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| "The Global Map School" was first conducted in Japan and the Philippines! |
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Message from the Philippines (English) |
| (Although the start of the class was delayed due to a blackout, we were able to photograph the comments from the students and teachers of Silliman to "The Global Map School "during the wait. Their feelings are expressed through such comments.)
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| You can see the pictures of the class here |
| Linked to the Weblog of Mr. Yanagisawa,
who is a member of "Global Map School Organizing Committee". |
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On the afternoon of September 30, 2006, an exchange class of
"The Global Map School" was organized between Japan and the Philippines.
This year is just the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations
between Japan and the Philippines. This event was held as part of the project
commemorating the year of friendship between Japan and the Philippines and as
a related project of "Measurement Day".
Participants from Japan and the Philippines numbered more than a dozen first-year
students of Keio Futsubu School (located in Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa) and forty
students of Silliman High School (located in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental),
respectively. The class was conducted by connecting the schools through a teleconferencing
system. Although the class was scheduled to start at 2 p.m.(Japanese Time), the
participants experienced a blackout just before the start of class because of
the typhoon that hit the Philippines for the first time in a decade and therefore
it was feared that the class would be canceled. However, the class was started
forty minutes behind schedule without any trouble.
First Section: Exchange Class
First teachers, Ph.D. Hiroshi Ota(Keio Futsubu School) and Mr.Primo
"Jun" Aranas, Jr (Silliman High School) made the usual greetings
and then opinions were exchanged in a lively manner between students of Japan
and the Philippines.
-- What is your major industry?
The major industry of the Philippines is agriculture. They conversation swung from the fact that while mangos, papayas and other fruits are cultivated in the Philippines, Japan has flourishing heavy industries producing products such as machinery and automobiles. Students in the Philippine knew Japanese brands well.
-- What kind of a tax system does Japan employ?
Philippine students asked Japanese students a question, "Our country is considering
imposing a tax on the necessities of life, including rice, meat and fish and therefore
it is feared that the poor will be worse off. What kind of a tax system does the
Japanese government employ to stabilize and maintain the economy?" Although
Japanese students were slightly puzzled by the sudden difficult question, they
made efforts to explain the tax system, including the graduated tax system and
consumption tax. Philippine students had an interest in high Japanese economic
growth. Their serious attitude of wanting to absorb the secret of Japanese economic
growth from the Japanese students was impressive.
-- Japanese Transportation Infrastructure
One of the things that supported Japanese modernization and industry was the progress of the railroads and transportation. Japanese students explained about the Shinkansen, airports, populated areas, etc., using the Global Map.
The Philippines has very few railroads and the main methods of transportation include ships, motorized tricycles (motorcycles with the roofed sidecars alongside) and jeeps (shared buses). The Philippine students had never heard of the Shinkansen and the Japanese students had never imagined using the sea for transportation, so there was a small reality gap between them.
The class was fifty minutes and went by at a lighting speed and it seemed that the students of the Philippines and Japan still had many things to talk about. The two sides intend to conduct exchange classes through a teleconferencing system like this from time to time in the future.
Second Section: Net Symposium"Education and Global Map of the IT Generation
"
Following the exchange class, a net symposium was held by the teachers. Here is the summary (Titles omitted).
<Minutes>
-- From ISCGM
Mr.Maruyama(a member of "Global Map School Organizing Committee"):
Promotion of utilization of the Global Map is one of our tasks. I think that
todays utilization of the Global Map in the field of education was very successful
for the first time. I want to provide support to make this "Global Map School"
increasingly better in the future.
-- Comment from the teachers who were in charge of the class
Ph.Ota: I think that this was the worlds first case in the field of geography
education in which students in two classrooms at a distance of 4,000 kilometers
read a common map through the Internet and learned about the geography of each
other's regions.
I felt that it was a new educational method of the 21st
century. I want to connect classrooms in multiple countries next time. I think
that we need to receive technical assistance and support between nations to make
things go smoothly, as well as the support to make communication smoother and
to reflect the map photographically.
Mr.Aranas: "The Global Map School " can connect people around
the world in addition to learning in the classroom. Additionally, I think that
it may be possible to develop future global leaders through such a school. There
were technical problems on the Philippine side. Currently, only an OHP is used
in my classroom. Teachers do not have their own PCs. I paid 20 pesos, leased a
laptop computer at an Internet caf and then downloaded the Global Map Data. I
want support from the government and the people who are engaged with this policy.
-- Comment from the students who participated in the class
Japanese student: I am glad to have had a relationship with people in the
Philippines. I want to continue this kind of exchange.
Philippine student: I think that we can have peace and nurture friendship
through this project. I am glad to not only attain knowledge in the classroom
but also learn about the activities and opinions of people in other countries
directly.
-- Comment from panelists
Prof.Alcala(Director, School of Basic Education Silliman University): I
promise strong support for Jun who makes creative efforts. Silliman conducts consistent
education for young children from elementary school to high school. I want the
class to expand to elementary school next time.
Mrs.Uchida(a member of "Global Map School Organizing Committee"):
(The teacher was busily engaged in advance preparation in the field and participated
in the class in the Philippines on the day). We first introduced a teleconference
system to Silliman University five years ago and at that time, could not transmit
large quantities of data to Japan. I am very glad to have held this session in
a place that is 4,000 kilometers from Japan and one that is farther away from
Manila and less well known in Japan.
Mr.Nakagawa(a member of "Global Map School Organizing Committee"):
Japan and the Philippines have a shared relationship through earthquakes.
I think that it would be great for people who share the same fate to share this
kind of map, even though the distance between Japan and the Philippines is 4,000
kilometers. I feel that the maintenance of data on the sea and sharing of the
Global Map for disaster-relief activities would be future tasks.
Mr.Yanagisawa(a member of "Global Map School Organizing Committee"):
I have performed activities dealing with "ICT and Education" including
management of virtual schools. I think that GIS technology is the most interesting
technology of ICT technology and"C " of ICT is the most important point
in my field of education.
Chairperson(Prof.Suzuki, Risho University): With that, we come to the end
of "The Global Map School" Symposium. I appreciate your participation
in "The Global Map School" exchange class and the symposium.
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