Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005
Asia Distance Learning Project Holds 2nd Video Conference
VC Hailed as Effective Tool in Creating Consensus
The Asia Distance Learning Project held its 3rd working level meeting on June 22, 2005, linking 6 major cities including Tokyo, Singapore and Jakarta. The Project chose to utilize video conferencing services provided by the TDLC and JICA-Net for the second consecutive year, in response to positive survey results from last year's meeting. During the one hour session, the video conference was hailed as an effective tool for consensus building, as well as knowledge-sharing within the Asian network.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Shintarou Ishijima, Dean of Faculty of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Participants included representatives of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government assembled at the TDLC in Tokyo, as well as administrators and educators in 5 other cities.
From the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Mr.Masakazu Omura, Senior Director in charge of International Joint Projects, expressed hopes that the Tokyo Metropolitan University, newly created in April 2005, would become the core of a network of universities. Through it, distance learning techniques could be developed by taking advantage of each institution's IT infrastructure and educational environment. The distribution of teaching materials through multimedia, exchange of lectures and symposia, effective use of the video conferencing system to hold symposia, were some of the initiatives being considered by Tokyo for future development.
Participants exchanged opinions regarding the project, praising it as a valuable venture enabling those lacking in human resources and social infrastructure to co-develop programs. Cost sharing and certification were raised as issues for further discussion.
The Asia Distance Learning Project aims to promote a wide range of subjects such as language and IT literacy through distance learning. It is part of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21), whose projects focus on vital issues for Asia in the 21st century including the development of new technology, urban planning and environmental protection. The Project was the first within the ANMC21 network to utilize video conferencing to enhance its work.
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