Home
Subscribe
Internet Access and Training Program (IATP)
IATP News for October 2005
E-mail this pageView news from:
UNDP Grant Advisor Oleg
Guchgeldiev conducts a
nationwide
consultation about grants to
disabled people at the IATP
access
site in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
TURKMENISTAN
Muskie Alumnus Discusses Grant Opportunities for Disabled People
at IATP Access Site in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
On October 14, fifteen representatives of the disabled communities gathered
at IATP access sites in Mary, Balkanabat, Ashgabat, and Dashoguz, Turkmenistan,
to participate in a two-hour live chat on grant opportunities for disabled
people with UNDP Grant and Public Affairs Advisor in Turkmenistan Oleg
Guchgeldiev (Muskie 95). To begin the chat, participants from Mary, Balkanabat,
and Turkmenabat gave a presentation about the socioeconomic status and
lack of educational opportunities for disabled people in different parts
of Turkmenistan, providing Guchgeldiev with background information for
the chat. During the chat, Guchgeldiev talked about planning for grants,
fundraising, and implementing projects. He gave advice on receiving permission,
help, and support for projects from local government authorities as well
as from different international organizations. Guchgeldiev also talked
about the importance of doing research with disabled people in order to
uncover the major problems they are facing and then work on projects to
solve these specific problems. Participants later shared their project
ideas and asked Guchgeldiev for advice on how to fund them. Guchgeldiev
responded by giving them contact information for different organizations
that could possibly assist them. Alisher Illamonov, a physically challenged
participant, said of the chat, “I had the idea of opening an athletic
center in my village, but didn’t know where to get funding. Now,
after consultation with Guchgeldiev I know how to start my project. I
am thankful to IATP for providing us with such opportunities and organizing
chats.” Through events such as this IATP access sites in Turkmenistan
gives a variety of people the opportunity to learn about grants, fundraising,
and project planning in order to help them to implement their ideas and
better their communities.
Residents of Turkmenistan Learn About the Education of Individuals
with Mental Disabilities and Behavioral Disorders in the United States
On October 18, the IATP access sites in Mary, Ashgabat, Balkanabat, Dashoguz,
and Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan, hosted eight alumni of US government-sponsored
exchange programs and seven other students and teachers for an online
discussion on educating individuals with mental disabilities and behavioral
disorders in the United States. Dr. Nan Marquardt, a licensed psychologist,
has over nine years of experience working in American schools as a school
psychologist, focusing on students with mental disabilities and behavioral
disorders. In the United States, many disabled children are integrated
into general education classrooms, while in Turkmenistan disabled children
mainly attend special boarding schools. This large difference in tactics
was the main topic of discussion. Raisa Amirdjanyans (TEA 00) asked about
the impact of the integrated education of ordinary and disabled children,
to which Marquardt replied, “The general education children model
appropriate behaviors for the disabled children and the disabled children
allow the general education students to learn compassion and how to behave
appropriately around children with disabilities.” Balkanabat math
teacher Tyazegul Nazarova asked whether schools attended by disabled children
are paid for by their parents or the government, to which Marquardt responded
that although some parents choose to send their disabled children to private
schools for which they must pay, most disabled children attend public
schools that are paid for by the government. In the course of the discussion,
Marquardt also answered questions about the reasons for mental and behavioral
disorders, the treatment of children with post traumatic stress disorder,
adaptations for disabled individuals who study at colleges or universities,
and the requirements for teachers of special education. Through the online
discussion, residents from Turkmenistan had a unique opportunity to learn
about the system of educating individuals with mental disabilities and
behavioral disorders in the United States, a system that differs greatly
from that in Turkmenistan. By being exposed to such a perspective, participants
gained new ideas for improving their country.
Ambassador Hoagland answers
questions on US policy
in Tajikistan
from IATP users across the country
TAJIKISTAN
Ambassador Hoagland Discusses US-Tajik Relations in Online Press
Conference
On October 25, US Ambassador to Tajikistan Richard Hoagland participated
in a virtual press conference on US policy in Tajikistan at the IATP office
in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. For over 90 minutes, more than 30 representatives
of international, state, and local media; nongovernmental organizations;
alumni; and the general public accessed the online chat room from seven
IATP access sites across the country and asked the Ambassador questions.
