Sony Helps Unite Schools in the Republic of Palau
With a grant from the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) and in conjunction with a workshop to help train teachers in distance learning, four selected schools throughout the Republic of Palau are using Sony Trinicom 5100 videoconferencing systems to increase their educational resources. The strategically selected schools reside on three principal islands in the South Pacific: Babledaob, Koror and Peleliu.
Following the completion of teacher training, distance learning sessions will include courses within the core curricula, electronic field trips about the Republic, career exploration, government meetings between villages, and school administration meetings.
'As travel among the islands is usually by boat and the roads are fairly unreliable, videoconferencing has proven extremely helpful in bolstering the curriculum and increasing the number of educational resources available,' said Bob Pauline, producer of distance learning projects in the Republic of Palau.
Sony offers a mix of audio, video, and data technologies in their distance education solutions. Each of the four schools equipped with a 5100 videoconferencing system has a 27-inch (viewable area, measured diagonally) television, a videotape recorder and a document camera to further enhance presentations. Sony Electronics, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, (800) 686-SONY, www.sony.com/professional.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/1999 issue of THE Journal.