I. What Teleclass International Japan (TIJ) Expects to Do
We have been promoting the Teleclass Program for the last fifteen years by introducing the program and have Japanese schools actually experience TELECLASS. Along with encouraging the use of the Internet in school classrooms, the concept of learning together internationally has gradually taken root in the minds of participating teachers. They have begun to see the advantage of working with partner schools and now seek our help in starting new projects with schools in other countries. They realize how real time, face-to-face, on-line telecommunication activities like those provided by the TELECLASS Program are exciting for learners. The participants, students and teachers recognize the importance of these technological tools in the creation of a new, more vital learning style.
We now see that expansion is needed not only in the promotion and introduction of TELECLASS in schools that have not yet had the experience, but to further serve our participating schools by coordinating more international projects. We will continue to seek out and provide an even greater variety of links with other educational networks around the world.
Teleclass International, Japan, is facing some financial difficulty but that does not mean we cannot serve TELECLASS as we have in the past. On the contrary, with an even smaller budget, we will focus on what schools really need at present, examine their needs carefully and DO it powerfully.
This will be a turning point for Teleclass International, Japan, shifting from providing everything free to schools, to helping them be independent financially. We will become TELECLASS the WORLD COORDINATORS rather than a mere Teleclass Provider.
As Coordinator, we will work with other networks like I*EARN, Schools Online, Konnett International, and with our affiliate in Hawaii, Teleclass International. Our work will include matching partner schools, helping with the program content and curriculum, providing access to international projects that will accept our participants into worldly active educational networks. We will continue to invite schools in other countries to participate in on-going projects in Japan.
We will keep TELECLASS Projects going as well, but at the same time we will find more space for I*EARN projects as TelMe is coming back to our office this fall from I*EARN-USA where she has been working as an intern for the past year.
In order to link participating schools, teachers and students even more effectively we will use more of these useful communication tools, such as email, mailing lists, school home pages and varied aspects of video-conferencing. We will work harder to keep everything coordinated and functioning at its very best.
We hope our current and future proposals will continue to follow the right pathways to meet the needs of Japanese schools. Our goals remain the same: "Weaving the World into One for Peace and Harmony " and "Touch the World, Touch the Future".
II. Future Plans
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TELECLASS PROGRAMS1) Videoconferences: 5 videoconferences for new schools2) LUMA Links: 7 Luma links for schools that are interested
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TELECLASS CONFERENCE: Continuous Video Conference Asia Forum 5th and 6th
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SPECIAL EVENTS1) LANGUAGE EXPO' 99, October 2nd & 3rd2) Model Curriculum at Itami City Kita Junior High School, November 11th3) Millennium Project, February 29th
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TELECLASS NETWORK PUBLICITY1) Teleclass International Japan Mailing List: keeping TIJ ML in Japanese2) Teleclass the World Mailing List: setting up TTW ML again in English3) Teleclass Web Site4) Presentations at educational conferences inside and outside of Japan
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FOSTER I*EARN1) I*EARN Japan2) I*EARN Asia3) Participate in the Seventh I*EARN Conference in Beijing
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INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS COORDINATING CENTER: at its preparation stage
- Participation in BBCC Education System MINE projects
III. Financial Sources
To achieve the seven proposals above, Teleclass International Japan (TIJ) would like to solicit financial sponsorship from Foundation for MultiMedia Communications and Mitsubishi Bank International Foundation. TIJ also hopes that BBCC Education System MINE will continue to extend its financial and technical support as it did last year.
TIJ appreciate any donations or supports to improve our proposals and welcome volunteers who are interested in becoming TIJ staffs.
IV. Main Activities of TELECLASS: from September 1998 to August 1999
- 20 Video Conferences
- 10 Luma links
- Teleclass Asia Forum #1 - #4
- TIJ Mailing List
- Teleclass Web Site
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Presentations at:"Lifelong Learning Society" by Matsushita Multi Media Education Foundation"Online Educa Berlin" International Conference"Education for Information Area" by Osaka Prefecture"Japan-USA Information Network in Education " by Kyoiku Shinbun"Hyogo Information Society" seminar by Hyogo Prefecture
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Papers forMulti-Media Age: "International Communications at School using Lines and Technology"New 100 School Project Report: "School Education and its Globalization"Information Communication Tokai: "I*EARN links Schools in the World"The Japan Society of Information and Communication Research: "International Videoconferencing in Current School Education"
- Conference Modulator at: NetDay '99 in Kobe, Schools Online Japan
- I*EARN Japan Start up and the Sixth I*EARN Conference in Chattanooga
- Participation in BBCC Education System MINE projects
Yoko Takagi is Director of Teleclass International Japan and Schools Online- Japan, Coordinator of I*EARN- JAPAN.
Teleclass International, Japan, a non-profit educational organization, have been providing K-12 schools with real time, face-to-face, telecommunication opportunities for the last fifteen years. We use videophones which exchange still pictures while students talk, and we use a videoconference system over ISDN lines with full motion and colors. We have recorded 470 videophone exchanges and 46 videoconferences worldwide up to now. There were four multi-point videoconferences linking five countries at one time. We call all of these Teleclass projects as "Teleclass the World."