Topics covered many aspects of US policy in Tajikistan, US-Tajik relations,
and US assistance to Tajikistan. The lively discussion included an exchange
with Shamsiya Kasim, a correspondent of the British Broadcasting Corporation
in Dushanbe, who asked Ambassador Hoagland to comment on the current suppression
of democratic processes in Central Asian countries, and how the United
States can influence the situation. The Ambassador replied, “Yes,
there is certainly pressure against democratic processes in Central Asia,
but I do not agree that all the countries are the same, or that the United
States has lost some influence in the region. What is really important
for democratic development are independent mass media and freedom for
parties to work with their supporters and communicate their views to the
public.” Ambassador Hoagland concluded the chat by saying, “I
would say it is artificial to divide US interests – either political
or military. Our interests are in both fields because we want to help
build a strong, stable, independent Tajikistan that is at peace with its
neighbors and that can cooperate for the good of the region.” It
was Ambassador Hoagland’s sixth online chat with IATP. After the
chat, Ambassador Hoagland gave an interview to Tajik State Radio and Radio
Liberty, which was broadcast on both radio stations the next evening.
Through this series of online press conferences, thousands of Tajik citizens
hear about US policy from the country’s most reliable source and
learn the importance that the United States places on freedom and democracy
in countries with which it has relations. IATP frequently organizes online
chats with US Embassy officials on a variety of topics, helping them discuss
and clarify aspects of the Embassy’s mission with people throughout
the country.
The website of the Institute of
Business and Service,
created by
Abdurasul Boltaev, is now available
at www.dsh.freenet.tj
Student Creates College Website in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
On October 3, Abdurasul Boltaev, a student at the Institute of Business
and Service (IBS), published the official
website of his university in Tajik after completing a Web design course
held at the IATP access site in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Although Boltaev
had previously participated in a Web design course at the IATP access
site in his Tursunzade, he completed another, similar course at the IATP
access site in Dushanbe to improve his skills in graphics editing and
website development. The website contains general information about the
history and achievements of IBS, departments and courses, student life,
and the dormitory, where students like Boltaev from other parts of the
country reside. Before deciding to create the website, Boltaev discussed
the idea with the college’s administration, which gladly supported
it and provided preliminary information, pledging to assist in further
development of content and design. Boltaev commented, “It’s
great that I can continue benefiting from free access to the Internet
and the computer course that IATP offers now that I live and study in
Dushanbe. I am happy that now I can not only do research online for my
studies, but also create websites to make my contribution to Tajik online
content development.” The new Web resource brings the total number
of websites hosted by IATP in Tajikistan to 428, representing about 30%
of the Web content hosted in the country.
Two guest speakers, Nino
Chubinidze (in pink)
and Iva
Mindadze, (farthest in the back)
answer questions while
moderator
Shota Gvaramadze (FLEX 2005;
foreground)monitors the
chat
GEORGIA
New College Entrance Examination Subject of Nationwide IATP Discussion
in Georgia
On October 11, the IATP access sites in Georgia hosted a national
online chat about the recently held Unified National Examinations conducted
by the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Georgia. During the chat,
Iva Mindadze, head of the Foreign Language Department of the National
Examination and Assessment Center (NAEC), and Nino Chubinidze, head of
the Licensing and Accreditation Department of the Ministry of Education
and Science, answered questions from participants at IATP sites in Tbilisi,
Kutaisi, Poti, Khashuri, Telavi, and Rustavi, Georgia. The 21 chat participants
included students who had recently taken these examinations, their parents,
teachers, and university professors. The Unified National Examinations
were an unprecedented attempt to free university entrance exams from the
bias of corrupt lecturers and heads of universities by requiring that
every student trying to enter college go through an identical testing
process. However, the novelty of new standardized examinations caused
much confusion. In the course of the chat, moderated by Shota Gvaramadze
(FLEX 04), the participants received answers to their most pressing questions.
The main topics discussed during the chat were steps following the examinations,
the future of the examinations, and possible modifications and amendments
to the tests. Participants also discussed the licensing and accreditation
process of higher education institutions. Educational reform has been
a crucial and controversial process that followed the Rose Revolution;
crucial because a good education system and educated population is directly
related to the welfare of the country, and controversial because people
were accustomed to the older system. “The topic of examinations
has been one of the most controversial issues of last months. That’s
why it is so important to keep people informed and updated about every
detail of it,” stated Mindadze.
