SchoolNets in Asia-Pacific
So far, SchoolNets, like everything else in Asia-Pacific, differ widely from country to country. At worse, they may involve a simple resource base for students and teachers of one school, perhaps with a simple level of interactivity, such as a question and answer service by e-mail. At best they include nationwide or international networks of schools, teachers, parents and resources; forums; databases; teacher training; interaction among students and teachers; collaborative projects between schools and nations and more. Students become engaged in exploration and simulation instead of being passive recipients of information. Teachers can use ICTs for administrative and assessment purposes. This section details SchoolNets in the Asia-Pacific region from all across this spectrum of development.
ASEAN SchoolNet
Creating equal opportunities in education for the ASEAN countries, the UNESCO/ ASEAN SchoolNet project will explore and demonstrate how ICT can be used in schools, improving the quality of education for all and better preparing youth for the demands of the Knowledge Society. The project will test innovative models of ICT use and of ICT-based teaching education, teaching-learning methods, and curriculum/materials development in schools and in other places of learning. The establishment of SchoolNet in the ASEAN countries will also lend an improved connectivity and access to the wealth of educational resources.
The Asia-Europe Classroom (AEC).
Conceived in 1998, the Asia-Europe Classroom (AEC) serves as an online forum for high school students in the two regions to encourage inter-cultural exchanges. It aims to encourage the advancement of education through the use of information technology, and also to contribute to a stronger knowledge and partnership between high school students and teachers in Asia and Europe. AEC is currently running and planning a range of innovative, boundary-breaking projects.
Cambodia SchoolNet
The KhmerBuddhist.org Organization @KBDO organizes in partnership with local organizations 9 months training in 3 schools, sponsored by Cambodiaportal.com. This portal is the first of its kind in Cambodia to offer material in Khmer, English, French and Spanish.
C@mbridge online
This joint project between Cambridge University International Examinations and SNP Panpac Pte ltd offers two sites designed to give GCE "O" level students a comprehensive revision package. The project is supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore.
- Mathematics
Here you will find unpublished, past year exam questions, revision exercises, and tutorial notes. Cambridge On-line also acts as a personal tutor, guiding students as they progress, with hints and notes for more effective learning. History
This interactive, visually pleasing site offers rich historical content in a variety of formats, with a special focus on Southeast Asia
Cantatech
Cantatech is a cluster of area schools and high schools in the South Island, New Zealand. These schools share teachers on-line to enable them to offer a broader range of subjects at a senior level. Cantatech also runs distance learning programmes, where a teacher in one school delivers an on-line programme to students in 1 or more of the other schools within the group and occasionally beyond. In 2003 they have about 95 students from 12 schools.
EdNA Online Education Network Australia
EdNA Online is a service that aims to support and promote the benefits of the Internet for learning, education and training in Australia. Organised around Australian curriculum, its tools are free to Australian educators, and it is funded by all Australian governments. As a communications service, EdNA Online aims to promote collaboration and cooperation throughout the Australian education and training sectors and facilitate the growth of networks of common interest and practice. They also act as an information service, providing a directory about education and training in Australia, as well as a database of web-based resources useful for teaching and learning. As a service provider EdNA Online also provides a range of tools to assist in the management and discovery of information resources.
Edukasi - Indonesia
As a learning site, e-dukasi.net has several features and facilities that are valuable both for students and teachers. The main feature contains learning materials that currently focus on Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics for students of Senior Secondary Schools or the Vocational Secondary School level. Based on the latest curriculum, the learning materials were developed by experts, including curriculum developers, experienced teachers and lectures, media developers, programmers, graphic designers, and animators. The materials are presented in an appealing design in the form of learning content, and simulations and tests, making learning both fun and easy. As a supporting feature, e-dukasi.net also provides several useful facilities such as a discussion room and a mailing list, special presentations on popular science, competency tests, search engines, and downloadable resources.
