Subject: n-1-4-020.09

Russian Educational Network Established
by Patarakin Evgeny* <jenja@mdkc.botik.yaroslavl.su>

In late November, a research group on Computer and Educational Strategy in
the Program Systems Institute took the first step of establishing a new compute
network for education in Russia.  This network now exists as the "Uchcom" assocn
and UCHCOM BBS: (085)359-8304.

UCHCOM focusses on many different facets of education: Administration,
Physics and mathematics, Informational technology for language learning,
Cognitive psychology, MultiMedia, and Logo Media.
Logo Media is the most advanced activity in Uchcom because Logo (LogoWriter) has
actively been used in educational programs of our International Children Computer 
Camp (ICCC) since 1988. In 1991 and 1992, we used network communication in many
Logo projects:

o "Space Voyage" ("Chat" idea was implemented)
o "The Computer Theater" (Teleconference idea was implemented)
o "MicroWorlds" (Correspondence idea was implemented)
o "Fantastic World" (Mention idea was implemented)

All of these projects were based on the idea that when telecommunication really
comes to the classroom it means firstly that children have opened to world, and
only secondly that the world has opened to children.

The main aims of Logo Media in UCHCOM BBS is to support a distance logo leaning
and telecommunicative logo projects. Now these working projects are:

o Animated Cartoons about ancient Greek myths.
o Games in the Logo environment.
o New Scientific Logo microworlds.
o Work of art album. (This is an idea of the St. Peterburg Logo group who have
  created a very good looking LogoWriter album about their own city and the cits
  of the Gold Ring of Russia.)
o Computer Logo Theater.

We hope that within the framework of any projects in our logo-teleconference, new
ideas, shapes and procedures will be created and changed.

The Uchcom association and Uchcom BBS are supported now in the different region
Russia: Pereslavl-Zalessky, Nizhny Novgorod, Moskow, St. Peterburg, Omsk, Cheljb
insk. We hope that in near future our informational system would be reproduced
in some of these regions and our activity would be more independent.
Unfortunately, members of our association can only connect with the worldwide
Internet education community only by a gateway.

Additional information about Uchocom and its projects can be obtained by Email
directed to: <jenja@mdkx.botik.yaroslavl.su>

*International Children Computer Center, Program Systems Institute, Russia