Black Sea schools International Water project

"If education has any function, any justification, it is to prepare young people for the future"
Alvin Toffler

"Information technologies are the most vital force for change in Education, because they create exciting new options for Teaching and learning. Our mission is to stimulate the needed Change by creating innovative opportunities to learn that use Information technologies."
"The Concord Consortium, web page"

Depletion of natural resources and accumulation of pollutants, mainly due to short-sighted decisions, heavily affects Black Sea coastal zones with little regard for environmental protection. The considerable complexity of this situation necessarily involves all countries which border the Black Sea. Therefore it is of paramount importance that current and future data concerning this major environmental resource is shared with all concerned parties. Inconsistent consultation with public constituents has contributed to an acute lack of environmental awareness. Some important causes for this situation are: a paucity of financial support to educational institutions; the lack of environmentally directed curricula in schools (all age groups) and inadequate financial and educational resources for teachers.

The following points should be considered in any attempt to forge a solution to the aforementioned problems:

1. Practical field and environmental education experience has been accumulated by a number of Black Sea NGOs and educational establishments (e.g: Bulgarian summer camp for Lake Sabla, Monitor of Crimean Protected Areas by NGOs and school children). Teachers from various Black Sea schools have attended international events, for example the Black Sea University Summer Workshops during August of 1997 and the Black Sea Teacher's Conference held in Istanbul during February of 1998. The both events received support from the GEF Black Sea Environmental Programme (BSEP).
2. The Black Sea Teacher's Meeting revealed difficulties in practicing environmental education (referred to hereafter as "E.E") in public schools from Black Sea region;

• (i) EE is not incorporated into the school curriculum,
• (ii) teachers lack training in the E.E methods and their practical application,
• (iii) there are virtually no E.E materials based on the ecological realities of the Black Sea region, and
• (iv) the funding for their development is not available through current national sources.

3. In December 1997 the Black Sea N.G.O Forum decided to establish an Environmental Education Working Group after which a plan of activities was created.
4. Environmental education is formally recognised as a priority interest for the International community to be included within the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan. You must explain here that you are listing the reasons for the above statement in the headings below. This could be done with a single appropriate heading:

May 1995, Mediterranean and Black Sea Day Campaign, supported by local sponsors and the Soros Foundation for Open Society.

After a photography exhibition and school lectures were organised six groups of 20 children participated in shore clean-up activity. Previously they had attended an educational campaign between adults and schoolchildren focusing upon an area north of Constanta called Faleza Nord which is heavily affected by uncontrolled waste dumping. Educational materials on waste management and necessity to create a public attitude concerning uncontrolled waste dumps were elaborated and disseminated to 'Faleza Sud' school children and teachers. The school children prepare manifests concerning the waste issue in their neighborhood and disseminated them to their parents and others inhabitants.

June - September 1995; Public Awareness and Environmental Education Project in the frame of E.I.A, E.A., I.C.Z.M and Public Awareness Program funded by P.H.A.R.E and T.A.C.I.S 1994 Black Sea Project:

An environmental education booklet was printed setting forth special instruction on topics relating to the Romanian coastline. This was presented to approximately 100 children including a field trip to the coast and the dissemination of environmental information via radio interviews and short public announcements.

Establishment of the Black Sea Center for Environmental Education, Information and Resources; October 1996

This centre is managed by Mare Nostrum NGO receiving funds from both the European Union, the Field Studies Council (UK), the British Council (Bucharest) and local foundations. The centre offer training on environmental education, support for teachers to organise indoor and outdoor activities focused on Black Sea and Danube Delta issues, disseminate data and information on up-mentioned issues (Romanian pollution hot spots, decreasing of biodiversity, uncontrolled dumping, quality of sea and fresh water, impact of different company activities on coastal area and human health, etc). The centre coordinated some project in which scientists, academicians and different personalities of the area were invited to present information on Black Sea issues to the teachers and students. A very successful project is in implementation. The project was started in February 1998 and will be finished by the end of this year and was partially financed by Ministry of Youth of Romania. network of 5 schools from Constanta town communicate with scientists from Romanian Marine Research Institute, by e-mail on issues like: pollution from waste waters treatment plants Constanta South and Nord, effect of sea polluted water on human and animal health and quality of fresh water in Constanta town. The information offered from scientists will be presented on Internet by the end of this year. Meetings of students, teachers, NGO representatives, and scientists and researchers from Romanian Water Authority, Romanian Marine Research Institute, Ovidius University were organised. Students and teachers organised field research and identified the number of sea outfall, channels connected with the sea. The centre is functioning as a link nod between different stakeholders of Constanta County coastal zone. Centre assure a flow of information and knowledge among his clients. The clients centre are: NGOs, scientists and researchers, teachers and students from schools, high-schools and colleges, affected groups due to pollution (representatives of tourism companies and fishery industry), mass media companies.

