We are experiencing a time in history when the opportunity to create universally accessible knowledge has never been more of a reality. Therefore, ASCD has seized the moment to play a major role in influencing the transformation of individual lives and of society as a whole worldwide through education.
I recently traveled to the Philippines, China, and Hong Kong as part of ASCD's efforts to expand its partnerships, both with association members and with leaders of change in education.
In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, I attended a meeting of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH). The organization identifies both the common and unique education problems and needs of the Southeast Asian countries and develops technology-based solutions to address them. Its member countries include Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
During the SEAMEO INNOTECH 53rd Governing Board meeting, ASCD was recognized as one of its new partners. This partnership will focus on areas such as education quality improvement, pre- and inservice training, and capacity enhancement of education workers.
On this trip, I also participated in discussions with education colleagues at the Institute of Curriculum and Instruction at East China Normal University (ICI-ECNU) in Shanghai, China. During these proceedings, we established the ASCD/ICI-ECNU Joint Training and Practice Center on the East China Normal University campus. This bilateral collaboration involves creating a relationship that supports and benefits the professional development needs of Chinese educators; collaborating on events and conferences; identifying new ways of promoting best practices in teaching, learning, instructional leadership, and other core subject areas; and establishing a platform for conducting and disseminating joint research projects.
I also met with officials at the Shanghai Distance Education Group (SDEG), a collaborative that provides teaching materials and software to schools in Shanghai. ASCD and SDEG have signed a memorandum of understanding that states their intention to create a relationship that supports and benefits the professional development needs of Chinese educators. Additionally, as partners, we plan to pursue efforts to distribute online courses and exchange content as well as contribute to the development, deployment, and success of the Shanghai Digital Lifelong Educational Platform.
In Hong Kong, I spoke with officials at the Modern Educational Research Society, Ltd. (MERS) and the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd). In addition to publishing textbooks, MERS enthusiastically supports the use of information technology in schools. MERS is currently developing a web-based learning platform to reinvent the entire teaching and learning process, and it has a significant interest in exploring possible partnership opportunities with ASCD.
HKIEd is the largest teacher education provider in Hong Kong. Its vision is to equip a new generation of teachers with the appropriate qualities to meet the constantly changing demands of the 21st century knowledge era. HKIEd strives to lead in the development of new learning, the fostering of distinguished scholarship, and the shaping of innovative pedagogies—all supported by quality research. I was very pleased with the course of the discussion. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear firsthand about the trends in Hong Kong's educational system and to understand Hong Kong's needs in teacher and leader education.