ARC administrator Vano
Tsertsvadze (left) and
School
No. 44 Principal Marina
Shanshashvili discuss plans
for future
cooperation
School in Tblisi, Georgia, Wins Five Personal Computers Thanks
to Employees’ Work at Local IATP Access Site
On October 6, School No. 44 in Tbilisi won five personal computers through
the Deer Leap Program, a computerization program of the Ministry of Education
and Sciences of Georgia, due to the employees’ work at the IATP
Access Site in Tblisi. The collaboration between employees of IATP and
School No. 44 had convinced competition officials that the school would
be able to fully utilize the computers. The cooperation between employees
of IATP and the school started on September 20, when Principal Marina
Shanshashvili contacted Alumni Resource Center Site Administrator Vano
Tsertsvadze and asked to schedule trainings on computer basics for her
teachers. The school owned several computers that the teachers were unable
to use due to a lack of training. To remedy this situation Tsertsvadze
planned a series of basic computer training sessions for the teachers
in October. At the suggestion of Tsertsvadze, the teachers also became
acquainted with other activities of IATP, such as Web chats and seminars.
The teachers of School No. 44 began participating in international Web
chats, with IATP employees helping them to type. Two teachers participated
in the Web conference “Chat for Educators,” a chat dedicated
to the start of the new school year on September 20, and two biology teachers
took part in the international “Chat for Teachers of Biology”
on October 12. Such participation in international online events allowed
the teachers to share their experiences with colleagues from the former
Soviet Union, providing them with the opportunity to learn from others’
experiences and try to implement best practices in their own work. Through
association with organizations like School No. 44, IATP raises local teachers’
technological knowledge, a necessary step to raising students’ and
the overall population’s knowledge of information technology.
Training participants in
Chisinau work on their
websites
MOLDOVA
Local Nongovernmental Organizations Establish Online Presence
in Chisinau, Moldova
From September 26 to 30, the IATP Training Laboratory in Chisinau, Moldova,
hosted a Web design training for four local IATP users. Alla Mindicanu
(IV 98) requested IATP training for this audience to enable them to create
useful online resources dedicated to the protection of the rights of disabled
people. Valeriu Senic, IATP Training Coordinator for Moldova, explained
how to optimize websites for search engines and how to create a user-friendly
design. He also covered the main concepts of Web design, including HTML,
website structure, and visual website editors. Participants learned how
to use tables in Web pages and how to post resources to a server. As a
result of the training, Ion Bulicanu, faculty member of the Department
of Journalism and Public Communication at Free International University
of Moldova, created the official website for the Center
of Advocacy and Legal Assistance, a project of Agape, a nonprofit
organization working for disabled people. The new online resource is aimed
at providing information on the protection of the rights of disabled people
and also contains information about the center’s activities. Bulicanu
plans to add information about Moldovan and international legislation
on the rights of physically challenged people, and provide consultations
for disabled citizens through this website. The new website brought the
number of resources hosted on the Moldovan IATP server to 204.
English teachers discuss teaching
methods online
at the IATP access
sites across Azerbaijan
AZERBAIJAN
English Teachers Discuss Teaching Methods Online in Azerbaijan
On October 10, ten English language teachers and two alumni of
the US State Department-funded Teaching Excellence Awards gathered at
IATP access sites in Sumgayit, Ali-Bayramli, and Baku, Azerbaijan, for
an online discussion about teaching English. Moderated from Sumgait by
IATP staff, the online chat gave participants the opportunity to share
their teaching experience and discuss methodologies and resources. Gulnara
Quliyeva, a teacher from Sumgayit School No. 32, stressed the significance
of using visual aids and music to improve the effectiveness of lessons.
She noted, “Today, we told fairy tales in the third grade class,
but the children did not know enough English words to convey the stories.
So we used gestures to prompt recollection of the words. It was a good
way for children to learn new words.” Gennadiy Agarunov, Assistant
Manager of the Sumgayit English Language Resource Center, talked about
the resources and opportunities offered at the center where he teaches
English. He emphasized the importance of this center as a place for educators
to meet their colleagues, exchange information, and coordinate their efforts
in detailed analysis and addressing problems involved in teaching English.
Participants also discussed using folk songs, storytelling, and drawings
to keep students highly motivated and interested in the lessons. Participants
agreed that the standard two or three class meetings per week in elementary
classes throughout Azerbaijan are not adequate, and should be increased
to five times a week. This measure will help Azerbaijani students have
more practice in and exposure to the English language. At the conclusion
of the discussion, participants agreed to write a letter to Azerbaijan’s
Ministry of Education to address their requests for reform and further
support.
