Appendix IV
 

Working Papers

SCDM-00/WP/1

SEAMEO Secretariat IT Activities
I. Background Information
According to the SEAMEO IT Development Plan, approved in February 1998 during the SEAMEC Conference, the SEAMEO Secretariat has undertaken the following initiatives.
II. SEAMEO Content: Virtual Library
The SEAMEO Virtual Library is maintained through the office of the Secretariat. The intent of the SEAMEO Virtual Library is to provide users with quick access to SEAMEO Resources. Those resources include:
1. Database with Search Engine Capacity
2. Education Materials for Sale by Centres
3. Digitized Photos and Documents
4. Complete Text Documents Related to Research
5. Information About Training Programmes and Activities of the organization.
The database provides information about printed documents or on-line resources. When on-line resources are available, the title will appear as hypertext. Users can click directly on the document and read the resource.
The SEAMEO Virtual Library is also a place where the Educational Modules sold by Centres are marketed. A hyperlink to the Centre selling the module is readily available for Library users. This could become an excellent e-commerce opportunity. The site also includes links to courses sold on-line or scheduled to take place at the Centres.
SEAMEO Photo Gallery of People and Events, serves as an on-line historian for the organization and includes "About SEAMEO" an excellent discussion about the development of SEAMEO, the Secretariat and the governing structure of the organization.
Currently, the Virtual Library contains the following digitized collection in terms of content, their description and the format of the document.
Online information/documentation

Contents

Descriptions

Format

Full Text

Listing

Link to SEAMEO Centres home pages
Activities Training programmes and activities, 5-year plan

*

*

*
Databases Information on various areas of specialization i.e. library, alumni, education system

* or online search

*

*
Modules/Course wares Educational modules and course wares  

*

*
Photo Gallery Collections of photographs by activities: SEAMEC, HOM, CDM, etc.

Online photo album

    
Projects Projects, programmes and services undertaken

*

*

*
Publications Books, journals, newsletters, reports, etc. (with price if for sale)

*

*

*
Research Description of research and development, their findings and results, and their impact on the community or discipline

*

*

*
Sound
(digital audio)		 Speeches, interviews, etc.

Sound files

    
VDO/Film
(digital video)		 Interviews

VDO files

    
Links Names of related institutions: MOE of SEAMEO Members, SEAMEO Units, International Agencies and Foundation, and Higher Education Institutions in Thailand  

*

Link to their homepages
About SEAMEO Organization profiles, Organization and Relationship charts, Legal Documents: Charter, Agreement with GOT, Proclamations, etc.

*

    
Non SEAMEO Resources Publications including articles and books on various subjects in English and Thai submitted by individuals and institutions for web publishing.

*

  

