2/7/93 8:00:12 PM Opening "Chat Log 2/7/93" for recording. AFL Gayle : And there's our guest! Hi, Marina! :) AFA Bard : Welcome Sandy, Bob... AND Marina!!!!! Hello! AFL Gayle : Hi, Bob! :) AFA Bard : Hi Tooter & Marina! MarinaToot : Marina is sitting next to me (Toot) and I'm typing for her. AFA Bard : We are very pleased to have you visit with us here in our electronic conference room, Marina. :) MarinaToot : Perhaps I should say a few words of introduction. MarinaToot : Marina is a guest for a month in my school district. She is a teacher at the University of MarinaToot : St. Petersburg. She teaches English. She says, "Zdravstvujte." MarinaToot : She has been teaching classes for several weeks in my school and is happy to answer questions. MarinaToot : Perhaps you all have some questions about life in Russia, and teaching there???\ JoelF26515 : Yes I do..What is the status of computer software use DUNMORE : What is a typical day for a teacher? What level do you teach? MarinaToot : I (Marina) teach at St. Petersburg University in the 2nd year. Students are almost all 18. BobFrost : How much say does a teacher have in what or how they teach? MarinaToot : I teach three days per week. I have 8 classes for two of those days and 2 classes on the MarinaToot : other day. JoelF26515 : Marina do you use computers much in your classes? MarinaToot : In the university, the teacher can choose program and methods, but it is approved by the other MarinaToot : faculty. MarinaToot : We do not use computers at all. MarinaToot : (That's why Toot types for her as best he can ;-) JoelF26515 : Are there any programs like "adopt a school" going on between your school and one here? BobFrost : I'm interested in math instruction at elementary level. What skills are at any BobFrost : particular level? MarinaToot : Not sure what adopt a school means. Remember, Marina is a University teacher. She has two children MarinaToot : that is how she is acquainted with elem level classes. JoelF26515 : I mean a school here sharing technology with your University. MarinaToot : My son began leanring multiplication tables at age 7. AFA Bard : Marina, can you tell us about how technology is used in getting teachers ready to teach? (teacher AFA Bard : education programs). MarinaToot : We have so few computers that we do not need any special training program for teachers yet. MarinaToot : My children did work on computer starting at age 13 or 14. MarinaToot : They used them to learn to type and word process. AFL Gayle : What kind of computers are used, Marina? MarinaToot : I think IBM. ??? AFA Bard : Probably a clone, Gayle. The embargo was just lifted for IBM label products to be shipped to AFA Bard : resellers, I think. MarinaToot : My husband is an engineer and Unido expert. He uses computers in his work. MarinaToot : Unido = UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization. AFA Bard : Marina - what surprises you most about your experience so far in US schools? DUNMORE : What status do teachers have,are they respected by the people or considered public servents? MarinaToot : What most surprises is the similarity in joys and frustration in teaching. Also... MarinaToot : It seems to me that on the whole we have the same problems, but your schools are much better equipped. MarinaToot : Status: MarinaToot : More and more often are considered public servants, but to my mind, MarinaToot : they are much more free than American teachers. We don't have school boards and non-education duties. JoelF26515 : Do you work all year long? MarinaToot : I have two months vacation in the summer. July and August. :-) DUNMORE : Are you held accountable for students' learning. How do you asses student progress? JoelF26515 : Do you think the lack of technology with put your students at a disadvantage in the world market? JoelF26515 : for their services? MarinaToot : I always go away to the south in the summer. St. Petersburg is damp and gray in the summer. MarinaToot : Accountability: MarinaToot : There is a commission of teachers who test them. They must pass examinations twice a year, in MarinaToot : the winter and in the summer. MarinaToot : Lack of tech: MarinaToot : I don't think the lack of computers will hurt them because my students are students of linguistics and MarinaToot : they must gain a good command of languages first of all, and that will be very good for them to learn MarinaToot : computer at the same time as they learn language. MarinaToot : But... MarinaToot : if they need computers in their life later, they can learn them at special courses that are quite MarinaToot : available in St. Petersburg now. AFA Bard : Marina, does television seem to have a major impact on students in your country? What is your AFA Bard : impression of the impact TV has on students here now? MarinaToot : TV: DUNMORE : My children have computer programs that help with vocabulary and pronuciation.We have French, German MarinaToot : I think that television in our country has