Representatives of Society of
Disabled of Khatai
region learn to
browse Internet resources at the
IATP access site
in Baku, Azerbaijan
Society of Disabled of Khatai Region Staff Gain Computer Skills
in Baku, Azerbaijan
From October 3 to 19, Zamira Askerova, a member of IATP’s Voluntary
Association of Webmasters and Designers (WMDA), conducted a two-week combined
computer and Internet basics course for representatives of the Society
of Disabled of the Khatai region at the IATP access site in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Askerova is a skilled IATP user and has created several websites including
the official website of the Society
of Disabled, which won her first prize in an IATP-sponsored website
contest. Over the course of two weeks, Askerova taught participants the
basics of operating a computer, Internet searches, e-mail, and use of
chat rooms and online forums. Using their newly gained skills, the trainees
searched the Internet for information, browsing such websites as the IATP
catalogue and the IATP website’s section on NGO
events, where they downloaded an application for participation in
the First Rally of Young People with Physical Disabilities of Azerbaijan.
With enhanced computer and Internet skills, participants can find any
information online, easily interact and exchange knowledge with people
from other countries, and contribute to the improvement of lives of disabled
people in their community.
Lieutenant Colonel Seydaly
Ubadullaev participates
in a training
at the IIC in Isfana, Kyrgyzstan
KYRGYZSTAN
IATP’s Partner Organization in Isfana, Kyrgyzstan, Moves
toward Sustainability
From October 3 to 7, Administrator Igor Egorov completed a five-week
paid course on computer and Internet use for seven city residents at the
Independent Internet Center in Isfana, Kyrgyzstan. After a funding reduction
in August, the access site was transformed into an Independent Internet
Center (IIC), which is financially viable through contributions from local
businesses and modest fees from community members using the site. Gulnara
Derbisheva, the director of Insan-Leylek, a local nonprofit organization,
developed a sustainability plan, that moves the access site toward self-sufficiency
while maintaining an educational focus, a mission to expand access to
the general public, and active participation of alumni. According to this
sustainability plan, Egorov will use local access site resources to offer
month-long paid computer courses from 2 pm to 7 pm five days a week to
any interested Isfana residents. The fee for an intensive five-week course
in word processing and spreadsheets costs approximately $21, more than
30 percent cheaper than the closest competitor in the region, but with
a considerably higher quality of instruction. The IIC also offers special
discounts for children and disabled residents. Using this revenue, the
center was able to cover its Internet, telephone, and office fees in September
and October. Egorov remarked, “Sustainability is necessary to continue
the site’s work. We lack money to solve all our problems, but we
are learning how to earn money to solve them. Covering basic costs is
solid proof of our success in achieving sustainability.” All 10
IICs in Kyrgyzstan continue providing free services. In September, the
IICs provided over 140 hours of free training in computer and Internet
basics and over 100 hours of free Internet access.
Librarians Jumagul Isakova and
Tahmina Dushenalieva
learn about
search engines at the Information
Center in Cholpon-Ata,
Kyrgyzstan
IATP and Peace Corps Train Librarians in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan
On October 5, IATP staff completed a three-day specialized course on computer
and Internet use for six librarians from the Central Library in Cholpon-Ata,
Kyrgyzstan. Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) Josh Priollaud requested IATP
courses to introduce rural librarians to computer and Internet resources
so that they could use information technology to improve the work of the
library. With a population of 25,000, Cholpon-Ata is located in Kyrgyzstan’s
Issyk-Kul region, 250 kilometers from Bishkek, and is one of the least
developed parts of the country, with little communications infrastructure.
During the computer classes, the librarians learned how to edit text and
graphics, manage files and folders, use spreadsheets for accounting, search
for information on the Web, and set up and use e-mail accounts. Priollaud
arrived in Cholpon-Ata in December 2003 to begin his service as an English
teacher at Osmonova and Kirova High Schools and quickly set about organizing
various extracurricular clubs for students and local residents. Having
established a need for an information technology component in local school
curriculum, and noting the lack of facilities, Priollaud founded the Information
Center at the Central Library thanks to a $1,500 grant from the Peace
Corps. The center has three computers with Internet access, periodicals,
and other literature and serves as information and training point for
city residents. The computer training supplemented seminars on the English
language, library science, and information management. This cooperative
activity between two US government-funded programs resulted in six computer-literate
rural librarians who will be able to apply their knowledge for professional
purposes and spread their skills in their communities. IATP’s network
in Kyrgyzstan has provided free training to over 30 librarians this year,
and basic access to more than 120 librarians.
