Taking it global and kidlink

These two websites both contain great resources for celebrating cultural diversity in students. The Taking it Global website (TIG) has an entire section on culture and identity, with various classifications such as blogs, projects, toolkits, activities and books. The Kidlink website also has a section devoted to cultural and ethnic awareness, with areas where students can explore and discuss their individuality and uniqueness. These websites are so important for children today because our schools and classrooms are becoming more diverse and rich in cultural awareness. Education has embraced the concept of celebrating the differences between our students and young children have opportunities to explore cultures, traditions and backgrounds which are very different from their own. Once upon a time, classrooms were homogeneous environments, and students who had any sort of cultural uniqueness were made to feel as outsiders or inferior beings.

Taking it Global also has internet links and resources on a variety of topics. Among these options, I really liked the white paper on intercultural dialogue. This white paper focuses on the importance of using dialogue and conversation to combat violence, aggression and disharmony in our communities, great and small. Although kidlink discusses the importance of celebrating our diversity, the Taking it Global website looks at this issue in a presumably more global fashion.

Although I found both websites to be informative and useful for classroom teachers and higher ed professionals, they each took a bit of a different spin and perspective on the issue of cultural diversity and made it work for their respective identities. Both websites offer valuable information, in different venues, and in differing formats.