NEWS ARCHIVE: 2005 , 1999/2000 , 2001 , 2002 , 2003 , 2004 , 2005 , 2006
November-December 2005
SAF at the World Summit on the Information Society, Tunis
This November, the Science and Arts Foundation was an active participant inthe second, and final, phase of the United Nation's World Summit on theInformation Society (WSIS) and parallel events as an independent accreditedcivil society entity and the focal point for the Global KnowledgePartnership's Middle East and North Africa regional cluster. Hosted by theGovernment of Tunisia, over 19,000 individuals took part in the weeklongevents, with entities representing 174 states and the European Community, 92International Organizations, 606 NGOs and civil society organizations, 226business sector entities and 642 media organizations. WSIS has been agroundbreaking initiative in its promotion of a multi-stakeholder process toexamine and come to agreement on concerns facing all aspects of theinformation society. Held in two phases, the first hosted by the Governmentof Switzerland in Geneva in December 2003, and including a preparatoryprocess consisting of international, regional and thematic meetings, theSummit aimed to address issues as they relate to the information society andinformation and communication technologies as used in the developmentprocess.
The Science and Arts Foundation has been involved in the WSIS processstarting from the Geneva phase and continuing to the Tunis phase. Given theintense focus WSIS has given to issues related to education, and ICTs fordevelopment in general, the overall experience has not only exposed SAF tonew realms of knowledge within the field but also paved the way for fruitfulpartnerships and concrete program developments. This year, sixrepresentatives from SAF participated in both the Summit and parallel eventsheld in Tunis. As a member of the Global Knowledge Partnership-GKP (
), SAF also took part in the GKP Pavilion and Forum.Furthermore, as the GKP focal point for the Middle East and North Africa,SAF worked in collaboration with other regional members to organize a panelsession entitled "ICTs and Education: Case Studies from the Middle East andNorth Africa" as part of the GKP Forum. SAF also organized and participatedin a number of meetings with regional members in order to increasecollaboration and joint ventures.
Other highlights from the week for SAF include:
Additionally, three of the representatives attended the Tunis phase based ona grant received from the UNESCO Cluster Office in Tehran in order to focuson events related to ICTs for the disabled. The representatives had theopportunity to both share SAF's experiences in ICTs for the disabled,particularly the visually impaired, and also discover the experiences ofother similar organizations in order to expand SAF's programs in the field.Mr. Nasrollah Rezaie, head of SAF's Visually Impaired Person's network, alsodelivered a talk on this topic.
Overall, the team returned with a vast wealth of positive results andexperiences which will be applied to the organization's work program in thenear future.
September-October 2005
8th ANNUAL SCHOOLNET CONFERENCE A GREAT SUCCESS
The 8th Annual SchoolNet Conference took place in the city of Neyshabour fromthe 13th to the 16th of September 2005. This conference was organized by theScience and Arts Foundation, the ICT Department of the Ministry of Education,the Neyshabour Mathematics House, the Isfahan Mathematics House and theKhorasan and Neyshabour Departments of Education.
The conference consisted of:
Submitted abstracts were refereed by a scientific committee which includedteachers from Neyshabour and other Iranian cities before a final number ofprojects were chosen by a team of professors from Ferdowsi University.Overall, 40 articles and 60 workshops were presented at the conference(abstracts of projects can be viewed ). The projects presented were also entered into a final round of competition,along with projects undertaken by SchoolNet members throughout the year, where6 groups received grand prizes at the closing ceremony of the conference basedon an evaluation conducted by various committees. The categories were: thebest student-led project at the conference, the best website by a SchoolNetmember, the best international cooperation project, the best voluntary groupactive in SchoolNet, the best article presentation at the conference and thebest website for educational content. To view a PowerPoint presentation of theawards, visit .
The prizes which were given out to students were donated by Sanyo, Pars Online,Nokia, and Hydro Zagros. In addition to the above articles and projects, 60workshops were presented by students, teachers and visiting guests.