Edunet for You (Korea)
A comprehensive information service, EDUNET provides excellent educational resources and services. As an online educational information system, their site contains thousands of online services such as sharing educational resources, creating an online learning community, and personalized service. Users may access EDUNET from anywhere via the Internet. Online services are provided for everyone free of charge. EDUNET is an online community open to everyone. EDUNET is developed and managed by KERIS (Korea Education & Research Information Service) established by the Ministry of Education and HRD in April of 1999. While their site offers a description in English, all materials are in Korean.
ENO-Environment Online
ENO-Environment Online is a global virtual school where environmental data is shared with both participants and the global community. ENO unites schools to learn interactively together in spite of location, cultural differences or levels of prosperity. There are 73 ENO schools in 43 countries, many of them in developing countries - in the Asia-Pacific area, there are two in Australia, one in China, four in India and one in New Zealand. Four different environmental themes are studied within a school year (Social, Natural and Cultural Environment and Sustainable Development), with a special curriculum with weekly tasks. Students from participating schools study together, submit data from their local environments and analyse it together, using the database, the discussion forum, videochats for online lessons and e pals for social connections.
E-nvironment Malaysia
This is a virtual community dedicated to promoting the study, appreciation, conservation and protection of the Malaysian natural heritage. The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) aims to use this platform to achieve its mission to promote an appreciation of nature, facilitate positive conservation and to educate the public on the wise use of natural resources. In collaboration with 12 schools nationwide, MNS will build Nature camps and IT-enabled nature clubs, as well as setting up online information kiosks in various locations. For research and special interest groups, electronic bulletin boards will be established.
KakakTua.com
Through the Pendidikan Perdana project KakakTua.com was developed, an e-learning web portal developed to help students revise for their exams in a fun and effective manner via the Internet. The aim is to help students achieve top study grades in an enjoyable way, while developing e-learning skills and enhancing teacher-student relationships. At the core of the site is the Learning Centre, where students can practise revision questions and even submit essays for marking by online teachers. The site includes an intelligent assessment system, which will not only gives immediate feedback to the student, but also allows students, parents and teachers to track their performance on every subject. The web site will also enable students and teachers to interact via the Internet in various educational and extra-curricular activities such as the posting of literary contributions online, a counselling programme, E-pen pals with local and foreign students and contests. Current activities include the development of an online examination.
Keris Korea
KERIS provides educational service via EDUNET based on cutting-edge ICTs, while promoting the full utilization of education and research information, securing and providing educational content and core software programs and offering training courses that teach educators and students how to make the most of ICTs. They also help schools and related government agencies with administrative digitalisation, provide a high-tech system for cyber and lifelong educational services and set up computerized systems at school libraries.
Macau School Network
Offered in Cantonese, this site links Schools in Macau through a webboard, a virtual classroom, a teacher’s corner, a question and answer facility and more.
MathNet Korea
Maths content offered in Korean. Minimal content also in English.
Penang e-Learning
This community portal was developed as a tool to facilitate interaction amongst interest groups, common members and the general public. The community’s mission is to set global standards in e-learning and to educate Malaysians towards the process of life-long learning. Until now, over 250 teachers from 121 schools have been trained and over 100 school web sites uploaded to Penang e-Learning Community. The portal was developed to support the School-Industry Partnership Initiative (SIPI), which aims to transform the marginalized schools into top performing schools through the use of current information technology, transfer of skills and expertise.
Pilipinas SchoolNet
The vision of Pilipinas SchoolNet is to build a network of schools throughout the Philippines that will leverage the Internet and related technologies to improve teaching and learning and to better prepare the Filipino youth to meet the demands of the knowledge economy. Pilipinas SchoolNet is committed to addressing the Digital Divide within the country--between those who have access to the Internet and those who do not--by promoting the effective and sustainable use of computers and the Internet in schools, particularly those in underserved communities.
