Proposed Book Abstracts

<<July 14, 1997>>

Mike Jensen
mikej@wn.apc.org

(1) Mike:

Attached is the next-to-final of the outline of your paper.

We are now ready to include it in the web site of our book publishing project.

Pls provide us with your full address (affiliation name, snail mail
address, phone/fax, etc.).

Pls also start working on its full paper.

(2) Tina:

Pls check this from your editorial viewpoint.

Thanks in advance.

Best, Tak
**************************************

A Guide to Improving Internet Access in Africa with Wireless Technologies

Study made for International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada
(August 31st 1996)

Index:
Preface
Introduction
The Radio Spectrum
Regulating the Use of Radio Frequencies
Wireless Applications
Fixed Microwave Multi-Channel Trunk Carrier Services
Long Distance Terrestrial HF Radio Networks
Geostationary Satellites
Satellite Equipment and Services
Geostationary Satellite Operators in Africa
Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) Satellites
Short Distance Local Loop Technologies
Cellular Telephony (point-to-multipoint systems)
Packet Radio
Narrowband Packet Radio
Wideband/Spread Spectrum Packet Radio and Wireless LANs
Microwave Data Systems
Fibreless Optical Systems
Digital Radio Trunking Systems
Data Broadcasting
New Information Highway Wireless Local Loop Proposals

Preface
The use of radio frequencies for wireless communications has
advanced extremely rapidly over the past few years resulting in an
explosion of possibilities for improving communications infrastructures
worldwide. In Africa in particular, wireless technologies are seen as one
of the most important ways of addressing the needs of a continent with the
least developed telecommunication system in the world.

Wireless systems also have a special role to play in meeting data
communication needs and the spread of the Internet has placed further
demands for widely accessible and reliable high-bandwidth circuits on a
generally overburdened and unstable infrastructure. However radio based
solutions are being considered so frequently for improving basic
telecommunication infrastructure that wireless access to the Internet
should also be looked at in a wider context of the provision of systems to
assist the public network in providing access to both voice and data.

This report attempts to identify the opportunities for using
wireless technologies for Internet access in this context and should be
of interest to international agencies planning development assistance
projects in the region as well as Telecommunication Operators, Internet
Service Providers and end-users. In the developed countries many wireless
technologies are being developed to meet the demand for mobile computing.
Although many of the systems discussed can also provide mobile Internet
connections, in Africa these needs are far lower and so less attention is
given to this area in the report.

Wireless solutions usually rely on proprietary hardware and software
platforms developed by a particular company - the development of open
standards is still at a very early stage and so in most cases it is
mandatory to use the same company's products at each end of a link. With
this sort of limitation in the competitive environment between suppliers
and the great variety in types of connections, equipment and protocols,
choosing a system can be difficult and there are few ongoing forti to
improve information exchange. As a result there is a strong thread of
product information in this report and an extensive list of contact
addresses and information resources on the Internet dealing with wireless
technologies are included in the Appendix.

<<Mike:
What is "forti" above? -- I could not find it in my dictionary.>>

***************

<<July 16, 1997>>

Mike Jensen
Box 18866
Hillbrow 2038
Johannesburg
South Africa
Tel: +27-11-614-8231 or +27-475-441-351 or +27-82-574-6035 (cellular)
Fax: +27-11-492-1058
Eml: mikej@wn.apc.org
http://www3.wn.apc.org/africa

(1) Mike:

Many thanks for your prompt reply of 7/16/97.

Pls shoot the end of August for your full paper. Thanks.

(2) Tina:

Pls include this in the web of our book publishing project, after
checking it from your editorial viewpoint.

Thanks in advance.

Best, Tak
**************************************
A Guide to Improving Internet Access in Africa
with Wireless Technologies

Study made for
International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada
(August 31st 1996)

Preface
The use of radio frequencies for wireless communications has
advanced extremely rapidly over the past few years resulting in an
explosion of possibilities for improving communications infrastructures
worldwide. In Africa in particular, wireless technologies are seen as one
of the most important ways of addressing the needs of a continent with the least developed telecommunication system in the world.

Wireless solutions usually rely on proprietary hardware and software
platforms developed by a particular company - the development of open
standards is still at a very early stage and so in most cases it is
mandatory to use the same company's products at each end of a link. With
this sort of limitation in the competitive environment between suppliers
and the great variety in types of connections, equipment and protocols,
choosing a system can be difficult and there are few ongoing forums to
improve information exchange. As a result there is a strong thread of
product information in this report and an extensive list of contact
addresses and information resources on the Internet dealing with wireless
technologies are included in the Appendix.