Notable events during this four day program include:
One significant initiative directly resulting from the conference is theFinnIran Initiative. The FinnIran Initiative is an online project promotinginteraction between students across the world who share common interests,regardless of geographic boundaries. Mr. Ilpo Halonen, a conference guest fromFinland has published an online article at that would promote these projectswhich have been implemented with the help of the Comenius 3 Network andSchoolNet Iran. The first three projects to have been initiated are: acollaboration of primary school children, a project about Linux software andLTSP, and pilot projects in science.
Overall, the 8th Annual SchoolNet conference provides an outstanding example ofcollaboration amongst educational experts and organizations to improve thelearning process and promote innovation and creativity among students andteachers in Iran.
Further details can be found .
To view other projects undertaken by SchoolNet students and teachers, pleasevisit .
If you would like to support SAF promote education programs such as the oneabove, please visit our support page .
June-August 2005
SUPPORT ICT CENTER FOR CHILDREN OF BAM!
On 21st August 2005, Mr. Abteen Sai, chairman of SAF-UK's board of trustees,will do a parachute jump to raise the funds necessary to equip an educationalcenter built by the Science and Arts Foundation for the people of Bam, inparticular children and youth
In both his professional achievements and philanthropic endeavors, Abteenfollows in the footsteps of his father, University of Tehran Professor KarimSai, after whom Tehran's beautiful Park Sai was named.
We would like to ask SAF supporters all around the world to sponsor Abteen'sjump and the Center in Bam by making a contribution to SAF's account in the UKby visiting
here
.
To learn more Abteen and his jump, please visit
here
.
IRANIAN TEACHERS PARTICIPATE IN 12th ANNUAL iEARN CONFERENCE IN SENEGAL
The 12th Annual International Education and Resource Network World Conferencewas held in Dakar, Senegal from 17th to 23rd July 2005. A group of 14 Iranianeducators and administrators participated in this conference with the supportof the Science and Arts Foundation. The Iranian team represented schools inTehran, Damavand, Shar-e Ray, Tabriz and Isfahan. The team conductedPowerPoint presentations according to their area of expertise and the iEARNprojects they have been working on with their students throughout the pastacademic year. The Iranian participants were also present in numerous workshopsand presentations prepared by teachers and students from around the globe.During the week-long event, they had the chance to interact and haveface-to-face meetings with their peers and other members of the iEARN network.The iEARN-Iran coordinator also took the opportunity to participate in the iEARNAssembly meetings as an observer. This is a key step in promoting the role ofIran in iEARN by gaining the right to vote and playing a more essential role inthe future of iEARN.
For further information regarding iEARN-Iran, please visit
.
KERMANSHAH SCHOOLNET LAUNCHED
With cooperation from the Kermanshah Department of Education and support fromSAF Sweden, SAF has launched the national SchoolNet program (
)in the province of Kermanshah. After collaborative efforts with the Departmentof Education to obtain the hardware and software necessary to connect localschools to the virtual network, a group of SAF instructors initiated theprogram with courses on web design, Linux, computer networking and robotics on11th July 2005. These courses were intended as introductory sessions such thatattending students would learn basic skills and discover the variousopportunities available to them in the field of information and communicationtechnologies.
To view pictures of the events in Kermanshah, please visit
Further details about the Kermanshah SchoolNet program can be found
.
SAF PROGRAMS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPARIED ACHIEVING SUCCESS
As part of its vision to provide ICT access and training for all students inIran, SAF places great emphasis on the inclusion of students with specialneeds. As part of these efforts, SAF and the Isfahan Mathematics House(
www.mathhouse.org
), a SAF partner, have organized a series of courses forvisually impaired students and teachers on topics including Windows, Internet,Word and Kurzweil technologies using ordinary PCs and keyboards along with thehelp of a voice browser.
Furthermore, SAF and the Isfahan Mathematics House have transferred to CD andBraille a series of computer training manuals by Mr. Nasrollah Rezaie and Dr.Mohsen Sadeghi on JAWS, Windows 98, Word and Kurzweil. Training manuals onWindows XP, PowerPoint and programming are also being prepared. These manualsare being sent to visually impaired students and teachers across Iran. Inaddition, SAF has set up a telephone helpline to assist the visually impairedwith any queries on these manuals.
For details regarding SAF programs for the visually impaired, please visit
.
