Turkish Schoolchildren Experience 21st-Century Learning

The two schools, located 45 kilometres away from each other, were connected via broadband to harness the power of one-to-one eLearning as well as virtual collaboration. They were also able to take advantage of various communication and collaborative tools, including wireless access, Internet Protocol (IP) phones, ClassMate PCs, smart boards, and video, as well as online and community-generated learning content.

The eLearning showcase was initiated to define what Turkey's 21st-century learning environment could look like and marks a significant collaboration among public, private and academic partners. Sponsored by the Ministry of National Education and under the governance of METU - EDMER, it was initiated by Intel and Cisco with the support of Sebit, Oracle, Smarttech, and Polycom.

Facts / Highlights:

• The eLearning class was organized to showcase how integrating technology within a school curriculum can enable equal access to high-quality education in urban and rural areas and can encourage collaboration between students and teachers within and beyond a class.
• The one-to-one eLearning model was developed with the active support of the Educational Technologies Directorate of the Ministry of National Education to establish an environment of learning anytime, anywhere. Access to computers during a lesson, teacher trainings on how to integrate technology efficiently into the classroom, and online educational content aligned with the curriculum are essential ingredients in helping educators, teachers, and students enhance skills and become successful in today's knowledge economy.
• A preliminary analysis of the project revealed an increase in student-teacher motivation and productivity, the use of content-based subjects, efficient time management, and student performance. Within the framework of the analysis, ninety percent of the parents surveyed mentioned that they were pleased with the project as they observed marked improvements in their children's communication skills and their eagerness to learn and to cooperate, as well as in their computer skills.

Dr. Nizami Akturk, head of MoNE Educational Technologies Directorate, says about the project, "The Ministry of Education initially set as objective to have at least one computer class in every school. This has now almost been completed all around Turkey to an extent of nearly 100 percent. For the next step, we are targeting to have an Internet environment in every class with one computer and one projector, where teachers will have the chance to share content from the Internet, as well as content they have created themselves."

Collaboration