Biography of Michael Jensen

A South African, Michael Jensen has experience in 30 countries in
Africa assisting with the establishment of Internet and computer based
communications systems over the last 10 years. Originally a research
biologist, Mr. Jensen then worked as a journalist on the Rand Daily Mail
in Johannesburg. He moved to Toronto, Canada in 1985 and co-founded the
country's national non-governmental computer communications network - The
Web. Since 1990 he has worked as an independent consultant based in
Johannesburg. He was one of the principal contributors to President
Nelson Mandela's Telcom95 keynote speech in Geneva and is a member of the
African Conference of Ministers High Level Working Group which developed
the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) adopted by the
Conference of Ministers in May 1996.

Mr. Jensen is currently working on a UNESCO/ITU/IDRC joint
initiative to establish rural multi-purpose telecenters in 4 African
countries. One of the project's aims is to strengthen the national public
library organizations and to develop electronic library facilities
relevant to the needs of the rural population.

Address

Air and Water Elementary School Projects

by Rhonda Christensen and Gerald Knezek

The Air and Water Projects are curriculum-based telecommunications
projects with Internet-based, thematic, elementary school curricular
exchanges for global interaction. Since 1991, students ages seven to
twelve have participated from as many as eight nations in a project year.
The activities were designed by educators in various countries to be
student-centered. The international projects enable children in overseas
locations to share and compare information via teacher-moderated
electronic mail exchanges on the uses of water and air in their local
environments. Some project participants have taken part in
audioconferences and Slow-Scan TV (CU See-Me) video exchanges, as well.
These are long term semester projects which exhibit cooperative learning
at a global level.

Classroom Activities

The curriculum is divided into four modules. Each module sets forth
a specific topic and suggestions to be used as guidelines for
participating teachers. Each teacher then approaches these topics using
his/her own creative instructional style and lesson plans. When the
students receive module summaries, they compare the information they
gathered to the information transmitted from the other sites. For
example, classrooms at each site may gather daily rainfall data and
compare it to rainfall data at other sites. These comparisons may lead
to discussions regarding why certain regions are better adapted to
growing particular crops than others. Students are able to discuss,
make comparisons, estimate results and draw conclusions concerning cause
and effect within a reasonable time frame that wouldn't have been
feasible with regular mail.

Each year the curricular implementation also includes a short unit
at the beginning of the project to allow the participating children to
find out about their new "computer friends". This is an important
component in the success of a project of this type. Because children are
naturally curious about each other, setting aside time in the beginning
allows them to concentrate on the curriculum during the modules. The
students are researching, discovering and sharing information about water
and air in their communities.

Future Prospects

Funding is currently being sought to develop new content to extend
the scope of this project to the upper middle school level, and to expand
the email-based mode of interchange to include bilingual
(English-Spanish) Web-enhanced multimedia. If external funding is
secured, the current Web page will be upgraded to handle RealAudio/Video
segments, as well as web-launched Hyperstudio stacks. This will enable
the most interesting local culture components (accents, dress, classroom
and home environments), which now are available to students only
after-the-fact with video tape or in real-time audio exchanges, to be
immediately available around the globe as part of the introductory and
shared-analysis portions of the project.

These new project activities will take advantage of the current trend
toward individual Hyperstudio project authoring by middle school
students, giving them a feeling of direct ownership in their class's
activities through currently available technology. It is envisioned that
multiple Web pages and/or sites (RealAudio/video and Hyperstudio stacks)
will eventually evolve into different sharing clusters (usually four to
six schools from different nations), providing students and their
teachers with authentic experiences in collaborating with peers in a
global work environment.

<<July 14, 1997>>

Rhonda Christensen
Texas Center for Educational Technology
University of North Texas
P.O. Box 311337Denton, TX 76203
Voice (972) 788-4802
FAX (972) 788-2041
rhondac@tenet.edu

Dr. Gerald A. Knezek
Director, Telecommunications & Informatics Lab
Texas Center for Educational Technology
University of North Texas
P.O. Box 311337
Denton, TX 76203-1337
940-565-4195
Fax: 940-565-2185
gknezek@tenet.edu

(1) Rhonda and Gerald:

Attached is the next-to-final of the outline of your paper.

We are now ready to including it in the web site of our book
publishing project -- and later into a hard copy book after
consulting with our publisher.

Gerald:
I have one question to clear -- see below. Pls reply to me at your
earliest convenience. Thanks.

BTW, I will use this for our grant applications for our SSTTP
project, too.