SchoolNet India
Offering various business programmes and learning initiatives, SchoolNet India is committed to enhancing the quality and delivery of education across the learner spectrum. The focus is on integrating technology in the teaching and learning process. SchoolNet works in partnership with education institutions and the government agencies to supplement and support their existing initiatives. SchoolNet has developed The K-10 Programme and the regional language variants, The K-10 Regional Programme, to address the requirements of schools across the socio-economic strata. The programmes enable schools to use simple and cost effective technology solutions to address the requirements of learning that is relevant in today's’ context. The emphasis is to work in partnership with schools in order that they are better prepared to meet with the requirements of the knowledge era; through the involvement of all stakeholders.
SchoolNet for Islamic Schools in Malaysia
Using Internet technologies to deliver educational related material and solutions that enhance knowledge and performance of the learners, this project aims to develop an e-learning community. Initially two schools were involved. Students can always access the web-based courseware when they need. Virtual communities including parents-teachers; students-teachers or student-student are being set up through asynchronous or synchronous type of interactive medium. Information and knowledge towards improving the students' performance can be shared. Among the activities already accomplished are IT literacy training for teachers, a workshop for web based multimedia courseware development, IT and e-learning awareness workshop for the parents and IT being taught as one of the subjects in the schools.
SchoolNet Japan
SchoolNet Japan is an organization of educators who are interested in the development and utilization of the Internet in primary and secondary education. Its Japanese name is "Tokai SchoolNet Kenkyukai." Since its establishment in December,1994, this organization has had the objectives to develop a mailing list among members to share information, technical support, and planning of activities, as well as Bi-monthly off-line meetings such as lectures, workshops and special events.
School Internet - Japan
To promote the use of the Internet in the educational sector, the School Internet project established a network for research and development, with which primary, middle and high schools are connected. With the use of this network, the ministries are conducting research and development into highly advanced network-building technology, data transmission technology, etc. By 2003, more than 3,000 schools had become connected to the network.
SchoolNet Thailand
SchoolNet Malaysia
With nearly 250,000 hits to date, SchoolNet Malaysia provides wide-ranging content and networking opportunities for schools in the Malaysian language.
ThinkQuest@JAPAN
ThinkQuest@JAPAN is the Japanese version of ThinkQuest program which started in 1998. ThinkQuest@JAPAN is not a program only for the Japanese living in Japan but it is also for the Japanese living abroad and foreigners studying Japanese language in Japan and abroad. In the Japanese contest, there are "Junior High School/High School students Division" and "University students/Adults Division." By 2001, its fourth year of the program, ThinkQuest@JAPAN has provided an opportunity to master Internet style of learning to over 3,000 participants, and offers the educational library resources of 148 entries made by its participants from 1998-2000 Contest.
ThinkQuest Singapore
ThinkQuest Singapore features a ThinkQuest Junior program for girls and boys ages 9 to 11.
Virtual access
Virtual access is an educational website aimed at providing an interactive environment for socio-educational activities for secondary school students and teachers. It is envisaged that this pilot project, which involves schools in Penang, will provide the impetus for increased Internet usage by students and teachers nationwide. The site features e-learning modules, interest group activities, e-counselling, online competitions and educational resources. The seven sections on this website named “Virtual Clubhouse”, “Net Teacher”, “Net Guide”, “The Challenge”, “Wish List”, “Virtual Resource Centre” and “Virtual Fair” are highly interactive and act as platforms for the contributions of both students and teachers. Teachers and students from selected schools will be given exposure and training on Internet skills, webpage design and publishing techniques. Online tutorials on web page development will be made available on the website, as well as a variety of other online activities.
Virtual Schooling Service
The Virtual Schooling Service (VSS) uses innovative delivery strategies, such as Blackboard, and a range of learning technologies to support students at a distance. Since its inception in 2000 with a focus on senior secondary subjects, it has grown to include a junior secondary subject and modules on English as a Foreign Language. The Virtual Schooling Service now comprises three main areas:
- i-school - delivers secondary school subjects to school–based students within Education Queensland. At present there are 544 students from 79 schools across the state enrolled in 8 i–school subjects.
- i-support - online support services for students across the state. This service will offer opportunities and resources additional to those available at a school for teachers, support staff and students.
- i–school international - will expand the VSS to deliver an online interactive course that embeds the English language in the context of Queensland -focused themes and language use.
