News & Events
June 2004-August 2004

Alla during her training in the ILC of School #4, Chkalovsk

Alla Suleymanova is a teacher of Russian Language and Literature of School #4, Chkalovsk. Before her professional trip to Moscow Alla gave us her thoughts and impressions about her work in the ILC.
- What did you receive from the participation in RI-SOL ILC activities?
- In 2003 I joined this project. I became interested at once, because I saw the opportunity, that this project could give me in my personal and professional life. I attended trainings, learned and studied every day something new in pedagogical, psychological and technical directions. New interactive methods of teaching and Internet and computer skills which I received from attending ILC’s activities helped me to make my own lessons more interesting and useful for the students. Their attendance to my lessons has increased by 3 times!
- What is the most important thing for you in RI-SOL?
- This project is an introduction to a world of creativity - within the framework of this project I’ve participated in many community and philanthropic activities and I hope to continue my active participation in them.

Participants of Connectivity Conference in Washington, DC

Global School Connectivity Conference Held in Washington DC
On August 12-13 a conference was held involving the 5 participating countries of the Connectivity Program: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the former Yugoslavia.  The forum was held at the US State Department and organized by Anna Mussman, Program Officer for the Youth Programs Division. The RI-SOL Head Office in Los Angeles, CA was represented by Caitlin Drewes, Program Manager and Tajikistan was represented by the RI-SOL Country Director Garth Willis. At the conference were also visitors from other offices in the State Department, and from the US Department of Education.

The conference was a great chance for all the countries to learn how Connectivity is implemented in different ways. What we discovered was that there are more similarities than differences. All of the countries found that there was not enough resources to help those that want to participate, but each country also had a list of examples of success how the connectivity program brought inspiration to the school.

The conference was also an opportunity for the US State Department to outline their future goals for the Connectivity program. The Connectivity program is not seen as a computer program, but instead as an arm of US Public Diplomacy. Much the same as sending a youth to the United States for a year exchange will show them American life and democratic ideals, an internet based civic education program can also help bring progress in any society.

The importance of exchanges between US schools and Connectivity schools was also stressed. American youth also benefit form learning more about other cultures. The more the world’s youth speak directly to each other, even if they live on opposite sides of the globe, the better chance we all have for a safer and more peaceful world.

The primary concern for the State Department is that we work on finding a way for the programs to continue in the long term. US government support will not last forever, but it would be tragic to see the educational programs and internet friendships that have been formed to disappear. It is not only about funding, it is about keeping relationships between schools and teachers, and finding ways for the schools to support the Connectivity programs.

All the participants left the conference with a renewed sense of the importance for the Connectivity Program. As separate countries we know that the work we do is important for that country, but when we view Connectivity as part of a larger movement that will bring youth from all parts of the world together, we know that we are truly helping to make the world a better place.

Connectivity Students discussing Internet issues during the forum. Isfara, School #1

Tajikistani Students Active in Central Asian Forums
On August 21st, Tajikistan Connectivity Schools participated in a forum called “Collaboration between Central Asian schools”, organized by IEARN Uzbekistan. This is a place where students and teachers from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan schools can meet and talk about their schools life, ideas and suggestions.

Tajikistan Connectivity Schools were very active. Teachers, students, On-Site Monitors and On-Site Educators of ILC’s from all around Tajikistan posted there messages on the forum. They welcomed all Central Asian Schools, told them about their life before and after Connectivity Project came to their schools and lives. Students invited their friends from other countries to visit their My Community websites, which they created by themselves and are proud of.

The forum was very successful for Tajikistani ILC’s, and our side already invited other Central Asian countries to participate in the forum, discussing the very important subject “Development of Educational Materials in Schools Using Internet Resources”

For more information about this forum, please, visit: http://www.iearn.uz/iearn/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=238.

Colorado Academy, Denver Colorado. http://www.coloradoacademy.org/ aboutca/overview/images/ image01.jpg

Three New US Schools Join the Connectivity Project
Our U.S. team has been working hard to recruit a diverse group of U.S. schools for the 2004-2005 Connectivity Program. The entire RI-SOL team would like to welcome the three newest schools on our roster:

Kettle Moraine High School, Wales, Wisconsin
Kettle Moraine H.S is a public school of 1,484 students in the town of Wales. Wales is located in southwest Wisconsin close to the shores of Lake Michigan. The participating teacher, Denise Roseland, teaches in the business department. Her classes include International Business and Marketing, Computer Applications and Entrepreneurship. We have no doubt that her students will have a great deal to add to the connectivity project. We are exited to have our first school in Wisconsin, and our first Business Department join our team!