Oksana Sadovska demonstrates
IRBIS to school librarians
UKRAINE
School Librarians Learn Computer Basics at Former IATP Access
site in Mykolaiv, Ukraine
On October 26, six employees of local school libraries attended the last
session of a course on computer basics at the Independent Internet Center
in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Oksana Sadovska, a bibliographer at the Mykolaiv
Scientific and Pedagogical Library, which hosts the former IATP access
site, conducted this training in October at the request of the Mykolaiv
Institute of Postgraduate Education. Participants learned to create files
and folders, to work with Internet resources, and to search for information
online. Sadovska paid special attention to IRBIS,
an integrated electronic library system, which facilitates work with library
catalogues, providing services to users faster and more efficiently. The
month of August marked a new, sustainable beginning for the former IATP
access site in Mykolaiv. On August 1, IATP transitioned into a new phase
of the program in which some sites became independent. Recognizing the
value of IATP trainings for representatives of various professional and
academic groups, library director Tetiana Roskina earmarked money from
the library budget to support the center’s activity. Library staff
also provides some paid services for users that support the operations
of the center. In October, the library earned 120 hryvnias ($24) from
paid services, which will be used to purchase computer literature for
the center and the library’s collection.
The website of the Center for Social
Rehabilitation
of Young People with
Disabilities was made possible by
IATP training
and Web hosting
Center for Disabled Children Launches Online Presence in Sevastopol,
Ukraine
On October 4, three members of the Center
for Social Rehabilitation of Young People with Disabilities posted
the official website of their organization to the IATP server. On October
3 and 4, IATP Trainer Antuanetta Lukianenko conducted a course on Web
design basics for three staff members of the organization at the IATP
access site in Sevastopol, Ukraine. The center was founded on September
1, 2004, with support from the Eurasia Foundation. The main goal of the
center is to overcome the isolation of young people with disabilities
by organizing trainings for them, holding outreach events to encourage
the local community to support disabled people, and providing consultations
to young people with disabilities and their parents. Lukianenko explained
how to optimize websites for search engines and how to create a user-friendly
design. He also covered the main concepts of Web design, including HTML,
website structure, and visual website editors. Lukianenko gave recommendations
on scanning and editing images and demonstrated the IATP
Hosting Content Management System, used to facilitate Web development
for users without knowledge of programming languages. The website of the
Center for Social Rehabilitation of Young People with Disabilities contains
information about the history of the organization and events for local
young people with disabilities. The website’s authors also dedicated
one section of the website to souvenirs made by disabled people to promote
their works and raise money for the needs of the center. Center director
Olena Vasechkina remarked, “We hope that this website will become
an ‘open window’ through which we will be able to tell about
our organization and find out about others.” The new website brought
the number of websites hosted on the IATP server in Ukraine to 2,425.
ARMENIA
Arevik Meliksetian (right)
communicates with colleagues
from
other Eurasian countries in an IATP
online chat
College Professor Benefits from IATP Online Chat in Yerevan,
Armenia
On October 5, Yerevan State Linguistic University lecturer Arevik
Meliksetian visited the IATP access site in Yerevan, Armenia, to thank
IATP staff for helping her prepare a paper on the Bologna Process and
its role in unifying higher education systems. Meliksetian will present
this paper at the international academic conference “Linguistic
Education and Bologna Process” at Yerevan State Linguistic University,
which will be held from October 19 to 21, 2005. The Bologna Process is
a plan of the Confederation of European Union Rectors and the Association
of European Universities to standardize the large variety of degrees available
in Europe and thereby make European-wide higher education more compatible,
competitive, and attractive for European students and also for scholars
from other continents. To prepare her paper, Meliksetian visited the IATP
access site in Yerevan multiple times over the span of several weeks to
search for information on the Bologna Process and its role in standardizing
European systems of higher education. On September 20, Meliksetian participated
in an online chat dedicated to educational problems and achievements in
Eurasia, which included 40 other educators from different countries in
Eurasia. The participants shared their experiences from teaching different
subjects in their countries, as well as changes that have occurred in
their educational systems. From this discussion, Meliksetian discovered
that many post-Soviet countries had similar problems in education which
could be solved through international cooperation and the unification
of educational systems, as would occur with the Bologna Plan. She used
this revelation, as well as direct quotations and other ideas from the
chat, in her paper “The Bologna Process and Higher Education in
Armenia: Possible Effects and Considerations,” on the strength of
which she was chosen to be one of the presenters at the conference. Meliksetian’s
additions to the body of information about applying the Agreement to Armenia
and other post-Soviet states will greatly help Armenia implement the principles
of the Bologna Agreement.