Environmental Education Black Sea PHARE Project, February 1996 - June 1997

A project targeted on establishment of the environmental education (EE) network working on promotion of introduction of EE in the formal school curriculum, elaboration of educational materials, including information about actual status of the Black Sea environment and development of schools research activities.
The majority of high-schools belonging to this network has e-mail and some of them access to Internet. The high-school are situated in six towns and villages along entire Romanian Black Sea shore. The schools involved were selected carefully based on some selection criteria and interviews with teachers and the principals of the highschools.
A workshop for 30 high school teachers was organised in Constanta, with the aim of systematic introduction of environmental education.
Accordingly a brochure was printed and field trips were organised to critical sites and protected areas. Of special importance was support for an environmental education teacher's network and during the ensueing discussion the following points were evaluated: the setting up of the high school teacher network initialing involving 10 highschools; the evaluation of their needs; preparation and organization of the training for environmental education; elaboration of the "Mare Nostrum - Marea Neagr�" booklet (cited above); field trips and research in critical sites on the Romanian coast.

Eforie Sud High-School

Mare Nostrum NGO and Eforie Sud Highschool participated in and co-ordinated a series of environmental education activities:
- Summer course on Danube Delta environmental problems, July 1997.
- National Graffiti contest - Green Revolve, August 1997
- Beach surveys and clean-up activities, 1996, 1997 and 1998
- Coastwach 1996, 1997 and 1998.
- Tekirgiol Lake Survey, 1996, 1997
- ECOPONT travelling exhibition, August 97.
-Black Sea Action Day, at 31 October 1996, 1997 and 1998

"Public Participation in I.C.Z.M Process" booklet; the booklet was elaborated in frame of ICZM programme, coordinated by GEF - BSEP
"Mare Nostrum - Marea Neagr�" booklet which publicised the actual status of the Black Sea. Environmental Education Network including teachers and students from 12 schools and NGOs from entire coastal zone of Romania:
Web pages
Special teacher training for primary , secondary and highschools focusing upon Environmental Education, a total of 60 teachers were successfully trained.
Ecological clubs established in 3 high-schools.
Educational materials and courses designed for students from secondary schools for educational summer camps targeted on Black Sea issues Educational materials and courses designed for college and high-school students targeted on Danube Delta issues and impact of Danube River on Black Sea coastal area, in Romania
Establishment of the Network of researchers (Romanian Marine Research Institute, Romanian Waters Authority, National Institute of Marine Geology and Ecology, and Ovidius University) working on Black Sea Issues who are willing to communicate by e-mail with students and teachers;

Fortunately, several factors make it easier to address these needs:

1. The new reform in the educational system in Romania. According to the new plans for studding in the middle and secondary school at every level there will be in the curriculum optional disciplines. The topic and the curriculum for these disciplines can be chouse by the teachers with the accord of the schools and the educational county department. Until now in Romania telecommunication-based activities are extra curricula activities. Now is the moment to introduce these activities into formal classroom courses. We can do this using Curriculum Augmentation (access to on-line resources for an extended bibliography but using a conventional teaching strategy based on textbook) or developing a telecommunication-based curriculum (Linking Students to the Infosfere, Boris Berenfeld). This second way is our option.

2. The experience in using computers in schools from the past 8 years. After 1990 a lot of schools from Romania where gifted with the IBM-PC computer. Some initiatives like Computer for the High School of the Soros Foundation, follow by the other project Internet for the schools help the schools in introducing IT in the classroom. From the Soros Foundation statistics at the beginning of 1998 to the 4 branch of the foundation from Bucharest, Cluj, Timisoara and Iasi there are 237 schools connected using (UUCP or PPP conection) and 24 schools with dedicated line. On the other part a recent initiative of the ministry of education for developing the Internet connectivity of the Romanian schools, and the development of the Internet service Provider of the Romanian Ministry of education RoEduNet who links more then 120 institutions will help us in our project.

This project will develop curriculum materials for schools around the Black Sea based on the major perceived problems of the Black Sea and will implement this curriculum using portable classroom. With support from Black Sea teachers network, this materials will be tested in some schools around the Black Sea, in the coastal zone of Romanian Black Sea, in other schools from Romania (especial from the Danube River). The project will combine the traditional style of learning with the learning problems based style and with the learning by doing style. All the materials will be integrated and distributed using computer and INTERNET (e-mail, web pages, ICQ, audio and video conference)

On a short term the goal of the project is to develop and to implement a distance learning projects for environmental education for the schools from Romanian Black Sea coast, for other schools in Romania and for schools from other country around the Black Sea.
On a long term the goal is to develop a project for linking the Black Sea schools with schools from the Danube river basin.

