Online Learning and Community Cohesion (Book Review).

Textbook Details: Learning and Community Cohesion Written by Roger Austin and Bill Hunter 2013, 179 pages, Published by Routledge, ISBN: 978-0-415-51028-8 (hbk) 978-0-203-07438-1(ebk) Online Learning and Community Cohesion, is an innovative and comprehensive prospectus on the utility of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and the extent to which it can reduce prejudice in public education, by establishing common social boundaries which bring students and teachers together for a common purpose. The book also explores and analyzes the ways in which ICT has been used in various countries around the world to promote citizenship, inclusion and community cohesion. The authors examine the theoretical frameworks of ICT initiatives in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, the European Union, Canada, and the United States. The rationale for the project is based on the premise that increasing has resulted in the creation of greater numbers of heterogeneous groups, resulting in the potential for both rich cultural exchanges and a tendency toward tribalism. In the book the authors attempt to analyze the role of the school and the extent to which technology promotes cross-cultural interchange, and reduces prejudice by establishing common social boundaries. It is the underlying premise of the book that, globalization has resulted in communities that are far more heterogeneous, and where intergroup intergroup contact has the potential to either foster rich cultural interchange or to provoke tension spilling over into violence (p. 1). The authors stress the significance of social identity and self-expression, and the importance of understanding the dynamic of a global group setting which by definition acknowledges diversity and cultural exchange. The use of ICT on a global level can promote online school projects which create deliberative environments that accommodate a global perspective. The authors point out that this has significance for pedagogy and the changing role of the teacher to accommodate twenty-first century learning practices. As such, the need for ongoing innovative teacher professional development should be deemed a priority. The authors stipulate that meaningful online contact can be achieved using a combination of traditional teaching and learning models such as: a teaching model based on formal lessons utilizing e-books and other media; an informal contact model where students are brought together to share ideas, social activities and cultural exchange; a task model designed to work on joint projects and establish common perspectives; and a cluster model which incorporates elements of the aforementioned approaches. It is suggested that, notwithstanding the potential for meaningful global interaction in education, school divisions in cities and countries where social isolation based on race and ethnicity is the norm, need to change their practices from within before looking beyond their borders for global collaborative partners. The expressed intent of the book was the examination of the use of ICT to foster community cohesion. …

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