UPDATE: SAF ACTIVITIES IN BAM
In the aftermath of the tragic December 2003 earthquake in the Iranian city ofBam, SAF responded with a number of programs aimed at easing levels of traumafelt by the students and teachers and assisting in the re-development process.As part of these efforts, SAF launched an ICT training center, an art therapyprogram, or paint shop, and a psychosocial rehabilitation program forschool teachers. One of the most recent events to take place was part of thepaint shop program. Kaat Vrancken from Belgium and Martijn van der Linden fromthe Netherlands held a puppet workshop for the children of Bam on the 11th and12 of June 2005. Kaat is a children's book author and Martijn is anillustrator, both outstanding and internationally recognized artists. Theworkshop, coordinated by Mojgan Momeni, director of SAF's paint shop inBam, was indeed fruitful for all parties involved. The childrenreceived new information and learned how to create new designs while spendingtime in a cheerful and positive atmosphere.
Currently, the permanent ICT Training and Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center inBam is near completion with support from international agencies and individualdonors. To see how you can provide further support for SAF's project in Bam,please
here
.
UK PIANO CONCERT IN AID OF SAF
A second piano concert by Ms. Golriz Hashemi will be held in London in an effortto raise funds for SAF programs aimed at empowering youth of the developingworld. This event will take place on Saturday, 17th September at 7:30 pm inLondon, UK. For further details regarding the event program and venue, pleasevisit
here
or call 07833991879
March-May 2005
SAF LAUNCHES ONLINE COURSWARE FOR IRANIAN STUDENTS
As part of its effort to promote e-learning methods and articulate theadvantages of online educational tools among students and educators atthe high school level, the Science and Arts Foundation has designedand implemented 3 online courses for SchoolNet members. The coursesconsist of web design, primary JAVA and advanced JAVA. Initially,students from 11 schools in Tehran participated in the trainingprograms. During the second phase of the program, students fromSemnan, Rafsanjan, Zanjan, Babol, Isfahan, Shiraz, Ahvaz, Shahroud and Tabrizalso took part. Registration, instruction and assignments for the courses areall handled via the Internet in Persian.
Currently, the e-learning courseware team is organizing a new set ofcourses focused on other aspects of technology, from the beginner toadvanced levels. Additional non-technology-based courses are alsobeing prepared for students in disciplines such as psychology.For more information regarding SAF's online courses, please visit:
SAF PARTICIPATES IN THE GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE PARTNERSHIP'SINTERNATIONAL FORUM AND ANNUAL MEETING 2005
From the 2nd through the 6th of May 2005, SAF representativesparticipated in the Global Knowledge Partnership's (
www.globalknowledge.org
) international forum entitled "Advancing ICTSolutions for Development through Cross-Sector Partnerships: with aSpecial Focus on the Middle East and North Africa" and thePartnership's Annual Meeting 2005. Both events were held in Cairo,Egypt and attended by high level officials and representatives fromthe public sector, private sector and civil society organizations throughoutthe world. In addition to serving as the focal point for the Middle Eastand North Africa (MENA) regional cluster, SAF has also joined theYouth and Local Content thematic clusters. A GKP member since 2004,SAF continues to be an active participant, working towards GKPs' twomain pillars of sharing knowledge and building partnerships in pursuitof information and communication technologies for development. The GKP MENAwork program for the year will include the translation of key GKP literatureinto Arabic and Persian as well as plans for a panel presentation on ICTs inEducation at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society-WSIS (to learn more about the WSIS process, please visit
).
To view the press release issued by the GKP, please visit
SAF LAUNCHES SCHOOLNET IN SHIRAZ
In partnership with the Ehsan Educational Center, SAF launched ShirazSchoolNet in an inauguration meeting on 21st April at the Ehsan Center. SAFprovided the center a server, computers, scanner, printer, video-conferencingtechnology and other equipment. With the assistance of the staff at the EhsanCenter, SchoolNet Shiraz is now operational. As members of SchoolNet,students and educators can take part in numerous virtual activities,including e-Clubs and online courseware. In addition, SchoolNetmembers can participate in both the local and national workshops andconferences supported by SAF across Iran. Currently, 3 other schoolsin Shiraz have joined SchoolNet with other members on the way.