*
III. SEAMEO Marketing Efforts: Organizational Homepage
As a part of the SEAMEO Marketing Plan, presented at the 1998 CDM, the SEAMEO organizational homepage was created. In the context of Internet development initiatives, the web site was proposed to provide at a minimum a common letterhead to the organization with the names and countries of the ten member ministers along with the photograph of the President. The web site was to include a usual menu of choices along with Partnership Opportunities, featured as a promotion for the Centres and their activities. Additionally, some of the contents for the page were to include SEAMEO Horizon, SEAMEO summary and general purpose marketing information and SEAMEO services information (CDM/98/WP/14).
Through the SEAMEO organizational page you can access information about SEAMEO, the member nations of SEAMEO, the SEAMEO Centres, services and programmes, publications, events, opportunities offered through each Centre, Links and "What’s New" that reports recent events and access to the SEAMEO Virtual Library.
IV. SEAMEO Programming: SEAMEO/ICDE Joint Venture in Education: The Virtual Campus Collaboration
The Virtual Campus System is a very significant IT related program. In fact, one cannot function without the other, program to IT, IT to program. The development of the Virtual Campus system proposes innovative initiatives for the structure of the SEAMEO organization and how all Units function as an integral part of a vibrant part of this project. The IT Team for the Secretariat stands ready to play a role in the development of this recent initiative, approved during the February 2000 SEAMEC Conference.
From the agreement approved in February:
The Virtual Campus System is a virtual campus of existing courses and tutoring services at high quality institutions from around the world, as well as from SEAMEO Member Countries that will be made available through one Internet portal to the SEAMEO Countries.
The general objective of the project is to support and strengthen the economic and social growth of each SEAMEO Member Country in the transformation to the economy of the information society.
The SEAMEO-ICDE Virtual Campus will offer courses in areas, such as: continuing education, training and education for employees of companies, all levels of education from kindergarten to post graduate, and parental advice through the Internet. It will be multilingual and will operate with computerized translation into several languages. Offering the best quality available resources in virtual learning from around the world, the Virtual Campus System will merge these resources into one delivery platform in a SEAMEO-ICDE initiative that can meet the rapidly increasing demand for education and training of SEAMEO Countries.
ICDE and the BRIDGE Global learning will work with SEAMEO to design, develop and operate the project. Experts from among the world’s leading experts on international development and cooperation will be involved. The commitment of industry and supranational bodies will be sought. Moreover, resources will be brought in from the SEAMEO Member Countries who wish to be involved in the project. Contributions from SEAMEO Countries and external investors shall be sought through a joint project team.
V. Infrastructure
Internal IT
IT operation in the Secretariat is supported by a Local Area Network (LAN). This local area network is supported by link to the Internet through leased line from a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP) and a link with UniNet, the Ministry of University Affairs, both of these connections are also utilized for the SEAMEO Darakham Project. All staff are provided a PC, an e-mail account and the authorization to access the network from outside the Secretariat facility. There are five modems connected to the SEAMEO Darakham network that allow SEAMES staff to dial in from their home computer in order to gain access to the Internet. This access is provided to SEAMES staff in order to support their working on-line, as well as to promote their learning about the rapidly evolving nature of the Internet and in particular, the impact of the Internet on education.
Additionally, the Secretariat’s internal network is also directly linked to the SEAMEO Darakham Project’s network, which gives it an advantage of being connected to a larger information resource than the Secretariat could provide alone, UNESCO- PROAP, Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology under the Ministry of Education, Thailand, Department of Curriculum and Instructional Development-The Ministry of Education, Thailand and the SEAMEO Darakham member schools are some of these institutions.
The diagram below gives a picture summary of the Secretariat’s Network:

VI. External IT
6.1 SEAMEO Darakham IT Garden 2000 Project: Infrastructure
The SEAMEO Darakham IT Garden 2000 Project serves as a community involvement project for the SEAMEO Secretariat. The SEAMEO Darakham IT Garden 2000 Project is a pilot project serving to demonstrate shared connectivity in a manner that maximizes resources for educational institutions.
Schools in Thailand have not been adequately provided Internet access for practical use in the classroom, because of budget constraints. The current connection for schools, provided through MOENet, ThaiSarn SchoolNet, and other government supported networks limits the number of hours and staggers the periods of time access is available. Through the SEAMEO Darakham Project, access is improved and use has increased for their member institutions. SEAMEO Darakham service provides unlimited access to users. In the Bangkok area, the SEAMEO Darakham Project is proving to be a model for future educational networks throughout the region.
Currently, SEAMEO Darakham serves secondary schools, institutes, organizations and a university. In simple terms, an MOU with the Ministry of University Affairs (MUA) through their UniNet contributes high speed Internet access to SEAMEO Darakham (512 Kbps and to be expanded to 2 Mbps). In addition, the project leases another commercial line (128 Kbps, and to be expanded to 256 Kbps) to supplement Internet connection during peak use times on UniNet. Then using appropriate hardware, (Cisco routers) the Internet connection is provided for the schools. SEAMEO Darakham provides Internet connection to the following educational institutions:
a. King's College Secondary School
Student Population: 1,617
b. Wat Raikhing Witttaya School
Student Population: 3,140
c. Sriboonyanon School
Student Population: 2,700
d. Benjamarachanusorn School
Student Population: 2,900
e. Suankularb Wittayalai School
Student Population: 4,592
f. Pakkret Secondary School
Student Population: 3,199
g. Ratwinitbangkaeo School
Student Population: 3,500
h. Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University - Ta Phra Chan Campus
(Mahachula’ has 17 locations in Thailand)
Student Population: 1,824
i. Institute for the Promotion of Science and Technology
j. Department of Curriculum and Instructional Development - The Ministry of Education, Thailand
k. SEAMES
l. UNESCO-PROAP
While not connected by leased line, SEAMEO SPAFA connects to SEAMEO Darakham through model dial up. Currently, there are 24,000 direct users of Internet services provided through the SEAMEO Darakham IT Garden 2000 Project.
6.2 SEAMEO Darakham IT Garden 2000 Project: Educational Initiatives
SEAMEO Darakham operates an organizational web page. There readers can discover information related to the background, goals and objectives, planning, budget, revenue and benefits of the project.
The SEAMEO Darakham Project operates another web page for students called Thai School.Net. Thai School.Net is a virtual environment for sharing information between SEAMEO Darakham students and teachers. Through the site many services are available, including news, mail, quick links, technology news and special offers, entertainment information, web board communication, a search engine, games, tutorials on flash technology, anti-virus files, and poems written by students. ThaiSchool.Net is a virtual community created by the members of the SEAMEO Darakham Project.
SEAMEO Darakham IT Garden 2000 Project staff are engaged in training teachers to manage Local Area Networks and build institutional and instructional web pages. The following classes are regularly taught by SEAMEO Darakham staff members or outsourced personnel:
a. Server Setup and Configuration
b. Proxy Server Configuration
c. Basic Internet Use
d. Web Page Development
e. IT for Public Relations
f. Learning to Make Internet Play Productive: Computer Based Instruction for English for English Second Language Learning
Teachers from different member institutions train together during SEAMEO Darakham classes, learning about each other’s schools and sharing new ideas. Teachers of SEAMEO Darakham Project institutions are provided with electronic mailboxes and server storage space so they can begin to build on-line class content for their students and web pages for their schools.
Service for SEAMEO Darakham is arranged through a one-time only installation fee, charged by a local telephone authority ($300) and then two monthly expenses:
1. $200 for high speed link to the SEAMEO Darakham hub
2. $300 for management fee, which includes monthly training and technical support
In the Bangkok area the SEAMEO Darakham Project is proving to be a model for future educational networks throughout the region.
Additional development for the Project include student participation in:
  • Virtual Library development, which will build student skill, technological awareness and SEAMEO virtual database content
  • Inter-school communication among students
  • Development of schools as testing sites for web-based educational initiatives
Nevertheless, SEAMEO Darakarm faces some challenges.
  • Funding the project without budget allocation commitment: Initial Funding for the Project was borrowed in order to initiate the activity. There is a challenge to initiate a marketing mechanism to promote the project and at the same time to make the project financially well balanced.
  • To increase the impact without increasing burden: The goal of the project is to have a positive impact on 40 schools. That accommodation of service was designed to occur on a cost recovery basis. In order to fund future initiatives, collaborative partnerships with industry leaders need to be established.