Rhonda:
Pls start working on your full paper, since it may be attached
to our grant application to the NSF/Instructional Material
Development program, when we hear their favorable reply to our
preliminary proposal submitted to them soon.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Best, Tak
**************************************

Air and Water Elementary School Projects

Classroom Activities

The curriculum is divided into four modules. Each module sets forth
a specific topic and suggestions to be used as guidelines for
participating teachers. Each teacher then approaches these topics using
his/her own creative instructional style and lesson plans. When the
students receive module summaries, they compare the information they
gathered to the information transmitted from the other sites. For
example, classrooms at each site may gather daily rainfall data and
compare it to rainfall data at other sites. These comparisons may lead to
discussions regarding why certain regions are better adapted to growing
particular crops than others. Students are able to discuss, make
comparisons, estimate results and draw conclusions concerning cause and
effect within a reasonable time frame that wouldn't have been feasible
with regular mail.

Each year the curricular implementation also includes a short unit
at the beginning of the project to allow the participating children to
find out about their new "computer friends." This is an important
component in the success of a project of this type. Because children are
naturally curious about each other, setting aside time in the beginning
allows them to concentrate on the curriculum during the modules. The
students are researching, discovering and sharing information about water
and air in their communities.

Future Prospects

Funding is currently being sought to develop new content to extend
the scope of this project to the upper middle school level, and to expand
the email-based mode of interchange to include bilingual (English-Spanish)
Web-enhanced multimedia. If external funding is secured, the current Web
page will be upgraded to handle RealAudio/Video segments, as well as web-
launched Hyperstudio stacks. This will enable the most interesting local
culture components (accents, dress, classroom and home environments),
which now are available to students only after-the-fact with video tape or in real-time audio exchanges, to be immediately available around the globe as part of the introductory and shared-analysis portions of the project.

These new project activities will take advantage of the current trend
toward individual Hyperstudio project authoring by middle school students, giving them a feeling of direct ownership in their class's activities through currently available technology. It is envisioned that multiple Web pages and/or sites (RealAudio/video and Hyperstudio stacks) will eventually evolve into different sharing clusters (usually four to six
schools from different nations), providing students and their teachers
with authentic experiences in collaborating with peers in a global work
environment.

***************

<<May 10, 1997>>

Rhonda Christensen
Texas Center for Educational Technology
University of North Texas
P.O. Box 13857

****P.O. Box 311337****

Denton, TX 76203
Voice (972) 788-4802
FAX (972) 788-2041
rhondac@tenet.edu

Ms. Tina Evans Greenwood
Library Instruction Coordinator
Fort Lewis College
612 East 32nd Street
Durango, Colorado 81301-81301
970-259-1345
970-247-7684
Fax: 970-247-7149
greenwood_t@fortlewis.edu
mfteg@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu

Dr. Gerald A. Knezek
Director, Telecommunications & Informatics Lab
Texas Center for Educational Technology
University of North Texas
P. O. Box 5155

Abstract -- Teaching Youth about the Environmental Impact of Science and Technology

by Albert V. Baez

The life support systems and non-renewable resources on the Earth are being decimated by a burgeoning population which possesses unprecedented power born of science and technology. The impact of technology on the environment has in many ways been devastating. Yet science and technology have also been the greatest forces for beneficent social change in human history and will continue to be needed to solve the economic and social problems of the future. Since the future lies in the hands of our youth we must educate them to cope with its environmental problems. The damage already done to the environment is so great that all education and especially education in science must become imbued with an environmental ethic to reverse the present trend. It is noticed that the solution does not lie in adding environmental ethics courses to the science curriculum but in finding ways to allow ecological and environmental concerns to permeate existing courses and textbooks. This could have the added advantage of making them more relevant and interesting. The environmental ethic must guide all aspects of our lives and will also have to be taught by example outside of formal education.

"How, should the science curriculum be structured and science teaching organized so as to give insights into the ecological and environmental impact of technology in modern society and instill in young people a feeling of global responsibility?" This is the charge to which this paper is addressed.

In response we shall consider the ecological problems that confront humanity and how they are related to science and technology. We will give some examples of how to incorporate environmental concerns into basic science courses to achieve not only an awareness of the impact of science and technology but also a motivation on the part of young people to participate in revitalizing the Earth's environment. Introduction of the environmental dimension could, at the very least, make science courses more relevant and interesting.

Contents

Introduction
The problem: an Earth in crisis
Four related problems
Technology and environmental destruction
The relation between science and technology
Human needs = real or perceived
Ecology = the newest science
Life, rights and ethics
Links between peace and the environment
Rethinking the basics. The "four Cs"
The special role of compassion
What can be done to infuse an environmental ethic into science and technology education?
Selected resources
Infusing ecological concerns into the teaching of the basic sciences
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
Who decides what to teach?

