqueness of each community. Inter-cultural dialogue is essential for knowledge and mutual respect as well as for a better enlightened human future.

For a glimpse into the work of the Center, we'll offer here a short video:

More on "Who, When and How?"

A week ago we wrote here about the webinar devoted to Preparing future teachers for internet-aided learning. Since then a number of materials have been edited and we can now make them available for further study.

• The Interwise recording of the session is accessible for anyone wishing to listen. It's an hour and a half long, in Hebrew. (In order to listen, it's necessary to install Interwise.)


• The PowerPoint presentation that accompanied the session (also in Hebrew) is also accessible.

In the session, Olzhan Goldstein reported on her research. The review of the literature that's part of her research (again, in Hebrew, as a Word document) is available. In addition, the bibliography, primarily in English this time, can be downloaded separately.

We hope these resources can enrich the understanding both of those who participated in the session, as well as those who have found this page only afterwards.