From: bcoppinger@peg.pegasus.oz.au
Newsgroups: aus.education
Date: 20 Dec 92 23:29 EST
Subject: The Global Classroom
Nf-ID: #N:peg:506100055:000:3623
Nf-From: peg.pegasus.oz.au!bcoppinger    Dec 20 23:29:00 1992


      *******THE GLOBAL CLASSROOM IS A REALITY*******
 
Dear All
 
I am writing to draw your attention to the work of a group of 
educators from around the world and the Telecommunications framework 
they have set up called I*EARN.
 
I*EARN (the International Education and Resource Network) was
created by the Copen Family Fund in 1990, working closely with
affiliate telecommunications networks of the APC (Association for
Progressive Communications) System and a number of educational
organizations.
 
The purpose of the I*EARN Network is to enable students,
teachers and members of youth/development organizations in
different countries to work together using telecommunications
to make a meaningful difference in the world.
 
I*EARN pairs primary and secondary schools to work together on
projects and establish long-term relationships that hopefully
will result in exchanges and other forms of collaborative
learning.  The I*EARN Network currently includes over 300
schools in 19 countries: US, former USSR, China, Israel,
Hungary, Costa Rica, Mexico, Japan, Brasil,Australia, Korea,
Canada, Argentina, England, Finland,  Belgium, Netherlands,
Indonesia, and Spain.  In addition, we are negotiating with
organizations in Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
 
I*EARN projects are conducted through e-mail on APC, via low-
cost conference-telephones which use regular telephone lines and
allow I*EARN participants to talk to one other, and
through exchanges.
 
In addition to e-mail between partner schools, I*EARN
participants use conferences on the APC Network to propose
project ideas and identify short-term partners with whom to
conduct projects of special interest:
   iearn.projects
   iearn.ideas
 
 
Two other conferences are for I*EARN participants to discuss
any other issue of interest:
   iearn.youth
   iearn.teachers
 
Recent projects have included:
* environmental newsletter
* literary magazines in English, Chinese, Hebrew and Russian
* global student newpaper
* development project in Nicaragua building community wells
  for clean water
* a study of racism
* Holocaust study
* environmental education camp in China
* multi-country ultra violet radiation/Ozone depletion
  measurements
* acid rain studies between Canada and US schools
* cultural heroes studies between Russia and US
* humanitarian aid to Russian school community
 
I*EARN also creates links between primary and secondary
schools and organizations involved in small-scale development
projects to enable students to learn outside the classroom and
contribute to a healing of the planet.
 
Schools throughout the I*EARN Network want very much to
work with youth of the Pacific.  Given this brief description
of the project (I can send more info via mail), do you feel that
this project fits in with your interests/needs?
 
If so (and I hope the answer is positive), please let me know.
If you describe your school and community, their make-up, any
special interests your students have, languages taught at the
school, etc., I can start to work with I*EARN Center Coordinators
to identify a partner school for you.
 
I would strongly urge you to consider using the APC network to be
able to fully take advantage of the I*EARN on-line conferencing
process and resources.  
 
Looking forward to hearing from you.
 
Bill
 
William A. J. Coppinger
I*EARN CENTRE Co-ordinator (Australia)
C/- Broadford Secondary College
P.O. Box 108 Broadford 3658 
Victoria, Australia
 
(61)057841200 (voice)
(61)057841921 (fax)
E-mail:    bcoppinger (Pegasus)
Internet   bcoppinger@peg.apc.org
    or     bcoppinger@peg.pegasus.oz.au
 
Nexus	   wcoppinger