As part of its commitment to facilitate the use of information andcommunication technologies among Iranian youth, SAF also organized aseries of workshops and training courses on various topics includingwebsite design and the Linux operating system in Shiraz.
SCHOOLNET'S CREATIVITY WORKSHOPS FOR INTERNATIONAL CREATIVITY DAY
The
hosted on theSchoolNet portal, organized two creativity workshops to correspondwith International Creativity and Innovation Day and Iran's CreativityDay, held on the 21st and 23rd of April 2005 respectively. Over 120students participated in the workshops which were held at Roshd Boys'and Roshd Girls' High Schools in Tehran. In the first segment of theworkshops, e-Club members, composed of high school students andeducators, introduced the topic of creativity and innovation, followedby the presentation of inspirational quotes by innovative leaders andexamples of innovative works. Students were then encouraged tocollaborate and engage in initiating their own creative ideas andproposals.
At the conclusion of the workshop, students formed teams of fiveindividuals in order to take part in a hands-on competition organizedto promote creative and innovative problem-solving skills and teamwork.The Creativity and Innovation Day workshops set precedence for monthlymeetings which will take place starting summer 2005.
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF DISCOVERY CENTERS IN TEHRAN
The Science and Arts Foundation, internationally acclaimed for itssuccess in the establishment of Iran's SchoolNet (
www.schoolnet.ir
)and its continuous contribution to research and educational programsin Iran, was approached for consultation by Tehran's Department ofEducation in early 2004, which led to the idea of developing regionalICT centers for school children in the educational districts of Tehran.Working with SAF representatives in the planning process, as well as employinggraduates of SAF programs, five such centers, entitled "Discovery Centers" or"Kavoshkadeh", were established in 5 separate educational districts of Tehran. Within their first active year, the Discovery Centers have successfullypresented a series of comprehensive educational programs for localschool students and educators. See
www.kavoshkadeh.ir
Supervised and regulated by the city's department of education, eachDiscovery Center consists of modern computers and Internet access andprovides extracurricular courses for students of the district. Workingclosely with district schools, each Discovery Center engages studentsin research activities and offers opportunities for collaborativeICT-based projects. The work accomplished by students at thesecenters is frequently presented at local and national conferences andseminars.
One of the most successful programs implemented at the Centers is thedevelopment of Robotics laboratories and Robotics courses. Futureplans include the establishment of similar laboratories, namely Open Source,data processing and computer graphics labs. At the Centers, bothstudents and teachers gain access to special websites which not onlyserve as valuable source of information, but also encourage theirengagement in research activities. Notably, they can contribute toelectronic content through these websites.
The establishment of the Centers serves as a successful example of howeffective and positive educational programs presented by SAF are beingexpanded and integrated within the future plans of the Department ofEducation. Plans are currently underway to create Discovery Centersin all of Tehran's 22 educational districts, followed by programs inother provinces.
January-February 2005
SCIENCE AND ARTS FOUNDATION ELECTED AS GKP FOCAL POINT FOR MENA
The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP),
www.globalknowledge.org
, is aworldwide network committed to harnessing the potential of informationand communication technologies for sustainable and equitabledevelopment. Today, the GKP consists of 91 members from 40 countriesacross the world. While the GKP was established in 1997, this hasbeen the first year that they have adopted the regional approach.According to the GKP, "A region-specific approach allows theidentification of common regional positions which can form the basisfor effective advocacy, knowledge sharing and thematic discussions atthe global level. In turn, issues from the global level as well asfrom the other regional discussions can give interesting input intothe regional debate". SAF joined the GKP in the spring of 2004 andwas elected as focal point for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)region in January 2005.
SCHOOLNET STUDENTS/TEACHERS SUPPORT VICTIMS OF THE ASIAN TSUNAMI DISASTER
The Science and Arts Foundation, with support from the SchoolNetcouncil, organized a photography and video exhibition in the city ofTehran from the 22nd to the 27th of January 2005. The exhibitionpresented photos and video images of Bam by a number of well-knownIranian artists. The message from the exhibition was one ofcompassion and support from a nation that has experienced the traumaof disaster. In addition to the exhibition, students and teachersfrom the SchoolNet program have also expressed their concern andsympathy for peers living in affected parts of Asia.
