n-1-3-020.04 K-12 Networking by Art St. George This month's column focuses on the networking efforts in Israel. Among the networking activities in Israel, two are featured here: those of the MAKASH and the Institute of Global Communication I*EARN project. Some of the latter's activities were described in last month's column. MAKASH - Advancing Computer Mediated Communications Applications. The project's philosophy is that computer communication is an ideal tool for intensive and long-term correspondence. Further, the computer is an attractive technology for students, affording them deep exposure, removing barriers and creating an encounter between people where such encounters would be unlikely in person. Makash has received formal support from the Israel Ministry of Education and the Information Technologies Division of the Ministry of Communications. The principal communication system of Makash is DOORS, developed in Israel. Use of DOORS is relatively inexpensive and even for the schools with the heaviest use, the cost seldom exceeds 100 NIS or approximately $41/month DOORS, or Distributed Online Offline Retrieval System, is an X.25 system running over Isranet. It focuses on the remote PC and performs most of the functionality at this end of the network. It is completely menu-driven and allows for e-mail, bulletin boards, file transfers and quries to remote databases. High school students with no previous experience are able to use the system after one to one and one-half hours of training. DOORS will eventually be gatewayed to the Internet. Before describing some of the individual Makash projects, their features in common include: Clear and agreed upon understanding of the program and work methods by the students and staff. Time spent on each project is distributed throughout the schedule according to the needs of the teacher, the topic and its requirements. A computer teacher supports and accompanies the classroom teacher in each school subject. The projects require between 1-7 days of training per year. The duration of the projects depends on the topic but ranges between 3 months and one year. Every project concludes with a social and educational encounter between all of the students. In the lower grades, here 4-6, there is currently one project underway: Investigating the Human Body. This project asks the students to take measurements and collect data about themselves for evaluation and comparison with students at other schools. The data range from nutrition to blood pressure. For 1993, another grades 4-6 project is planned. This one is Creative Writing and Expression and aims to improve expressive writing skills and deeper recognition between students from different places. In the higher grades of 7-8 and 9-10, projects currently underway include Water Management Programme for Israel, Ecology - the Pollution of Streams, and Project "Neighbors" - Jews:: Arabs Projects planned for next year include Adolescents' Self-image in Israel and The Supreme Court of Justice - A Simulation Game. These projects require a combination of skills and activities ranging from fieldwork to installation of computers and modems. For more information on MAKASH, contact Dov Winer of Ben Gurion University at viner@bguvm.bgu.ac.il Another Israeli project of substantial proportion is ORT - Organization for Rehabilitation through Training. ORT is the world's largest vocational/technological training organization and within Israel, ORT is the country's largest secondary education network offering vocational, technological and comprehensive education in over 150 secondary and post-secondary educational environments. Readers of last month's column will recall that I*EARN is a global network using innovative methodologies and projects for the advancement of understanding and collaborative learning. For the past two years, ORT in Israel has operated the I*EARN center with 12 ORT secondary schools actively involved. Presently, ORT connects to I*EARN through the Isranet network. A search is underway to identify institutions through which ORT can connect to I*EARN using the Internet. Adding to I*EARN's global objectives, ORT is aiming to achieve several academic goals using telecommunications.. First among these is re-structuring of conventional teaching methods. ORT has made one or more of either research. development, experimentation, or creativity a prequisite method for use in I*EARN projects. The second goal is to use telecommunications to repare students for participation in the information age. Because of its remoteness and seclusion, Israel depends heavily on telecommunications for commercial, industrial and academic improvement. All collaborative projects are carried out in English and ORT students joining I*EARN have an advantage in using English as a foreign language. This year ORT student projects included researching topics such as the quincentennical of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, in collaboration with a Spanish school, exchanging facts and emotions with New York students on the implications of the Holocaust and comparing notes on genetics with students in Minnesota For more information on ORT in Israel, contact Gideon Goldstein at ortisrael@igc.apc.org and for further information about I*EARN, contact Ed Gragert at ed1@igc.org. As always, if you have news of any K-12 computing or networking around the globe, send the information to Art St. George at stgeorge@bootes.unm.edu