9th March 1996
Environment Education Using Internet
Activities for Acidic Rain Survey Project and
Supporting System
ATTACHED FUKUYAMA JUNIOR AND
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY
Takeshi Nagasawa
"A Tree" and "New Year's Day in Japan
SHINNO Elementary School, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hitoshi Saito
Network Conference Type for
Developing Advanced Education System
Theme 1 of Joint Usage Plan: Events Arising in Daily Life
Akahori lab., Tokyo Institute of Technology
Yoshiki Suzuki
Report on Joint Usage Plan "Local Information Exchange"
Active Local Information Exchange and World Peace
Tezukayama Gakuin Izumigaoka High School
Yoichi Tsuji
Internet Usage Status Questionnaire
Overall Trends based on Questionnaire Results
Osaka University, Faculty of Human Sciences
Yuhei Yamauchi
100-School Networking Project Result Reporting Conference
No. 3 Sub-Committee
Environment Education Using Internet
Activities for Acidic Rain Survey Project and Supporting System
ATTACHED FUKUYAMA JUNIOR AND
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY
Takeshi Nagasawa
(1) Objective of acidic rain survey project
There are special, unique points of view for the acidic rain survey project which was carried out recently. The first point is that students of elementary, junior high and senior high schools throughout Japan, ranging from Hokkaido (northern-most prefecture) to Okinawa (southern-most prefecture) launched the project as a nationwide group on the theme of acidic rain as a part of the environmental study. Further, a unified database on the acidic rain is created by themselves to open a home page to be made open to the public not only in Japan, but also to the world using the Internet, which is expected as one of the main information communications means. The following summarizes the project objective and target.
1. The acidic rain is a theme relatively existing near children and students and easy to handle among global to local environmental subjects and make them to know the present status and search the direction for solution.
2. The active consciousness can be stimulated for study of environmental problems including the acidic rain by surveying from the students' points of view and carrying out the activities voluntarily.
3. Linkage with nationwide students can be created through joint survey and importance and significance of joint study be recognized.
4. The mechanism on production of acidic rain and dynamic status by geographic and timewise correlations can be understood in relation to the meteological facts by knowing the nationwide distribution of acidic rain and motivation is accelerated to consider the acidic rain problem from both the regional and global points of view.
5. Understanding on the most advanced personal computer network system named Internet can be deepened through actual operation. The project provides the opportunity to master the communications system and gain the ability to meet the multimedia area.
(2) Project promotion organizations
Adviser:
- Professor S. Nakane of Hiroshima University, General Course
- Assistant Professor Hideji Masato of Hiroshima University, Central Waste Fluid Treatment Facility
- Assistant General Manager of Fukuyama Junior/Senior High School Attached to Hiroshima University
Supporting organization:
- Center for Educational Computing (CEC)
- Information Technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA)
- Mitsubishi General Research Institute (MRI)
Number of participating schools:
- 33 schools of 100 school project members
- 7 schools of non 100 school project members
(3) History of project promotion
June 1995: The basic plan was established together with Professor Nakane and Assistant Professor Masato on Hiroshima University and implementation of the project was determined after discussion with CEC, IPA and MRI.
August 1995: Contacted member schools of the 100 school project using the electronic mail service.
October 1995: Deadline of the participant application was prolonged and the total number of applicants reached 40 schools. Dispatch of the measurement manual and measuring equipment (rain measuring unit and pH meter) was asked to Professor Nakane.
November 1995: Test measurements and data transmission by electronic mail service were requested to member schools. Problem areas were reviewed.
December 1995: The home page under preparation at MRI was completed. The password was notified to all member schools.
January 1996: Data input to the home page was started. Full-scale operation was started. Execution status of member schools were surveyed.
February 1996: Conducted summary of the project and established execution plans for the next fiscal year and after.
(4) Results in 1995
1. The measurement system by almost all member schools was arranged.
2. As the data input and data table forms of the home page were completed, operation of the project was materialized. The parts for opinion exchange and the feedback of professionals' evaluation should be strengthened in the future.
3. It is proven that the Internet can play an important role for the environmental education.
4. The cooperative organization among schools, university, CEC, IPA and MRI was formed ideally through use of the Internet and the project have been implemented effectively.