TRECA Digital Academy, Marion, Ohio
Welcome aboard, TRECA Digital Academy! TRECA Digital Academy (TDA) is a unique high school which is entirely online. TDA offers a new and different opportunity to students who have decided that online education is a good alternative to the brick and mortar environment. Students can access their classes 24 hours a day, all week long. We have a lot to learn about online education from the students and teachers at TDA! We are looking forward to working with Robin Roskoph, a dedicated social studies teacher for the school.

Colorado Academy, Denver, Colorado
We are excited to have Colorado Academy in Denver signed-up to participate in Connectivity this year! Colorado Academy is a private school located in the state’s capital where students have a rigorous academic curriculum enriched by programs outside the classroom. Our participating teacher, Emily Leary, teaches World History and is looking forward to helping her students explore the world through their connection with Tajikistani high schools. Also of interesting note is that, Denver, Colorado is the sister city to the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe. Students at Colorado Academy and School #10 in Dushanbe will have the chance to learn a great deal about students in their sister city. What a wonderful opportunity!

Phase II Schools Complete My Community Websites
Welcome! Now you can visit our Phase II Schools My Community Websites!

Students, teachers and ILC’s staff did a great job, creating all these websites for their schools. You can find different interesting information about school, city, community, culture and so on. Students were using their own ideas and design while creating the websites, they made good digital photos of their culture and community - and as a result, now almost all our Connectivity Schools have their own web page. We hope, you’ll enjoy it! Here are some of the links: http://www.schoolsonline.org/norak/mycommunity/web/index.htm; http://www.schoolsonline.org/istaravshan/index.htm

Kanibadam students working under “Travelling the World” activity, English Camp, School #3

English Summer Camps Prepare Connectivity Students for Online Projects
In July RI-SOL held Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop for 17 Connectivity Lead Teachers of English with funding from the American Embassy in Tajikistan.

After completing these seminars, the teachers lead the English Camp for students in their own ILC’s during August. Teachers spent with students 2 days, during which they learned computers more, played different games, learned to understand each other, be tolerante, learned how to use the Internet: as a tool for communications, exchange and education improvement.

Over 160 students from ten Connectivity schools participated in the camp. Students were very active and happy, because of interesting and useful time spent all together. On the second day students have visit different places near the their town, for example, students from Chorbog - visited famous mausoleum of Mirsaid Ali Khamadani, students from Tursunzade came to Dushanbe and visited different museums and cultural places.

Students are ready now to start new collaborative activities with their friends in the US.

“First of all we are very pleased taking part in this summer English camp. During the seminar  we felt like we were making a bunch of changes in our lives. It was really interesting. Those days we played different kinds of games, we have opened the marvellous world of Internet. We all want to deliver our special gratitude to you and want to see these sort of seminars more often. It was very kind of you assist us to spend our summer holidays with benefit - we received great knowledge about computers and internet!” Girls from School #32, Istaravshan.

Two Connectivity Students participating in the forum, Isfara, School #1

Students from Azerbaijan Participate in Cross-Border Forum with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
The most successful forum to date between Connectivity Project schools was conducted on July 9, 2004. In addition to schools in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, there were also eleven schools participating from six cities in Azerbaijan. The language of the forum was Russian and the topic was “What Is Special About My Country”.

The students from Azerbaijan impressed everyone as the most active participants in the forum with their informative, poetic descriptions of their country and its traditions, folklore, and culture. For example: “There are 11 climatic zones in the world and 9 of them can be seen in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has many nature reserves such as Kizilagach, Zakatali, Lenkoran, and others. Lenkoran is a very ancient site. According to scientists 70 types of plants from the dinosaur age still grow in Lenkoran,” – Nigyar, School#14, Sumgayit . “Azerbaijan is very famous with its beautiful and colorful carpets. This craft has appeared in Azerbaijan long ago. Women usually weaved carpets using gold and silver threads and precious stones and passed this craft from one generation to another. The first national museum of carpets in the world was established in Baku in 1967,” – Shikarli, School #2, Baku.

Tajikistan students from Chkalovsk School #4 thanked the students from Azerbaijan for the information about their motherland: “We did not know that Azerbaijan is such an interesting country!”

Jennifer Washeleski, Public Affairs Officer for the US Embassy, Tajikistan presenting certificates to the English Language Camp participants

Summer English Camps for Connectivity Lead Teachers and Students
RI-SOL organized a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop for 17 Connectivity Lead Teachers of English with funding from the American Embassy in Tajikistan. The three-day seminar was held from July 28-30 in Dushanbe at the ILC at School #10. The Lead Teachers were selected by application and represented ten school ILCs from all regions of Tajikistan, including Gorno-Badakhshan.