  • The need to demonstrate "Digital Equality:" Since the beginning, SEAMEO Darakham was designed to initiate network structure that can enhance better quality of linkage to schools without adding high cost to them. That initiative may not eliminate "Digital Divide" or reduce the gap between the wealthy and technically and/or economically disadvantaged people in provincial and rural areas, but it is a step in the right direction. The next phase includes expansion to a projected 40 schools membership. SEAMEO Darakham will work closely with private sector partners to better access provincial areas.
  • The need to expand staff and resources as technological expands opportunities. IT development is very important and strategic to the betterment of education in Southeast Asia. In the future, SEAMEO must expand (1) staff related to IT development (2) utilize SEAMEO Internships in the area of IT development, (3) collaborate with SEAMEO Centres to share experience and demonstrate IT practicalities for use in education to a wider scope beyond the boundary of nations.
  • SEAMEO Darakham has limited full-time staff members and must depend upon outsourced persons
  • Staff for SEAMEO Darakham is serving the Secretariat for their IT needs.
6.3 SEAMEONet: Infrastructure
External IT of SEAMEONet consists of a memorandum of understanding with the Royal Thai Government Ministry of University Affairs. This agreement links the Secretariat to UniNet, the network infrastructure serving the public universities of Thailand.
a. SEAMEONet Content: Access to Educational Materials
SEAMEONet Homepage
The SEAMEONet Homepage was first developed in order to centralize web based educational materials for South East Asian teachers and students. With the assistance of two student interns and extensive web searching by a volunteer and Secretariat IT Consultant serving as the Webmaster for SEAMEONet the site was created. Instead of a paper report about the best free software available, a functional tool was developed. Later additions were made to the page in order to enhance its’ usefulness for the purpose of SEAMEONet infrastructure development.
The site categorizes web links for ordinary user needs, like mail, search engines, and news. The site categorizes information about education through links to education resources, virtual libraries, virtual museums, teacher assistance, translating dictionaries for world languages, South East Asian and worldwide universities. Additionally, SEAMEONet page links users to topic areas related to IT development through links to the SEAMEO IT Development Plan, SEAMEONet Projects, including the SEAMEO Darakham site, Thai School Net, subscribing member schools, IT development organizations in South East Asia and the world. Finally, SEAMEONet web site invites participation in virtual communities for education and IT development through web board discussion areas.
One of the more noteworthy features for the SEAMEONet homepage includes, fast access to the best educational resources on the web, through the Educational Resources component of the page. Within the Educational Resources component you will find every academic discipline, including English Language Arts. The English Language Arts component alone, links to over 142 web pages directly related to English Second Language learning, including sites like, Randall’s Cyber Listening Lab, where audio and video on demand are available to help students practice language development.
Through SEAMEONet homepage web sites are linked through one major portal, proposing to save time for teachers and money (in web time) for schools. Currently, the site is under development, not listed with any search engines and has not been formally announced to the public.
b. Free Server Space
Pendidikan
Pendidikan Net (Education Net) of Indonesia is an attempt to bring together information related to current educational developments and to serve as a general resource and communication link (forum) for school administrators, educators, and other interested parties. The primary objective of this homepage is to act as an interactive medium for bringing together all the major education sectors. The web site serves as a central hub for five educational networks in Indonesia.
Pendidikan Net use reports as follows:
http://www.seameo.net/pendidikan/   12,000
http://www.seameo.net/pendidikan/sltp/       2,400
http://www.seameo.net/pendidikan/sm/     9,000
http://www.seameo.net/pendidikan/pt/       3.200
http://www.seameo.net/pendidikan/indostaff/   2,400
http://www.seameo.net/pendidikan/kitb/      4,000
Services that promote this type high volume use are: Links to the five networks that unite Indonesia, Learn English which is a pilot web based project for English language acquisition, and PenFriends.Net. There are many other links and opportunities facilitated through the page.
AcharnLinda
Acharn Linda page serves as the teaching tool for classes taught by SEAMEONet Editor and SEAMES Development Officer. The SEAMEONet Editor and Development Officer is currently teaching graduate school at Thammasat and Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Universities. In a 24 hour period over 8-9 August 2000, the site was used 253 times. The SEAMEONet Editor and Development Officer has a total of 115 students. The plan for the teaching through Acharn Linda is to employ a test case for the viability of Web CT.
ONEC
Office of the National Education Commission (ONEC) is responsible for policy making and planning of education at all levels and types. The Office of the National Education Commission is divided into 2 Bureaus, 1 Center and an Office of the Secretary. The total staff members as of 1997 are 216. The page provides information about ONEC in terms of education in Thailand, education reform, statistics and law, publications, news and other links.
VII. The Purpose of the Working Paper
The purpose of this Working Paper is to advise and inform the Special CDM about IT activities of SEAMES relative to the SEAMEO IT Development Plan.
Last updated: 23 August 2001

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