While reading an old conference proceeding, I came across a quote that I resonated with. Lael Woodbury said this: “I know how surprised I was when I was first introduced to the problem of intercultural communications, and how grateful I am that I have been sensitized to it… I’m really quite conscious now of the problems that I hear cited over and over again. Frankly, I’m a little weary of hearing them…I don’t know how to use it or what to do with it…Can we now move beyond the stage of saying we have a problem [the sensitizing process], giving examples of a problem, and hoping that someone, somewhere will do something about it?” (Crossing Bridges of World-wide Understanding)

Part of the issue is sensitizing – and I actually think quite of that is still needed. But so much more beyond that needs a systematic plan of research, or else I can imagine many people getting frustrated because they do not know what to do about it, throwing their hands up, and simply going back to work as usual – because although it is ineffective it was manageable.

I have been developing a systematic plan surrounding certain questions that I want answered, either through my own or others’ research. I am curious what the key questions are in the minds of others in this specific field of the interaction of culture, instructional design, and emerging technologies?
In conjunction with that, I would love to know (and I am working on identifying) what research currently exists in partial answer to those questions, and what additional research we could collaborate on in order to fill the gaps.