Paper originally published in Transnational Perspectives, Vol. 16, No. 1, 1995. Re-printed by permission.

Albert V. Baez, Ph.D.
President, Vivamos Mejor/USA
58 Greenbrae Boardwalk
Greenbrae, CA 94904

phone: 415-461-2082

e-mail: Baezav@aol.com

CATARINA -- Abstract

by Mauricio Manhaes

What is CATARINA?

CATARINA is a powerful educational tool presented in CD-ROM format. It is an innovative resource which couples scientific rigor with the attractiveness of video games by permitting students to navigate easily through course lessons by means of video, texts, graphics, audio and animation. So far, lesson materials have included complex visual models such as a three dimensional display of molecules with their electrons spinning in association/dissociation. The software also allows students to interact with the experience or demonstration being presented -- an experiential learning in a virtual laboratory where students can observe changes frame-by-frame at a specified rate and can even "rewind" animated sequences to repeat them. Envisioned primarily for teaching of the natural sciences such as chemistry, physics and biology, CATARINA's main advantage is to replace traditional, segmented, static images and graphics with animated sequences, demonstrating processes as they occur in nature. CATARINA not only personalizes learning process, but also enriches the fundamental topics of school programs with text, sound and dynamic animated sequences. It is geared toward stimulating the interest of the student and encouraging him/her to participate, thereby positively reinforcing the learning process and promoting continued studies.

Concept of CATARINA

CATARINA is a set of software applications that uses animation, three-dimensional images and/or virtual reality. The idea driving the development of CATARINA is to present scientific subject matter with exactness and, at the same time, to interact with the learner in a quick and pleasant way. Students will be attracted to it as if it were a video game.

Objectives of CATARINA

CATARINA can be used whenever the visualization of the process or object will make learning easier and faster, especially at times when the subject being studied is complex and difficult for the student to understand. Due to its interactive, dynamic and open nature, CATARINA can become the ideal complement to books, handouts and traditional classes because of its fresh and useful combination of text, images and animation which allow quick explanation of concepts that would otherwise demand study of several written pages and much in-class explanation. CATARINA means a new teaching methodology whereby the computer becomes an innovating and instigating pedagogical contribution in educational informatics.

Datacasting, Proposed Plan for Africa

by Marcel Kooiman and Walter van Opzeeland

Research was performed in Kenya and Zimbabwe from June to September of 1996 on the possibilities of data broadcasting to provide information to organizations in the education, healthcare and agriculture sectors in sub-Saharan Africa. The commercial sector, including Internet service providers, was also involved in this research.

Datacasting is the transmission of data via radio, TV or satellite. Digital information can be inserted into existing broadcasts or can be disseminated through a dedicated channel. Research revealed that the most promising applications for datacasting are in the educational and healthcare sectors where it is beneficial to disseminate the same information to a relatively large number of destinations.

Feasibility was determined by investigating four factors: marketability, legality and technological and financial requirements. Datacasting seems feasible, depending on two yet unknown factors: the price the broadcasting organization will charge for the provision of datacasting services and the attitude of governments toward this service. Currently, broadcasting and telecommunication organizations in many countries are in a process of liberalization and privatization, so they are searching for various ways to increase their revenue. Providing datacasting services is interesting to them.

Based on this feasibility study it can be concluded that datacasting seems a promising opportunity to improve the dissemination of information in sub-Saharan Africa. This conclusion resulted in a strategy consisting of three steps. The first step is to initiate a pilot project in order to test datacasting in practice. This step requires cooperation of the government and the broadcaster and financial support. Kenya offers, for two reasons, the best option to start a pilot project. In Kenya, a number of interesting datacasting applications were found. Furthermore, the Telecommunication Foundation of Africa (TFA) is located in Kenya, and it can perform a leading role in the market development of datacasting. The most appropriate transmission medium is the television channel. Empty lines in the television signal (Vertical Blanking Interval) can be used to disseminate information country wide. The pilot project will end with a business plan for the second step which is to start a datacasting service provider for the health and educational sectors. The third step is to investigate other datacasting opportunities, for example, the use of free capacity of satellites to datacast information to fill cache servers of Internet service providers in sub-Saharan Africa with services such as USENET, popular WWW pages, etc.

There are a number of other interesting applications of datacasting in sub-Saharan Africa based on the strong points of datacasting:

wireless point-to-area distribution of data,
simultaneous reception of data,
use of existing broadcast media (e.g. television, radio and satellite).

