OLS News Issue 66 December 1998
Editor David Bosworth
Published by GSSE, Gilwern, Abergavenny
The 21st century, writes Galina Andrianova, Assistant Director
of Centre Eidos, is being seen as the epoch of computer
technologies, and its goals, objectives, forms, and contents
will change traditional face-to-face education.
Distance Creative Learning
Distance Education Centre Eidos in Russia (in English at
http://www.eidos.ru/eng/) offers visiting surfers a wide range
of distance learning programmes, aimed at developing the
individual educational paths taken by learners, and the
realisation of their creative
potential. Centre Eidos has both Russian and English language
servers for its educational activities.
Background
Centre Eidos is a non-commercial non-state educational
organisation server based in Moscow. The founder and director of
the Centre, Dr Andrey V. Khutorskoy of the Department of
Education in Moscow Teacher's Training University is a Fellow at
International Academy of Pedagogy. His principal research
interest is on heuristic (self – study) education as well as its
distance forms. Also, he has developed and organised an
International Heuristic Olympiad on the Internet – a great
success with creative schools and students around the world.
The Centre
The main thrust of our activities is keeping children, their
parents, high school students and educators in schools and
universities in Russia and abroad interested in education.
Supporting the distance learning research projects of
post-graduates and teachers is also a major interest, as are
investigations into heuristic technologies and the development
of gifted youth. The Centre delivers educational services to
schools, universities, education departments and sets up
research and exemplars on distance education.
Research into distance education is one of the most important
aspects of
Centre Eidos' activities. It includes the development and
realisation of the educational concepts of the Centre's founder
– creative self-development through educational
telecommunications, by tutoring students and post-graduates
researching the delivery of distance courses.
Centre Eidos offers its educational services to all types and
levels of learner. It provides guidance to training school
teachers on mastering new educational technologies (forms of
distance education, development of gifted children, heuristic
approaches). We also review syllabuses, make recommendations on
entrants to the Moscow Teacher's Training University
post-graduate courses on distance education and follow up by
tutoring their research work. Conducting distance and
face-to-face seminars on the organisation of school work to
develop gifted students is also within our remit.
Virtual Reality
The main goal of Centre Eidos' activity is the use of email and
the Internet to 'distance train' children and grownups in Russia
and abroad. Distance educational projects, International
Heuristic Olympiads and distance creative courses organised by
Centre Eidos serve to develop students' creative abilities and
skills. The most exciting international project, My Virtual
Home-2, invites students of all ages and nations to build a
World Virtual City in which they create and inhabit their future
virtual homes. Their homes are their souls, the ideal of their
future life – every home is unique! The students draw pictures
of their homes, compose music, and include relevant multimedia
(sound, animation, and video). Their virtual homes are
international, uniting students from different countries
Specific Programmes
A large number of distance educational courses for students and
educators on the Centre Eidos Russian server provide both
detailed knowledge and basic skills training in different
subjects – the authors are scholars and experienced teachers.
There are also specialised courses whose goals are to teach
creative methods, critical thinking and the setting of
individual aims for distance learning. Centre Eidos' open
invitation to educators – you can present your courses on – line
using our server and we can publish your articles on creativity
in DL.
Helping parents develop their children's creative abilities is
also an important Centre Eidos task. Parents from Russia and
abroad take part in distance projects with their children,
giving them the opportunity to become local co-ordinators for
distance courses and olympiads. The parents are often authors of
educational analyses, research works and papers published by
Centre Eidos. They enthiusiastically contribute to the 'Kids
Masterpieces' page, sending children's pictures and compositions
and observations about their joint learning.
Net Friends
Students from Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union
email each other as a part of Centre Eidos' training activities.
A special course – E-Letters for educators in different
countries enables them to organise and maintain educational
communication as part of distance courses and projects or as
individuals. Centre Eidos has regular partners in projects
between schools and universities in The Crimea (Ukraine), Grodno
(Beloruss), Cincinnati (Ohio), Gaylord (Michigan) and North
Carolina. Centre Eidos is looking for wide international
cooperation. Its educational activities meet the demands of the
basic policy directions of The Russian Federation, UNESCO and
international organisa-tions for the development of distance
education. Also, Centre Eidos has plans to expand international
cooperation with its partners through a range of joint distance
education projects and activities.
Contact: Galina Andrianova, International Contacts Director,
Russian Centre Eidos email:
andrianova@eidos.ru URL:
http://www.eidos.ru/eng/ (If your browser can read ciryllic
script try the Russian language URL:
http://www.eidos.ru)
