Conference to introduce results from the 100-School Networking Project (Phase
II)
Senior high school meeting
The Students of Kasuiko, Exploring the Sea in the 21st Century
Kazumasa Take and Kazuhiko Tokuda, Information Communication
Department, Kagoshima Prefectural Kagoshima Fisheries Senior High School
http://www.kasuiko-hs.makurazaki.kagoshima.jp
e-mail:take@kasuiko-hs.makurazaki.kagoshima.jp/take@po.synapse.or.jp
1. Introduction
(1) Our activities
on the computer networks Makurazaki net, Sakurajima net, and on the Kagoshima
Prefecture educational network system
(2) Communication with Gifu Prefectural Ogaki Agricultural High School
(3) Regular communications with colleges and high schools overseas
(4) Distributing information, presentation of student research, and a demonstration
at *the Industrial Education Fair*
(5) Lecture class (PR activities at our school, in the community, and on an
isolated island)
(6) Participating in Kagoshima Prefecture's 20-School Internet Project
(7) Participating in the "Germination Map across Japan (kenaf)," and other
activities (observing cherry blossoms and autumn colors)
(8) Summary: Pros and cons of our activities
(9) Others
2. Outline of our school: history, courses (ocean, information communication,
and food technology courses, and a non-graded two-year course for graduates)
and computer use
(1) We took part in the national SUIKO-VAN network, Kagoshima Prefecture's
educational network system, and Makurazaki net, a local network. We established
the "CUG" forum on Sakurajima net and annually issued IDs to about thirty people.
(2) Using e-mail, about eighty students corresponded with Gifu Prefecture's
Ogaki Agricultural High School. Students introduced themselves, their school
lives, and community, and wrote about their memories of high school. Students
of Ogaki Agricultural High School sold products produced by our students at
the school festival. E-mail from a female twelfth-grader in the food distribution
course at Ogaki Agricultural High School:
- "Thanks for sending us the canned food. They were very popular and
quickly sold out at the festival. In addition to the canned food you sent,
we sold rice, fruits, including persimmons and kiwi, and flowers such as cyclamens
and pansies. I was very busy selling persimmons and enjoying the success of
the festival. Luckily, the weather stayed nice. The festival was very lively,
with student families, graduates, and other visitors, and included many fun
events, such as the flea market planned by students. We twelfth graders really
enjoyed our last school festival. We're happy we had the chance to exchange
e-mail with you and to sell your products at our festival. Once again, thanks
very much!"
(3) Communication with colleges and high schools overseas
In English, students introduced themselves, their school, school lives, and
community. They also exchanged letters. E-mail from a student overseas.
- Hello to Kiyotaka, Naoki, Katsuhiko, Yoshiki, Shinji, Takanori, Tsuyoshi,
Satoshi, Takahiro, Sachiko,
We have just recieved the parcel you sent us, we would like to thank you for
the calender and all the other information booklets. It was also good to see
are pictures on the calender. We will try to answer some of your questions.
We can vote when we turn 18. We are 3 males, Jonathan, David & Chris.
The other Jonathan has left school to work in McDonalds. David and Jonathan
support Chelsea Football Club and Chris supports Liverpool. We all enjoy movies
and we all agree that Ewan MaGregort is good. We all think that Mariah Carey
is very attractive and quite a good singer. Jonathan's favorite music group
is Ocean Colour Scene, Have you heard of them? David likes U2, which are a
band from Ireland. Our favorite female actress is Carmen Electra from Baywatch
and MTV's singled out. David and Jonathan had a great time on our school ski
trip, which was to America. The skiing was good and America was BIG! We also
had a very good time at the school formal, this was a sort of prom or dance!
There was a lot of dancing and celebrating of the new tear!!!!!! We must go
now to class. Reply soon David, Chriss and me (Jonathan)
(4) Distributing information (creating a home page, sending e-mail,
analyzing access logs, participating in a home page contest, etc.)