International Economy

by Dr. Jules Kaplan

This paper will focus on the application of Internet teaching, with an emphasis on synchronous, semester-paced courses. In addition, the paper will look at some basic economic issues relating to Internet education.

When comparing the teaching experience in the traditional "sage on the stage" lecture to a course on the Internet, there are many more similarities than striking differences. When you get past the obvious lack of group and personal contact when teaching on the Internet, a synchronous, semester-paced online course takes on a similar rhythm to an live, classroom course. This paper will emphasize the many similar aspects between the two media, but also explore the requirements necessitated by the differences present.

Over time, Internet teaching will become fully integrated into the learning experience, especially as today's young students progress through their education. Today's students in the early part of their education, especially those exposed to computers in their schools and homes, will expect that the Internet be part of their learning experience as they reach high school and college. This paper will look at some of the potential benefits and address the arguments made by critics of the computerized classroom.

Teacher development will also be discussed. It is likely that the best Internet teachers will be those with significant prior live classroom experience. Classroom teaching is essential for the teacher to break away from the textbook presentation and to understand the finite limits of how much material can be effectively covered in a class period, through a week, and especially during the entire class. Live teaching is required for the instructor to develop methods of presenting the class materials in an understandable method and to learn where students stumble on the course materials. With classroom experience, the instructor can design Internet classes that actually teaches students meaningful knowledge that often goes beyond the narrow definition of the course materials, rather that racing through sequential chapters in a selected textbook.

This paper will also address the economic issues of opportunity cost for the student. Adults face several critical choices in their lives. Some of these choices include finding time to spend with their families and friends, continuing their education to maintain and improve their skills and knowledge, and the requirement to work. Adult learners face a high opportunity cost in regards to education, since time spent in the classroom often comes at the expense of scarce leisure time. This paper will address the issue of the opportunity cost of education and the availability of Internet education.

Another important economic issue deals with economies of scale. Over the past several decades, rapid technological advances have allowed many industries to produce with increasing returns to scale. For example, prices of goods and produced in the computer and telecommunications industries have fallen significantly over time (especially when quality is factored in). An increasing returns to scale industry is one characterized by falling prices of the good or service over time. In contrast, due to its labor intensive nature, education is a decreasing returns to scale industry where costs and prices have risen steadily over time. The Internet allows the educational industry to economize on scarce resources and perhaps shift to an increasing returns to scale industry. Lower prices for education will stimulate demand and lead to a greater distribution of the benefits of education throughout society.

Janice Brodman

Director, Center for Innovative Management and Training Technologies Education Development Center, Inc. 55 Chapel Street Newton, MA 02158-1060 617-969-7100 EXT. 2620 FAX: 617-332-6405 JaniceB@edc.org

Dear Janice: (1) Attached below is the next-to-final of the outline of your proposed paper which I constructed out of your previous msg. I would appreciate it very much if you can check it and return to me with any changes/revisions, at your earliest convenience. Thank you very much for your very interesting and important paper. Best, Tak

**************************************

Outline of Paper

Use of Networking to Deliver and Support Informal Learning

Education Development Center (EDC), Inc. and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

This paper discusses the work EDC has been done in collaboration with UNDP, which mission is to promote human development and to utilize networking as a tool. The proposed paper would examine four major areas related to the use of electronic networking to support informal learning and skill-building: * Networking to extend access to information among people within developing and industrialized countries who are usually bypassed by economic and technological development. * Networking to expand participation in decisions made in international fora, such as the Women's Conference and the Social Summit, especially by those who are directly affected by the summit resolutions. * Networking to support informal training -- which contributes significantly to building the skills people need to establish sustainable livelihoods and to do any job well. * Use of a comprehensive model EDC has developed to maximize the positive impact of networking on formal and informal education/training We envision a paper that will focus on discussion of concrete projects, and examine the outcomes and lessons that have been learned from them.

**************************************

Biography of Janice Brodman

Address

Janice Brodman Director, Center for Innovative Management and Training Technologies Education Development Center, Inc. 55 Chapel Street Newton, MA 02158-1060 617-969-7100 EXT. 2620 FAX: 617-332-6405 JaniceB@edc.org

***************

Dear Tak, Thanks for your message. Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you. I will be co-authoring the chapter with John Lawrence, from UNDP. The outline below is fine. John Lawrence will be sending you a short biography. Could you kindly let me and John know who will be publishing the book, who the editor is, and what the timetable is -- also, are you planning on creating a CD-ROM as well? Thanks so much. Janice Brodman

______________________________

Subject: Next-to-final of outline of your proposed paper Author: Tak Utsumi at Internet Date: 8/6/97 6:09 PM

