IVR

Some of the clearest, most demonstrable examples of how IP communications can raise a community’s quality of life occur when cutting-edge technologies intersect with education.

 

It happens every day, in every corner of the world. In the past week alone, we’ve seen the Mexican government leverage its network to bolster teaching programs, a British university implement a new voice system as part of a wider IT expansion and a Texas school district operate more efficiently – freeing up funds for education – by integrating a unified communications platform.

 

Now, we hear that the world’s largest maker of computer networking gear, Cisco Systems Inc., led an effort to create the first-ever virtual classroom in Turkey. Last week, 80 schoolchildren aged 11 and 12 – divided between schools located 28.5 miles apart – were able to share a science lesson through broadband technology.

 

Specifically, kids in Turkey’s capital, Ankara – using wireless access, IP phones, ClassMate PCs, smart boards and video – took an “Earth, Sun and Moon” lesson together with kids in the village of Beynam. The lesson featured virtual collaboration as well as one-on-one learning.

 

Fatos Yarman, the president of the nation’s Educational Technologies Directorate of the Ministry of National Education, said the goal was to show that ICT in schools should go beyond computer labs.

 

“It’s much more about the human network of students and teachers, who can collaborate in a new type of environment,” Yarman said. “During the project, we also benefited from the wealth of expertise and solutions as a result of a public-private partnership with partners like Cisco (News - Alert) and Intel.”

 

Other technology partners on the project included Sebit, Oracle (News - Alert), Smarttech and Polycom.

 

The virtual class demonstrated a number of e-learning’s advantages. First of all, given the very different school locations, it shows that IP technology can deliver equal access to a high-quality education in urban and rural areas. It also shows that – with its group collaboration and one-on-one e-learning – in a 21st-century learning environment, students are the focus.

 

According to Erkan Akdemir, general manager of Cisco Turkey, education is a “key engine” to accelerate social and economic development and is essential for building a competitive workforce.

 

“Acquiring the ability to collaborate and communicate now is as important as learning the factual knowledge,” Akdemir said. “Cisco is pleased to contribute to this key project as part of our commitment in Turkey and help shape education systems adapted to the 21st-century global economy.”

 

If you’re interested, check out this video of the project.