BAM PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION PILOT PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS IS NOW COMPLETE
SAF's "Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program for Bam Teachers" wascreated by Dr Kamran Saedi, a consultant child and adolescentpsychiatrist based in London, in order to address the needs of theteachers themselves and to support their efforts to help children withtheir traumatisation. The project was funded by CISCO and WorldVision. Over 150 teachers participated in the pilot program, whichwas based on group therapy, with successful results. When rated bythe mental health professional team on a 1 to 5 scale for individualimprovement, over 75 per cent of the participants received a score of3 or higher (1 = no improvement; 5 = great improvement). The nextphase of the program will aim to provide continued psychologicaladvice and support for teachers, help teachers manage stress, bothrelated to the trauma of the earthquake and as a result of the demandsin the workplace, and encourage teachers to influence their work placeand promote a supportive environment that encourages the wellbeing ofits staff and pupils. SAF is now seeking funds to extend the projectto all teachers in Bam. TO VIEW A FULL REPORT OF THIS PROGRAM, PLEASEVISIT
(pdf)
SAF PARTICIPATES IN COMMEMORATING ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT HANSHIN-AWAJI EARTHQUAKE
To commemorate the anniversary of the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquakethat took place in Japan on the 17th of January 1995, the UnitedNations and iEARN Japan (jEARN) held a conference on the 18th ofJanuary 2005 at Yume Butai Conference Center on Awaji Island. MojganMomeni, a representative from the Science and Arts Foundation anddirector of SAF's Paint Shop in Bam, was invited as the keynotespeaker. The title of her lecture was "Disaster Relief in theInformation Age". An exhibition of artwork by Bam children, alongwith a number of her photographs of life after the earthquake in Bam,was displayed in the conference hall. In addition, a video conferencewas held between students from the Bam paint shop and students inJapan. The students from Bam extended their greetings and gratitudeto the Japanese school children who supported them by helping to setup the paint shop. Dr Badaoui Rouhban, Chief of the Section forDisaster Reduction at UNESCO, opened the conference by welcomingparticipants. To view SAF's activities in Bam, including the PaintShop, please visit:
.
THE FIRST SCHOOLINUX SEMINAR HELD IN TEHRAN
The first SchooLinux Seminar was held on the 20th of January 2005 atRoshd 16 High School, Naziabad, Tehran. Organized by SAF's
, over 300 students and teachers,mostly from Tehran and Isfahan, participated in the event. Theseminar brought the idea of open source software, particularly theLinux operating system, to the attention of the participants. Twolectures on open source and free software as well as a workshop on theinstallation of the Linux operating system were presented. Inaddition, the film "Open Source Revolution" was shown and a live CD ofLinux was distributed among the participants. The seminar wassupported by the Science and Arts Foundation, the Education Departmentof Tehran and Roshd 16 High School. The concept of open sourcesoftware is considered vital to the development of Information andCommunication Technologies in Iran and the seminar created a positiveimpression among participating students and teachers
SAF SPONSORS WORKSHOPS AT THE ZAHEDAN IT CENTER
On the 30th and 31st of January 2005, 3 workshops were held at theZahedan IT Center. Workshop titles included Linux and Open SourceSoftware, Networking and Entrepreneurship. Each workshop was held intwo sessions for a total of four hours. The Linux and Open SourceSoftware Workshop was supported by the SchooLinux e-Club and a liveLinux CD, including educational material, was distributed among theaudience. The Entrepreneurship e-Club supported the EntrepreneurshipWorkshop and distributed an educational CD to participating students.The Networking workshop, supported by the Sharif University ofTechnology Computing Center, brought the technical aspects ofnetworking to the attention of participants. Over 50 individualsparticipated in the workshops and found the material presentedvaluable and an opportune occasion for enhancing their knowledge ofICTs. Currently, the Zahedan IT Center is developing at a rapid rate.The Zahedan e- Shop is in the final phase of development and will belaunched shortly. Additionally, a talented group of individuals aretaking part in Java programming training at the Center. The group'saim is to work on developing projects through outsourcing from citiessuch as Tehran.
To view the programs of the Zahedan IT Center, please visit:
.