Best, Tak

**************************************

Biographies of Janice Brodman and John Lawrence

EDC was founded in 1958 by faculty from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University and is one of America's leading educational research and development organizations. EDC currently employs over 350 professionals who work on a wide range of projects around the world that address educational needs across the human lifespan, with particular attention to the use of information, education, and communications technologies. To date, EDC's international work includes projects in more than 85 countries. Janice Brodman is the Director of EDC's Center for Innovative Management and Training Technologies (CIMTT). She has been working on the use of microcomputers in development since the early 1980s. She earned her Ph.D. at Harvard University in political economy with particular focus on the impact of new technology adoption in developing countries (Thesis: "Technology Change, Equity, and Growth"). During the past 14 years, she has conducted projects introducing and utilizing multimedia and electronic networks in a range of developing countries. Biographies of John E.S. Lawrence John E.S. Lawrence is Principal Technical Adviser in Human Resources Development (HRD) with the United Nations Development Program in New York. His substantive specialty is in integrated human resources policy and programming linking education/training with health, employment and social/economic development. He currently heads the Sustainable Livelihoods Unit in UNDP. He coordinated UNDP efforts in preparation for the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand in March 1990. He was responsible for working with the Educational Development Center in design and management of UNDP's first INTERNET LISTSERV project on the Social Summit, which has now been expanded into a worldwide electronic discussion on the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, involving more than 1000 respondents from around 60 countries. He initiated a similar process for developing a virtual conferencing dimension to the Toronto Global Knowledge 97 meeting. Dr. Lawrence has extensive research and development experience in the social sectors, with a variety of public and private groups and agencies in the field of human resources development. This work has included education, training and health system design, HRD policy research and program evaluation, assessment of the impacts of technological change on occupational requirements, and occupational classification, job analysis and labour market information. Most recently, his HRD focus has been increasingly on the world's poorer countries. He has published widely in books, scientific and technical journals, and reports on various aspects of social sector policy. He was responsible for the preparation of the UN Secretary General's 1995 Report to the UN General Assembly on Human Resources Development, and has recently published (on the INTERNET and in journals) several articles on the sustainable livelihoods concept. Dr. Lawrence received the M.A. (Hons) from Oxford University, England in 1968, and a M.Sc and Ph.D in Psychology/HRD from North Carolina State University, USA in 1977.

**************************************

Address

John Lawrence Principal Technical Adviser, UNDP Social Development Division 1 UN Plaza New York NY 10017 212 906 5014 Fax: 212 906 5365 john.lawrence@undp.org

Electronically Interactive Academic Publishing - Abstract

by Professor W. R. Klemm, D.V.M., Ph.D., Texas A&M University

At Texas A&M University, we are developing a new kind of Internet-based, electronic academic publishing environment in which a given textbook or symposium is fully interactive. That is, unlike typical World Wide Web or CD -ROM publications today, where readers usually can only click on "hot buttons" to navigate the text, our new collaboration software (FORUM, version 3.0) allows readers to create their own links within a book, "write in the margins," make in-context linked comments on shared documents, and link associated files (even from other software applications). In short, FORUM makes electronic academic publishing FULLY interactive. This form of publishing is illustrated herein by adapting a chapter from the author's recently published textbook, Understanding Neuroscience (1995, Mosby-Year Book Inc.).

When it comes to state-of-the art electronic publishing, most people think of the Internet's World Wide Web. But the Web has some major disadvantages, which include the following:

Not fully interactive. Typically, users can only click on icons and high lighted text to follow links.
User's can't share documents. Readers cannot "write in the margins" on either the publication being read or the e-mail notes sent in by other readers. Readers cannot put into the group's database such things as comments, whole documents, graphics, sound clips, video clips, and links to files belonging to other software.
Users can't annotate in context. Although some Web documents have a "form" that allows a user to attach an e-mail message, the message is associated with the entire document, not to a particular part or character string within the document .
Users can't import files. The "Web Master" is the only one who can put documents on a Web site, and somebody has to mark up the documents with html code.
Security Issues. Web sites are notoriously vulnerable to attack. Publishers also run a high risk of having their materials stolen. Any person with a browser can right click on graphics to download them. The source code for whole text files are downloaded from the browser menu.
Web documents do not have multiple levels of access control on each document. Some documents should have read-only access. Other documents may need to be locked up temporarily with no-access. For other documents, readers will need to create hypertext links to other material. And for some documents, readers may need the ability to edit and change the document being read.
Web documents are related to each other by hypertext links. They lack any other organizing principle. There is no logic undergirding what can be linked to what to help build in coherency and keep a group of collaborators focused.
Users can not attach and run files created in other Windows' software. True, the Web Master can write code scripts that perform such functions, but readers can only do that if they send the materials to the Web Master and provide instructions on where the links are to be made.

