Media Reviews


Journal of International Social Studies 

http://www.iajiss.org 

 

 

Volume I  Number 1 43  Fall 2010 

 

Media Review  

Editor’s Message 

Electronic circuitry has overthrown the regime of “time” and “space” and pours upon us instantly and 

continuously the concerns of all other men [sic]. It has reconstituted dialogue on a global scale. Its 

message is Total Change, ending psychic, social, economic, and political parochialism. (McLuhan, 

1967, p 18.). 

     Penned more than a generation ago, 

McLuhan articulated our need to think 

globally, however it is only in the past 

decade that communication technologies 

have lowered in price to the point where 

frequent international conversations are 

ubiquitous in academic circles. While the 

International Assembly of the National 

Council for the Social Studies has existed 

since 1994, the nature of online forums, 

such as this new journal, enable us to start a 

conversation amongst vast numbers of social 

studies educators around the world rather 

than just with the few colleagues (their 

fabulous qualities notwithstanding) who 

have been able to attend annual conferences 

of NCSS in the USA.  

     The Media Review Column of the 

Journal of International Social Studies offers 

a framework for readers interested in sharing 

resources they have discovered and find 

useful or perplexing in their efforts to be the 

most effective social studies educators they 

can be. The first section offers reviews on a 

common resource, in this case social studies 

methods texts. Ruth Reynolds (Australia), 

Jennifer Tupper (Canada) and Andrea 

Milligan (New Zealand) provide thoughtful 
reviews of textbooks used by teacher 

educators in their respective nations. All 

three reviews are of edited collections used 

as social studies methods texts. As you read 

the reviews you will no doubt be struck by 

the similarities of the issues deemed 

important across different geopolitical 

locations. The second section provides a 

review of recently released media. Carolyn 

O’Mahony (USA) offers a review of Visions 

of global education: The globalization of 

curriculum and pedagogy in teacher 

education and schools, edited by longtime 

International Assembly leader Toni Fuss 

Kirkwood-Tucker.  

     Readers are strongly encouraged to 

respond through the journal website 

(iajiss.org), to participate in discussions with 

the reviewers about these texts and the 

questions they raise about teaching about 

society, as well as to submit their own 

reviews of complementary texts.    

 

Carolyn O’Mahony, Media Review Editor 

 

 

 

References 

McLuhan, M. & Fiore, Q. (1967). The      

medium is the massage: An inventory of 

effects. New York: Bantam Books.