I was born and raised in Pukerua Bay near Wellington, New Zealand, apart from two very formative years living with my family in Sarawak, Malaysia.

I planned to become a school psychologist and went to Victoria University and Wellington Teachers Training College. However, events took me to Vienna, Austria, where I began teaching at the American International School, and from there to the International School of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and finally to the Munich International School in Germany. During these 25 years, I taught all grades from Early Childhood to Grade 7.

While in Munich, I worked on the International Schools Curriculum Project (ISCP) which later was to become the Primary Years Program of the International Baccalaureate. I continue to lead workshops for the IB today. Learning to build a website and to film and edit 'good practice movies' has become a personal action component in the cycle of my own learning.

During my studies towards a Juris Doctor of Law Degree from Melbourne University, I had an opportunity to look at International Treaties such as the ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ and in particular at Rights no. 28 and 29 of the Convention which focus on the Right of All Children to Quality Education. This is a very important Right and represents a huge challenge for us all!

My very small contribution is to make ‘good practice movies' featuring leading educators such as inquiry learning expert, Kath Murdoch, and to make these movies freely available to educators everywhere.






BA Victoria University Wellington NZ
Diploma Tching Wellington Teachers Training College
MA (Curriculum and Administration)
Michigan State University USA
Juris Doctor of Law Melbourne University
Australia

Reading 'Telecosm' by George Gilder, was something of a 'light bulb' experience for me. Gilder's book showed me how low earth orbiting satellites, or LEOs, made it possible for voice and data to travel across the world at virtually the same speed as ground based broadband communications. My immediate reaction was - now schools and students in remote corners of the world can 'hook up' with the LEOs which crisscross the skies, and through these portals share student learning and ideas for good teaching practice.

Today, Iridium has 66 LEO satellites covering the continents and seas and Globalstar has 40 satellites. There is a huge opportunity ahead for education, although so far we have been slow to react. Powerful learning tools are coming from outside education supported by satellite communications. We can study the geography of our Earth with horizontal and vertical views from Google Earth, and explore the heavens with Google Sky. International broadcasters bring us news and communications from around the world via videophones and LEOs.

Ian Pearson, futurologist for British Telecom has said:
One of the biggest contributors to wealth and quality of life is education... Older computers cost very little and some of these could be powered by clockwork or solar power. This implies that anyone in the remotest village in the developing world can hop on to the information economy and start to earn money. And start consuming. As they gain a little skill, they can buy more equipment, better education and accelerate their progression.

Increasingly, our problems are shared problems which means we must develop an international as well as a local focus to our teaching. We must also encourage our students to search together for solutions to our common problems, such as;

enough clean water for all
enough safe food for all
clean energy production to reduce global warming
sharing resources and resolving conflicts peacefully
global health issues
global education issues

'Quality Education for All' is critical to our shared future and ICTs offer powerful tools for educating both students and teachers. Rarely do teachers have the opportunity to see how others teach or students see how other students learn. Good practice movies can inspire and educate both teachers and students and suggest approaches which they may choose to incorporate into their own teaching and learning.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by nearly every nation and guarantees every child the ‘Right to Quality Education’. How can this important Guarantee be met? The 'Water Crossing' series is my first attempt to share one possible answer and this Inquiryschools website is really a beginning 'proof of concept' - a snapshot of what is actually possible.

'Midway to the 2015 target date for achieving the 'Education for All' goals, ministers, donors, multilateral and civil society representatives all committed to a set of actions for 2008, to reach excluded groups, improve education quality and increase the financing of basic education'.

My hope is that UNESCO, which bears the principal responsibility for the UN's Goals for Education will begin to actively support the 'free sharing of good practice movies' as it seeks ways to meet its enormous responsibilities.

Inquiryschools stands ready to help in any way it can.

Sherryl Joseph
2008.