Abstract -- The Global Telecommunications University and Global Telecommunications Training Institute (GTU/GTTI)

by Jaime Herrera and Renato Cortinovis

What is the GTU/GTTI

The senior telecommunication managers who participated in the World Development Conference organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 1994, expressed the urgency of establishing a Global Telecommunication University (GTU) in order to further diversify training opportunities for developing countries and to better implement modern teaching technologies.

Purpose of the GTU/GTTI

The mission of the GTU/GTTI would be to contribute to the development of human resources in the telecommunication sector. A special emphasis will be placed on engineering and management training needs, arising from the changing environment in developing countries, as a result of privatization, competition, the opening to the market economy, the digitalization of networks and the introduction of new technologies and services.

Potential Partners

The GTU/GTTI would be organized by pooling the existing resources available in training and education telecommunication institutions. The former would be the major partners in this venture.

Target Population

The target population would be composed of managers, engineers and technicians of telecommunication organizations in developing countries. The customers of the GTU/GTTI would be the companies providing telecommunications services as well as regulatory bodies.

Use of Media

The GTU/GTTI would rely on the extensive use of modern telecommunication technologies to support distance education. This option, however, does not exclude that traditional campus-based activities could still be conducted in different locations in the regions.

Status of the activities

A GTU preliminary model was prepared and some key aspects to be addressed were identified. An electronic conference was opened to discuss the details of this preliminary model and to allow a world-wide brainstorming on the subject. In order to use complementary communication facilities, in line with the objectives of the GTU/GTTI, a traditional Round-Table was organized at ITU-Geneva in 1995. A small ITU task force carried out in 1996 a feasibility study identifying a range of scenarios and estimating the related necessary resources. While the operational and legal structures of the GTU/GTTI are being designed, we are continuing the development of a GTU/GTTI Test Bed: the Virtual Training Center (VTC).

Plans for the immediate future: continuation/reinforcement of the VTC.

The feasibility study suggested the continuation/reinforcement of the Virtual Training Center (VTC) activities as a test-bed of the GTU/GTTI. These activities will pave the ground for the implementation of the future GTU/GTTI on a wider scale.

Current VTC activities include:

Use and cross-cultural validation of existing computerized training material. As an example, we are validating hundreds of CBT modules ranging from Project Management to Network Design in Telecom training centers all over the world.
[editorial note: Renato, What does CBT stands for?]
Coordination of a number of regional Virtual Task Forces (VTF), consisting in groups of people mainly using telematics facilities for collaborating.
Development of a series of web/cmc-based distance-learning courses, delivered via the Internet (delivery started in 1996).

[editorial note: Renato, What is "cmc"?]

Comprehensive and up-to-date information about the GTU/GTTI and the VTC is available at http://www3.itu.int/VTC/.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

Founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, the International Telecommunication Union took its present name in 1934 and became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1947.

The ITU is an intergovernmental organization, within which the public and private sectors cooperate for the development of telecommunications.

The ITU adopts international regulations and treaties governing all terrestrial and space uses of the frequency spectrum as well as the use of the geostationary-satellite orbit, within which countries adopt their national legislation. It also develops standards to facilitate the interconnection of telecommunication systems on a worldwide scale regardless of the type of technology used. Spearheading telecommunications development on a world scale, the ITU fosters the development of telecommunications in developing countries, by establishing medium-term development policies and strategies in consultation with other partners in the sector and by providing specialized technical assistance in the areas of telecommunication policies, the choice and transfer of technologies, management, financing of investment projects and mobilization of resources, the installation and maintenance of networks, the management of human resources as well as research and development.

As at 22 February 1996, the ITU comprised 185 Member States and 363 members (scientific and industrial companies, public and private operators, broadcasters, regional/international organizations) to the three sectors.

Ms. Tina Evans Greenwood Managing Editor, GLOSAS News and Library Instruction Coordinator Fort Lewis College 612 East 32nd Street Durango, Colorado 81301-81301 970-259-1345 970-247-7684 Fax: 970-247-7149 greenwood_t@fortlewis.edu mfteg@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu Dr. Vladimir A. Zolotarev Laureate of State Komsomol Prize for development of the new methods for water quality assessment Founder of NOOSPHERE Information Fund (Global Survival) Institute for Biology of Inland Waters RAS Russian Academy of Sciences P.O.Box 25, 152742, Borok, Yaroslavl obl., Russia FAX: +7-(0852)253845 noo@ibiw.yaroslavl.su -- use this for short msg. zlm@dlc.edu.yar.ru -- use this for listserve distribution.