E-mail from a Japanese woman living abroad, received in the middle of January:
- Dear Mr. Kazumasa Take,
Hello. My name is Harumi. I found your home page by chance while I was searching
for information on Kuroshima in "goo." Thank you for your detailed
information about Kuroshima, including the picture. I really like the fact
that students and teachers collaborated to describe the community. I was looking
for information about Kuroshima because I wanted to know if the island really
existed, and if it did, what it was like. I like the writing of Sawako Ariyoshi,
and couldn't read her book "I'll never forget" without crying. Right
now, I live in Toronto, Canada, where it's very difficult to get Japanese
books. So I go to Kinokuniya in New York once every two years or so. When
I visited New York last November, I bought six of her books. I wanted anything
she'd written, and one of the books I happened to grab was "I'll never
forget."
By the way, like Mariko the heroine, I was a bit surprised to find that such
an island existed. It was through reading the book that I became curious to
find out if the island really existed. I found myself hoping it wouldn't be
as it was in the book. After reading this book, I've decided to live as fully
as possible, focusing on the present. It was nice to learn that Kuroshima
is a tourist resort now. I plan to go there when I go back to Japan. I'm from
Osaka, and I've never been to Kyushu. It will be my first visit there. I'll
definitely pay a visit to the literary monument for Sawako Ariyoshi. Sorry
about writing such a long letter about myself, but I wanted someone to know
how moved I was. Thank you for creating a wonderful home page. I hope for
even more progress at your school.
(5) Lecture class
- In the community: about once a month
We post lecture information in the local newspaper.
Two years ago, we held lectures several times on an isolated island.
(6) Participating in Kagoshima Prefecture's 20-School Internet Project
- Participants: elementary, junior and senior high schools, other schools,
junior colleges, and vocational schools
Information about the project: Using infoSatsuma and provided Web space, participating
schools can set up a free home page for one year. There is one access point
in Kagoshima city. Times of availability for infoSatsuma and conditions for
participation are as follows;
- Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Advance notification is required
for use outside these times. (When, for example, you need to prepare for a
school festival.) A limit of two IDs for e-mail may be issued to each school.
You may use up to 20MB of data space to create a home page. Application: Read
the project literature thoroughly and return the attached document to the
infoSatsuma office. Please fill in the following items:
- School name, with the principal seal, names of two representatives, contact
phone number, activities for the coming year, and home page contents
- Common theme: introduce schools and communities (city, town, or village)
- If you have an original theme for a home page, please describe it. If you
need approval from your school board, please obtain this approval beforehand.
- Inquiries and applications can be sent to: Kagoshima Infonet Corp.
infoSatsuma office Tel: 099-286-6380 (exclusive number)
Fax: 099-286-6380 (exclusive number)
E-mail: staff@satsuma.ne.jp
- 20-School Internet Project (Notification of lectures and lecture subjects)
Two five-day lectures were held, on creating a home page, retrieving and converting
images, transferring files, and sending and receiving e-mail.
- Our current situation
The number of schools meeting the conditions: about two-thirds of the twenty-four
schools
(7) Other activities
- Making paper from kenaf
Information on the cherry tree bloom, autumn colors, and Oita Prefectural
Hitarinko High School
- Demonstration of Internet use and a teleconferencing system at the *Industrial
Education Fair*
- Research presentation, and a demonstration of Internet use at *Kagoshima
Prefectural Technical High School* Research Meeting
- Teleconferencing system demonstration with Shiga Prefectural Shigaraki High
School
- Volunteer activities
- Participation in the Star Festival
(8) Pros and cons of our activities
- Benefits:
Students improved their presentation, communication, and computer skills,
had the opportunity to try out advanced technology, and learned ways to improve
seamanship skills.
Problems:
What is the purpose of vocational or special high schools?
The cost of line use
Hardware-related problems
(9) Others: contributing to bulletins, brochures, seminars, and study meetings
- Magazine published by *the Economic Research Institution of Kagoshima Prefecture*
- Brochures from the *Kagoshima Prefectural Technical High School Sectional
Meeting *and the High School English Sectional Meeting, as well as others
Conference to introduce results from the 100-School Networking Project (Phase II)