The seminar was lead by Senior On-Site Educator Abdulhamid Sharipov from Kulyab, and On-Site Educator Ibragim Rustamov from School #1 in Isfara. They worked closely with Caitlin Drewes, Program Officer at RI-SOL headquarters in the US who is an experienced teacher of English as a second language, to create their own three-day training module. The overall objective of the seminar was to improve English teaching by training teachers in new methods, especially those using computers and the Internet.

During these three days, the teachers learned several new interactive methods to improve students’ speaking, reading, understanding, and writing in English, such as various games, skits, dictation, and Internet-based activities. The teachers were very eager to learn how to make their English lessons more productive with the help of computer software and Internet websites, and how to create lesson plans with the help of new technology. Teachers learned several new activities for using the Internet and computers for teaching English, and then created their own resource list of English-teaching sites and lesson plans available on the Internet.

The teachers completed the training by applying what they learned in the workshop to create their own specific lesson plans and activities. They will teach these at the two-day English Camps they will lead with over 160 students from ten Connectivity schools in August. The materials and techniques the teachers gained over the course of the training will be a strong asset to Connectivity students and schools as the new school year and US collaborative projects begin in September.

On-Site Educator Nigina Siyakova and one of the selected teachers, Miyasar Ashonkulov at the ILC in School #101, Tursunzade

Five Connectivity Teachers Selected for Professional Development Program in US
In September 2004, RI-SOL will hold a three-week professional development program in America for five Tajikistani teachers on technology in education. The trip will include seminars led by experts from UCLA on how to use computers and the Internet in the classroom, as well as site visits to several Connectivity US partner schools to observe American teachers and students using technology.

More than 50 teachers applied from all 20 Connectivity schools around Tajikistan. After careful review of each application, eleven finalists were invited for an interview in Dushanbe or Khujand. The interviews were conducted by Americans from other international organizations to provide an objective evaluation. As a result of the interviews, five teachers were chosen to participate in the US program.

Thank you to all the teachers who applied, and congratulations to the winners: Nigina Mirzoeva (School #4, Chkalovsk), Dilorom Abdullaeva (School #16, Gulyakandoz), Zebonisso Murodov (School #1, Sarband), Takhmina Sirojov (School #40, Chorbog) and Miyasar Ashankulov (School #101, Tursunzade).

Ilo Mai meeting with Connectivity teachers and students at the ILC at School #18, Shahrinav

Tajikistan School Connectivity Project State Department Representative Ilo Mai Harding Visits Connectivity Program in Tajikistan
During the week of June 15 -20, we were fortunate to have very special guest to three of our Internet Learning Centers. Ilo Mai Harding, ECA Senior Program Manager for the US State Department, visited schools in Kulyab, Shahrinov, and Gissar. These were not formal visits, but rather a chance to see how the schools and communities use the ILCs. We hope that she left with an even greater appreciation for the profound change that the Connectivity Project is bringing to rural schools and communities in Tajikistan.

To be visited by such an ambassador from the State Department, and such true advocate for these programs, gave the staff, volunteers, and students of the ILCs the chance to see how what they do is important. The Connectivity Project is just one part of a much larger initiative to better connect the world and to better understand each other.

On June 19th she visited the ILC in Shahrinov School #18. While this center is only an hour outside of Dushanbe, it is a very rural agricultural area. Ilo Mai met with students and teachers asking a lot of questions such as: "Who uses the center?" "How many kids go to university after graduation?" "Are parents active in school affairs?" "How does the community use the Internet?" and more. For Ilo it was a good chance to meet and speak with the people that directly benefit from State Department programs.

On the same day she also visited School #2 in Gissar to meet with the students who were learning about digital sound recording from Matthew Wood (see "Connectivity Students Record Tajik Traditional Music with Computers" below). This day was a good example of how the ILCs do projects that are not just about computers, but also use computers to learn, to preserve culture, and to involve the community.

We were sorry to see Mai go but we hope she will be back. It was our pleasure to show her that the goals of the State Department for the Connectivity project--working in communities, improving education, focusing on girls, creating friendships between cultures and building a better understanding of US culture--is succeeding in Tajikistan.

ORA Disability Program and Connectivity Project Collaboration Expands to Gissar
On June 3, 2004, NGO "Munice" in Gissar held a meeting between orphans, kids with disabilities, representatives from ORA International, and student volunteers from the ILC at School #2 in Gissar: Anvar Samadov, Afzal Sharipov, Akbar Abdulloev, and On-Site Monitor Parviz Abdulloev. During this meeting they discussed how the students from the ILC could help kids with disabilities. The students from School #2 hope to assist the kids with disabilities use computers and Internet to help them learn new life skills. The group plans to meet regu-larly over the summer to plan a collaboration starting in the fall.