(5) Measurement organization at each school
(extracted from questionnaire executed in February)
Questionnaire to member schools:
Number of schools responded: 21
Positioning of the project and measurement group at each school:
Circle/club activity: 12 schools
Activity of elective subject: 5 schools
Activity of standard class: 3 schools
Voluntary students: 1 school
(6) Plans for fiscal 1996 and after
1. In addition to the present measurements, the conductivity measurement and analysis of rain water should be added in the near future.
2. The acidic rain survey project will be continued for a long period to accumulate data and to position the project as the main activity of the environmental education in each member school.
100-School Networking Project Result Reporting Conference
No. 3 Sub-Committee
"A Tree" and "New Year's Day in Japan
SHINNO Elementary School, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hitoshi Saito
1. Introduction
The IPA and CEC who promote the 100 school project propose several "joint usage project" aiming at joint study and information exchange using the Internet environment. Our schools has participated a joint study type usage plan "Survey of living thing: A Tree" (herein called as A Tree) and an information exchange type usage plan "Educational material and information exchange: New Year's Day in Japan" (herein called as New Year Day) in this fiscal.
A joint usage plan aims at cooperation of multiple schools and institutes to develop classes on a certain theme using the Internet for effective use of the network for study by students. It is, however, our honest impression that Internet could not be used sufficiently as expected initially since considerable time was required for preparation and the full-scale operation of the plan delayed to the middle of the 2nd semester or later.
Here, an example at our school is introduced rather than to say an example of active joint usage project.
2. A Tree
(a) Objective
- To review the nature where students of each school live through observation of a tree (cherry tree).
- To survey the seasonal fronts of cherry blossoms and red leaves as well as insects and other plants by comparing the information of nationwide regions through observation of the nature under cooperation by students throughout Japan.
(b) Students' study activities
- 6th grade students observed a tree in the campus every morning (photos of entire tree and leaves, atmospheric temperature and one-word diary).
- Results of observation were made open to the public through the Shinno Elementary School home page (Figure 1) and the common home page of "A Tree" through the information base center in order to make information comparison possible.
The URL addresses of the Shinno Elementary School is htt://shinno1.shinno-es.minato.tokyo.jp/ippon.html and that of the common page is http://www.cec.or.jp/es/kyouiku/100/project/prjlist/joint/tree/index.html.
(c) Impression by students
- We thought there were no changes after the red leaves and fall of leaves were over, however, we noticed that various changes occurs to a tree even during the winter as ever-lasting activities of a living thing.
- We learnt that there are changes of the nature have direct correlations with the surrounding conditions (natural and social environments).
- We wanted to know more information on other regions. We wish to study actual changes of the seasonal front by region which we know as a knowledge.
- As we heard that cherry trees are all over the world, we wish to know also about other countries.
3. New Year Day
(a) Objective
- The information on foods, habits, weather and events relative to the theme of new year's day in Japan are gathered and accumulated to build up an information source usable by anybody.
(b) Students' study activities
- Students of the 2nd grade takes pictures or gathered the information during the winter vacation and the 3rd semester as study on life class. They also enjoyed the old fashion plays.
- Teachers also took pictures of unique things and events and submitted them as the materials.
- The survey results were made open to the public through the Shinno Elementary School home page.
The URL is http://shinno1.shinno-es.minato.tokyo.jp/syogatsu.html.
- Students asked winter events and daily lives to schools at various regions.
(c) Impression by students
- We learnt that things were different between the fathers' home towns and the town where we live now.
- There are differences between how people spent the new year's day at present and in old days. We enjoyed old fashion games and plays.
- We wish to know difference on new year's day in regions throughout Japan.
4. Summary and Future Theme
There is on opinion of too much work load with the present method (to make observation and take photo every day at a fixed time), which is proven by the small number of participating schools. We wish to let students study on the seasonal front by increasing the number of participating school, changing the rules such as acceptance of irregular observation. The "New Year Day" will be a useful database if the information are gathered from many more regions and areas. Classes where use of the network has direct concern can also be expected through use of the electronic mail service such as "Livelihood in Japan" carried out by the 4th grade students. Utilizing the feature of the Internet environment, we wish to develop the projects into A Tree in the World and New Year Day in the World, without limiting to Japan only.
Figure 1