(1) Tina: I am very glad to hear of your readiness to include the outline of papers into the web site of our book publishing project. Attached is the final of the one of Dr. Zolotarev's paper for your inclusion into the web site. Many thanks for your effort.

(2) Vladimir: Pls start preparing your full paper which is to be included in our hard copy book -- after consulting with our publisher. Thanks in advance.

Best, Tak

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"Microcosm -- Tool for Understanding Systems Self-Evolution"

"All things are interdependent." Meister Eckhart

Microcosm is an interdisciplinary science/art educational resource for practical field/simulation study of sustainable development as the coevolution of humankind and the biosphere. The major problems of our time are systemic problems -- interconnected and interdependent -- and thus require a systemic approach to be understood and solved. The systems view of life is grounded in the sciences of systems theory and ecology. The life of Earth functions as a single organism. Microcosm is a kind of an ecosystem model that is small in size yet has the appropriate integrity to reflect the biotic circulation of the Earth. So, we can learn the harmony of the world in a drop of water. We can move from small and simple to large and complicated systems using principles of fractal geometry. There are three subdivisions of the project combining games and both scientific and practical approaches: 1) virtual journey to the microscopic wonderland, leading to practical monitoring experience from facilitating universal method to the Automated Biomonitoring International Network (ABIN), 2) evolution -- the living history of the biosphere and 3) noosphere -- the road to sustainable development.

Trends in Satellite Tele-education -- Abstract

by Joseph N. Pelton

The Start of Satellite Tele-education
Project SHARE
Current and Future Trends
Project LEARN

Note: Project LEARN is an open ended and participatory project which will involve the ITU, World Bank, NASA, ESTEC, CRL of Japan, Russia, China, INTELSAT and INMARSAT at this stage.

Abstract -- Teleclass the World

by Yoko Takagi

For past ten years, Teleclass International Japan (TIJ), a nonprofit educational organization, has sponsored and provided many Teleclass projects internationally. Telecommunications tools such as video phone, videoconferencing systems and e-mail have been used to promote international understanding and improve English conversation and communication abilities, mainly for K-12 Japanese students. Native languages of students involved include Japanese, Korean and some other languages.

TIJ uses a video phone system called Lumaphone to link to schools in Hawaii, the United States mainland, New Zealand, Australia, France, England, Slovakia, Belarus, Spain, Thailand, Korea and China. TIJ has emphasized the importance of having communicative linkages among Asian students and recently sent Lumaphones to schools in Korea, China, Nepal, Taiwan and the Philippines.

The number of videoconferences is also increasing. Twenty-five ISDN videoconferences have been held with schools in Hawaii, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Two big events, Student APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) in 1995 and ASIA in 1996, each linked students from five countries using a multipoint connecting system with the help of Kokusai Denshin Denwa (KDD) Co., Ltd.

One of the highlights of the videoconferencing activities occurred when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Hundt visited one of the Teleclass Net Schools in Osaka and joined a videoconference, sitting among students and talking to students in Hawaii face-to-face. He also talked with a teacher in Pennsylvania via Lumaphone during the Teleclass session. Since Teleclass projects are supported by the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, TIJ appreciated Chairman Hundt's visit very much.

In addition to the international Teleclass, TIJ recently started Teleclass Local linking five high schools from Hokkaido to Okinawa in Japan. This project uses both e-mail and videoconference technologies. Those students who already have individual mail accounts talk and discuss topics through e-mail, and every other week they have a videoconference linking five regions by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation's (NTT's) multipoint connecting system. For each videoconference, one high school serves as a host, and the host school students handle the conference set up and operation.

All these projects are components of Teleclass the World and are based upon the Teleclass spirit of "weaving the world into one" originated by Dr. John Wollstein, the Founder of Teleclass International in Hawaii.

This chapter discusses

TIJ history including how TIJ, a voluntary group, has gotten teachers' attention in Japan,
Interesting Teleclass projects and
Future planning concerning how to cooperate with other worldwide educational networks toward truly "weaving the world into one."

Originally posted in 1998 at the Website: http://library.fortlewis.edu/~instruct/glosas/GN/ by Tina Evans Greenwood, Library Instruction Coordinator, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado 81301, e-mail: greenwood_t@fortlewis.edu. By her permission the whole Website has been archived here at the University of Tennessee server directory of GLOSAS Chair Dr. Takeshi Utsumi from July 10, 2000 by Steve McCarty in Japan.