Zusammenfassung
The multiple dimensions of globalization bring with it both positive
and negative consequences for the world, its countries and individuals.
It is argued that the effects of globalization produce inequalities,
excluding nations and people from the dominant system. The emergence
of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is seen as one
of the leading forces of globalization, connecting people through
expansive networks that have flattened the world. Education is the
driving force leading to the economic, political, cultural, and social
development of a country. Citizenship encompasses the rights and
responsibilities an individual has within his/her community and society.
But in a globalized world the notion of an educated person and the
concept of citizenship are being redefined, and both education and
citizenship play an important role in equipping individuals with
the necessary knowledge and skills to be active participants in society,
in essence to be global citizens. It is up to us as individuals to
address both the positive and negative challenges that globalization
brings; efforts must be put forth to include the excluded.
This investigation goes further on the concept of the digital divide
as defining those who have and those who don't have access to technology.
It becomes important to investigate how those who have access to
ICT are using these technologies and being excluded or included in
their societies and in the world. Therefore, the purpose of this
study is to identify how students from a developing and a developed
country (Brazil and the U.S. respectively), who have access to ICT,
are currently using them. Traits of global citizenship and socially
valued ways of ICT use are delineated and examined with the goal
of characterizing who is socially excluded and socially included
in the globalized world. Results inform how globalization, education,
citizenship and ICT use are reflected in the self perceptions ofstudents
from both countries. These traits suggest their readiness to act
as global citizens, think critically, make informed decisions, and
be active participants in the global society.
Nutzer