InfoMagic Standards 1993 July/Disc.iso/inet/isoc/isocnews/issue1_3/020.04a

Text File | 1993-02-08 | 5.4 KB | 125 lines

n-1-3-020.04 K-12 Networking
by Art St. George <[e-mail]>

This month's column focuses on the networking efforts in
Israel.  Among the networking activities in Israel, two
are featured here: those of the MAKASH and the Institute
of Global Communication I*EARN project.  Some of the latter's
activities were described in last month's column.

MAKASH - Advancing Computer Mediated Communications
Applications.  The project's philosophy is that computer
communication is an ideal tool for intensive and long-term
correspondence.  Further, the computer is an attractive
technology for students, affording them deep exposure,
removing barriers and creating an encounter between people
where such encounters would be unlikely in person.
Makash has received formal support from the Israel Ministry
of Education and the Information Technologies Division
of the Ministry of Communications.

The principal communication system of Makash is DOORS,
developed in Israel.  Use of DOORS is relatively inexpensive
and even for the schools with the heaviest use, the cost
seldom exceeds 100 NIS or approximately $41/month

DOORS, or Distributed Online Offline Retrieval System, is an
X.25 system running over Isranet.  It focuses on the remote PC
and performs most of the functionality at this end of the
network. It is completely menu-driven and allows for e-mail,
bulletin boards, file transfers and quries to remote databases.
High school students with no previous experience are able to use
the system after one to one and one-half hours of training.
DOORS will eventually be gatewayed to the Internet.


Before describing some of the individual Makash projects,
their features in common include:

   Clear and agreed upon understanding of the program and
   work methods by the students and staff.

   Time spent on each project is distributed throughout
   the schedule according to the needs of the teacher,
   the topic and its requirements.

   A computer teacher supports and accompanies the
   classroom teacher in each school subject.

   The projects require between 1-7 days of training
   per year.

   The duration of the projects depends on the topic but
   ranges between 3 months and one year.

   Every project concludes with a social and educational
   encounter between all of the students.

In the lower grades, here 4-6, there is currently one project
underway: Investigating the Human Body.  This project asks
the students to take measurements and collect data about
themselves for evaluation and comparison with students
at other schools.  The data range from nutrition to
blood pressure.

For 1993, another grades 4-6 project is planned.  This one
is Creative Writing and Expression and aims to improve
expressive writing skills and deeper recognition between
students from different places.

In the higher grades of 7-8 and 9-10, projects currently underway
include Water Management Programme for Israel, Ecology - the
Pollution of Streams, and  Project "Neighbors" - Jews:: Arabs
Projects planned for next year include Adolescents' Self-image
in Israel and The Supreme Court of Justice - A Simulation Game.
These projects require a combination of skills and activities
ranging from fieldwork to installation of computers and modems.

For more information on MAKASH, contact Dov Winer of Ben Gurion
University at [e-mail]

Another Israeli project of substantial proportion is ORT -
Organization for Rehabilitation through Training.

ORT is the world's largest vocational/technological training
organization and within Israel, ORT is the country's largest
secondary education network offering vocational, technological
and comprehensive education in over 150 secondary and
post-secondary educational environments.

Readers of last month's column will recall that I*EARN is a global
network using innovative methodologies and projects for the
advancement of understanding and collaborative learning. For
the past two years, ORT in Israel has operated the I*EARN center
with 12 ORT secondary schools actively involved. Presently, ORT
connects to I*EARN through the Isranet network.  A search is underway
to identify institutions through which ORT can connect to I*EARN
using the Internet.

Adding to I*EARN's global objectives, ORT is aiming to achieve
several academic goals using telecommunications..  First among
these is re-structuring of conventional teaching methods.  ORT
has made one or more of either research. development, experimentation,
or creativity a prequisite method for use in I*EARN projects.

The second goal is to use telecommunications to repare students
for participation in the information age. Because of its remoteness
and seclusion, Israel depends heavily on telecommunications for
commercial, industrial and academic improvement.  All collaborative
projects are carried out in English and ORT students joining I*EARN
have an advantage in using English as a foreign language.

This year ORT student projects included researching topics such as
the quincentennical of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, in
collaboration with a Spanish school, exchanging facts and emotions
with New York students on the implications of the Holocaust and
comparing notes on genetics with students in Minnesota

For more information on ORT in Israel, contact Gideon Goldstein
at [e-mail] and for further information about I*EARN,
contact Ed Gragert at [e-mail].

As always, if you have news of any K-12 computing or networking
around the globe, send the information to Art St. George at
[e-mail]