Building Global Communities - Visiting Korean Schools
NetNZ Korean language classes have participated in online cultural exchanges with Korean schools for the past eight years. Luckily, I have been invited to visit two high schools (Sookmyung Girls' High School and Seoul Digitech High School) in Seoul, South Korea last April. These two schools have been one of the schools that have been involved in exchanges for the past four years.
As a teacher seeking to provide students with more engaging and authentic cultural educational experiences, this visit to these Korean schools reinforced the benefits of our cultural exchanges.
Online cultural exchange with Korean schools offers a wide range of advantages.
It enhances students' understanding of different cultures and customs. Talking directly with Korean students, they share experiences and learn about the values, norms, traditions, and culinary culture of another culture. This broadens their understanding of diversity and fosters a more open and inclusive perspective.
It helps develop students' language skills. By engaging in conversations and sharing information with Korean students, they communicate using both Korean and English. This helps enhance their language proficiency and develop the ability to converse with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
It provides students with opportunities for international collaboration and networking. Students can collaborate with each other on projects or participate in groups with shared interests, such as Korean history, food, K-pop, school life, hobbies, and more. This allows them to form relationships and enhance their capabilities. This international networking can also be helpful for future academic study and career choices.
The online cultural exchange also strengthens students' digital literacy. Students utilize various online tools and platforms to participate in cultural exchange activities and effectively communicate with each other. This greatly aids in improving their communication and collaboration skills in digital environments. The commonly used tools and platforms include Google Meet, Zoom, Padlet, Jamboard, Online Book Creator, Slideshow, email, social media, KakaoTalk, and more.