Connectivity students working on their soccer map, School #4, Chkalovsk

Connectivity Students and Teachers Work Towards Global Citizenship
The Global Citizenship & Youth Philanthropy (GCYP) project enables young people to learn and experience what it means to be a global citizen. 237 students and 47 teachers from 15 schools all over Tajikistan completed GCYP activities, learning about geography, history, languages, culture, and, most importantly, cross-cultural understanding.

Each school completed at least one of three activities from the GCYP textbook, which is now available in English and Russian for Tajikistani students and teachers. The "Soccer Around the World" activity allowed students to learn about soccer, teamwork, and geography by studying the last World Cup results. The students worked in teams to create maps on the computer using the Internet, Word, and Photoshop showing the locations and flags of the World Cup countries.

The second activity, "What's in a Name?", allowed students to study history and culture by researching the history of their own names. They worked on the Internet, talked to relatives and friends, and took pictures that were all compiled in PowerPoint presentations about the history of their names.

The third activity, "Culture Wheel", was about different cultures--it's an important issue for international understanding between schools and classes. The students created a culture wheel diagram using computers that showed the commonality and differences in their cultures.

In the fall GCYP activities will continue at Connectivity schools in Tajikistan and with their partner schools in the US. You can see the results of these activities and find out more information about GCYP here.

Doctor Khudoyberdiev using his new ultrasound device for medical treatment

ILC in Kurgan-Tyube Helps Doctor Order Equipment via the Internet
Surgeon Ibragim Khudoyberdiev from Kolhozabad, Khatlon region, was the first doctor to open a children's surgery center in the Kolhozabad district. A doctor for 40 years, he worked at the center for 15 years using ultrasound equipment. Now that he is retired and living on his pension, he wants to continue his work by opening a private clinic. He has been looking for an ultrasound machine for several months, but was only able to find a few very expensive ones for sale locally.

His assistant, doctor Khosiyat Akramov, was visiting the ILC in Kurgan-Tyube in School #12 to search for some medical information on the Internet. During that search she found a doctor in Moscow who could sell them the ultrasound equipment for a quarter of the price. Dr. Khudoyberdiev contacted the doctor in Moscow and traveled there to buy the equipment. The team at the ILC in Kurgan-Tyube is very proud that their center helped the community to find the equipment essential for the health of their children.

Matthew showing Connectivity students how to record a sound on the computer, School #2, Gissar

Connectivity Students Record Tajik Traditional Music with Computers
On June 19, 2004, 15 Connectivity students from School #2 in Gissar, School #18 in Shahrinav, and School #101 in Tursunzade came to the Internet Learning Center in Gissar to learn about traditional music and sound recording on the computer.

The workshop was led by special guest from the US, Matthew Wood, who is a Sound Designer at LucasFilm. A Sound Designer is the person who uses a computer to design, record, and edit all the sounds that happen in a film. Matthew has worked on films such as Star Wars Episodes I and II and Mission: Impossible. Matthew learned all of his computer skills by himself while working on projects.

The nine students from Gissar researched traditional music in their community. They selected four musicians and interviewed them, emailing their results to the students in Shahrinav and Tursunzade. Six students from these two schools researched the instruments the musicians played on the Internet, such as the dutor, doira, and rubab, and prepared presentations to introduce them on the day of the event.

On June 19, all the students and the On-Site Educators from each school came to the ILC in Gissar. They introduced the musicians and gave presentations on their instruments. Then Matthew gave a seminar on how to make a recording on the computer and how to use special effects to edit the recording. The students took turns recording each of the traditional instruments, and then they divided into groups to record their own songs, poetry, and music. After the event, each of the schools took a microphone back to their ILC to record the unique sounds of their own communities. You can learn more about this project and listen to the results here.

Connectivity student and On-Site Educator chatting with Matthew Wood at School #1, Isfara

Online Chat with Matthew Wood, Digital Sound Designer
All Connectivity students had a chance to ask Matthew questions about his work in an online chat on June 17. Over 42 students, staff, and community members logged in from ILCs all over the country, asking him questions such as: "What is sound?","How many sounds are there in the world?", "What is your favorite film?", "Did you play any roles in your films?", "What do you think about people in Tajikistan?", "How many countries have you visited?", etc. Matthew was very impressed with the students’ questions and tried his best to answer everyone. You can read the chat transcript here.

• Archive: December, 2004 - February, 2005
• Archive: September, 2004 - November, 2004
• Archive: June, 2004 - August, 2004
  
• Archive: March, 2004 - May, 2004
  
• Archive: December, 2003 - February, 2004
  
• Archive: August - November, 2003

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The Tajikistan School Connectivity Project for Central Asia is a project of Relief International - Schools Online's Global Citizenship & Youth Philanthropy Program and has been made possible with major funding from the United States State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Global Catalyst Foundation.