Role of technology and Cultural Competence Essay

Role of technology and Cultural Competence - Essay Example Teaching practices have become more efficient and effective, alongside enhancing creativity and innovativeness in the application of these technologies by students. Moreover, shifts in teaching paradigms have been realized (Bates & Poole, 2003), allowing both teachers and students to counter emerging negativities related to technology in the teaching and learning context. Cultural, social, economic, and political factors influence education in variant ways. In this respect, the assertion that public education responds primarily to political, not economic forces generates a critically arguable statement. Personally, public education addresses more than just the political factor. There are many and different stakeholders involved in the operationalization of the education sector (Prensky, 2008). On the same note, the teaching and learning environment is characterized by diverse players that exhibit differentiated interests in an education context. It is hardly arguable that all these stakeholders are politically motivated. Therefore, public education encompasses many forces, both political and economic included. The contemporary classroom environment within and across countries is characterized by cultural diversity. Multiculturalism in the global context has become essential as the internet breaks local, regional, national, and international boundaries (Montgomery, 2001). Teaching and learning practices are increasingly becoming influenced by multiculturalism, following the opening up of education to the international community. In American context, the classroom environment is made up of domestic and international students (Irvine & York, 2001). Their coexistence is coherent when multiculturalism in play. Multiculturalism informs the manner in which global diversity is being dealt with. (Paley, 1992; Gurian & Kathy, 2004) contends that the internet has enhanced global interconnectedness, thereby raising the significance of