1. Curriculum development for the projects with the International Waters subject. The curriculum must improve the Internet style of learning. We must try to find the optimal combination of classical and modern technology for our purpose. The curriculum must be flexible and easy to use in schools by different methodology (with IT and without IT )

2. Developing the web site of the project using the Eforie Sud High School infrastructure. Interconnecting of the site with other IW: LEARN sites around the world. Configuring the portable classroom. The web site will be used for: implementing the curriculum in other schools, data exchanges for the monitoring activities around the Black Sea and for the IW:LEARN sharing products: audio and video conference, tehnical NetCourses, distance-delivered Masters degree programs.

3. Organization of training and demonstration for teachers for using IT technology in the schools

4. Curriculum implementation in the schools using the Internet capabilities of the schools, the portable classroom, slides and printed materials.

5. Developing of the monitoring actions for the Black Sea Coast in relationship with the GlobalLab, Green or Globe Projects

6. Development of specially prepared printed and audio-visual materials to inform the local communities, local authorities, businessman and public about the problems of the Black Sea

1.Developing a curriculum for the projects with the International Waters subject

2. Developing the web site of the project using the Eforie Sud High School infrastructure. Interconnecting of the site with other IW: LEARN sites around the world
1. Installing the web site (hardware and software). � Hardware upgrade for NT and linux server from Eforie Sud High School: Pentium II at 300MHz and 32 Mb Ram (NT) and 32 Mb RAM (Linux). Instaling an UPS (for 2 computers) and a external Zip Drive � Software: Windows NT 4.0 Server, with FrontPage for Windows 98 and Personal Web Server. This server can be used only us web and ftp server.
2. Developing the application for the site: � List server (for the three working teem involve in the curriculum development, for IW:Learn implementation teem, for Romanian I*EARN project related to the water). The list server application will be developed on the linux server. � ftp server (free software on the Internet for archives, antivirus, browsers, off line browsers, mirroring software, tools for web and graphics editing) � web server (BSEP IW: LEARN site, including the curriculum) � application server (ICQ, Neetmeting, Symposium, for Internet, FileMaker etc. for the local network
3. Configuration the portable classroom (setup the hardware and the software for the laptops.
4. Interconnecting the site with other IW: LEARN site. Test for the speed of communications using (ICQ, Netmeeting and Symposium)
5. Integrating the IW: LEARN project in other electronic community, I*EARN, Globe, Green, Global Lab community � The finalization of the Water in Our life project (e-mail based project on the I*EARN list)

3. Organization of training and demonstration for teachers for using IT technology in the schools using the portable classroom
1. Planing the initial training for the pilot schools (5-6 schools from the coastal area). The same schools will be involve in the curriculum development activities.
2. Demonstration in every pilot schools using the portable classroom. The dempnstration will be made by the teachers who participed at the first training.
3. Demonstration on networking between the pilot schools.
4. Workshop for the evaluation activities at the end of the pilot faze.

4. The implementation of the curriculum in the schools using the Internet capabilities of the schools and the portable classroom
1. The organization of the field tests are based on the prototype materials with one real classroom
2. The organization of pilot tests at a large scale for different type of classroom from the coast and from other part of the country, from the town and from the village
3. Dissemination of the curriculum for one semester in some schools of Romania with the help of the Romanian Ministry of Education
4. Dissemination of the curriculum in some schools around the Black Sea (Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia and Bulgaria)

5. Developing of the monitoring actions for the Black Sea Coast in relationship with the GlobalLab, Green or Globe Projects.
In this way we can learn from other international projects and we can link the Black Sea Schools with other school in the world Monitoring the Black Sea coast the students will learn science by doing science, they will made investigations in real conditions, they will developed skills using an interdisciplinary approach (biology, chemistry, physics) and they will use Internet like a researches tool.
1. Establishing the schools in the Romanian Black Sea area
2. Developing the schedule for the monitoring actions
3. Training the teachers from the selected schools
4. Establishing the electronic way for exchanging data

6. Development of specially prepared printed and audio-visual materials to inform the local communities, local authorities, businessman and public about the problems of the Black Sea
1. Newspaper of the project from the pilot faze to the dissemination phase.
2. Poster contest " The sea and us"
3. The realization of the Itinerant exhibition using the Art schools in Romania (and around the Black Sea)
4. Slide show with picture from our activities for the stakeholders
5. Video materials for the local TV post.
6. Organisation of demonstrative lessons in all schools involved and presentation of lessons using different media (on Internet, TV emissions, presentation of CDs and video-tapes, etc); the presentation can be associated with presentation of scientist/personalities/academicians on Black Sea issue; representatives of Ministries of education from the countries involved in project have to participate in the demonstrative lessons
7. Presentation of field research results made by students in a meeting where coastal authorities, schools, and researchers are invited
8. Dissemination of information concerning the project activities by mass media; at list 3 TV emissions, 4 articles in local newspapers, and 4 radio interviews have to be released to the public from Constanta County
9. Organization of one public debate (one day), entitled 'Virtual education and rethinking of the traditional learning methods.

Note: This is the first form of the project, write in Royal Holloway, University of London, in the fall of 1998, by Cristina Nenciu and Florin Serbu