Training attendees watch
presentation on image
editing
IATP User Shares Skills on Image Editing in Yerevan, Armenia
On October 21, Yerevan State University of Architecture student Karen
Avakian conducted the last session of a five-day training on image editing
at the IATP access site in Yerevan, Armenia, for 10 participants including
three alumni of US government-sponsored programs, university teachers,
and students at institutions of higher education. Avakian had previously
attended IATP trainings on Internet basics, emailing, and working with
graphic images, all of which he has actively used preparing research papers
at his university. After developing his practical skills for image editing
at IATP, Avakian decided to share his knowledge with other IATP users
in order to encourage the participants to use graphic software to increase
the efficiency of their work and study. In order to do so, Avakian instructed
the participants in methods for retouching, processing, and correcting
images and photos with computer tools. The participants learned to adjust
image size, work with colors, change picture format, make alterations
of various image details, and integrate pictures into documents of different
types. Impressed by the opportunities provided by computer software for
editing images, the participants requested more advanced IATP trainings
on use of vector graphics. Participants Rimma Paronyan (FLEX 05) commented,
“It was very interesting and informative. The course helped us develop
our own creativity and enhanced our professional skills.” In this
manner, the skills mastered at the IATP seminar will help them in preparing
more vivid materials and research papers. IATP contributed to the professional
development of the local university teachers and students and encourages
them to use modern information technologies in their everyday work.
Nurgul Kadralina and Irina
Bekbusinova browse
IATP’s DL
portal at the Independent Internet
Center in Aktobe,
Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN
College Professors Discover Distance Learning Methodology in
Aktobe, Kazakhstan
On September 30, 12 faculty members from the local branch of the Almaty
Academy of Economics and Statistics completed a four-week course on the
fundamentals of distance learning (DL) led by Malik Nassyroff, the administrator
of the Independent Internet Center (IIC) in Aktobe, Kazakhstan. Nassyroff
introduced the teachers to the goals of DL, its implementation, registration
procedures, and required prerequisites. He covered all the courses hosted
at the IATP Distance Learning (DL) portal,
which includes material on psychology, economics, project management and
grant writing, math, journalism, and Web design. Nassyroff also explained
the mechanics of how each DL course was created as a website in Moodle,
a software package designed to help educators create high-quality DL courses
that include lectures, tasks for students, forums, and chats. Nurgul Kadralieva,
a teacher from the Economics and Management Department, commented, “I
highly appreciate the opportunity to learn DL fundamentals. This will
help us supplement our curriculum and introduce a computer technologies
component in our courses.” DL is a growing educational medium that
utilizes the Internet and provides the same quality of instruction that
one would receive in a normal classroom, but with more flexibility for
the student. Distance learning provides Kazakhstani residents the opportunity
to take courses not available in their hometowns on an individualized
schedule that conveniently meshes with their work and family commitments.
Alumni Conduct Workshops on Internet in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan
On October 17, Mirhat Aydarhanov (CC 04) conducted a workshop on Internet
basics as part of a series of courses sponsored by the Alumni Advisory
Council at the Independent Internet Center in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan.
He conducted a two-hour workshop on online educational Web resources,
search engines, and e-mail services for 12 college students from Shakarima
Semipalatinsk State University (SSSU). Aydarhanov, who visited US firms
and business corporations on a month-long business development program,
is the chair of the Economic Theory Department at SSSU. He decided to
share his computer skills and knowledge with his students, who face obstacles
in effective use of computers and the Internet for educational purposes,
including the absence of the Internet, limited access to computer labs,
and old computers. Among other topics, the workshop included a brief history
of the Internet, an overview of search engines, and an introduction to
international educational project iEARN’s
website, which gives information about opportunities to collaborate
and learn online. The students also learned how to set up e-mail accounts
and use them to send and receive messages. The series of courses conducted
by alumni, fall under the Alumni Advisory Council’s mission of connecting
the local community with the outside world. Local alumni are planning
several more courses for November.
IATP Offers Services to the Disabled
-
1,925 IATP users identify themselves as disabled;
-
IATP has trained more than 1,450 disabled users;
-
Computer trainings and Internet access have enabled disabled users to find job opportunities and participate in international competitions.