a great impact on students. First of all DUNMORE : and Japanese. They find it eaiser to learn . They also go on trips to study the countries . DUNMORE : Do you have any such programs now. MarinaToot : because it is new for us. Programs were very limited before. TV programs have totally changed and th MarinaToot : the impact of the new programs is not always positive. Along with really progressive and interesting MarinaToot : programs are programs which are junk. AFA Bard : What are the most popular programs among your students? Do you receive CNN? MarinaToot : We do get CNN every day. and MarinaToot : in the day CNN is in Russian and in the evening it is in English. MarinaToot : Most popular programs are news programs. We have different channels with very different viewpoints. DUNMORE : Are Russian children into sports if they are not good enough to train for professional games? MarinaToot : Communists still have air time. MarinaToot : Sports is not nearly as important in the schools in Russia as it is in the U.S.. BobFrost : Is "gender equity" an issue in the public schools? MarinaToot : Boys and girls are definitely treated the same in the schools! MarinaToot : And in jobs also. DUNMORE : Are there any private schools or are they all State run? MarinaToot : Last year new schools appeared both private and half private with some state sponsors. The most MarinaToot : creative teachers had cherished plans for a long time to start their own schools... MarinaToot : for instance, for children who are linguistically talented or have other special talents. MarinaToot : Very few such private schools, however. AFA Bard : What one thing, related to education, do you think we would be most surprised by when visiting your AFA Bard : country? MarinaToot : the similarity. AFA Bard : Is censorship an issue? AFA Bard : (curriculum materials) DUNMORE : Are ther any provisions made for handicapped students. i.e. deaf 'blind crippled? MarinaToot : Censorship is no longer a problem. MarinaToot : We have another problem now... MarinaToot : everyone teaches whatever he/she wants and there is a danger for the curriculum in this. AFL Gayle : Do you have a set curriculum you are supposed to teach? MarinaToot : Not many provisions for handicapped. They are taught in special schools. They are sort of out of MarinaToot : the society. MarinaToot : there is a set curriculum, but teachers can choose methods and t4ext books, but they should keep to th MarinaToot : the curriculum AFA Bard : How would you compare the involvement of parents in a child's education K-12 and beyond? Are they AFC Leni : Are school children respectful of their teachers, Marina? Do they respect all adults? BobFrost : Do teachers have input as to the curriculum? AFA Bard : more, or less involved than US parents? MarinaToot : Young people do not watch much news programs on TV. They watch bad American movies. (GRADE B) MarinaToot : Students in the U.S. are less formal. They are more likely to sit on tables or floor, even in some cl MarinaToot : classes. MarinaToot : On the one hand... MarinaToot : but my students are warmer and more friendly than students in US schools toward their teachers. AFA Bard : Parent involvement? MarinaToot : Parent involvement depends on the particular family. MarinaToot : Marina wants to ask the man from California (Leni) about the weather ;-) AFC Leni : LOL! AFL Gayle : Any more questions for Marina? We have about 5 more minutes left.:) AFC Leni : It is raining right now and about 65 degrees. :) AFA Bard : It was 72 today in Georgia, Marina. US Georgia, that is. :) AFC Leni : It was a beautiful day yesterday....about 75. MarinaToot : We have had sun all weekend, but 30 miles south there was lots of snow. AFL Gayle : Gee, it's raining here on the East Coast, too. AFA Bard : Raining now in Atlanta, as well. TEACHER ms : Beautiful in Memphis,,high 65 MarinaToot : What is one word or image you might give as a symbol of your view of Russia? BobFrost : This past week I had -40 F., 60MPH winds, and 15 inches of snow. All on different days. (Nome, AK) DUNMORE : It was 0 Celsius today in Illinois everything is cold and it is windy. AFC Leni : Warm, Marina. AFC Leni : Warm people, that is :) AFA Bard : Metamorphosis, Marina. The butterfly emerges. MarinaToot : What is one word or image you might give as a symbol of your view of Russia? AFL Gayle : Good one, Bard. :) DUNMORE : Changing and growing. TEACHER ms : Very interesting !! MarinaToot : Toot says cacophony. MarinaToot : Murray, an image? DUNMORE : I hope to get to know more people of Russia so that I may judge the past propoganda for myself. AFL Gayle : Thanks to Marina for being our guest tonight and thanks to her typist, Toot. :) AFL Gayle : *Applause* BobFrost : Thanks Marina! AFA Bard : Yes.. thank you very much, Toot and Marina. You are always welcome here. :) AFC Leni : Thanks, Marina :) MarinaToot : Thank you for being so polite and giving me all the weather. TEACHER ms : Thanks Marina and Toot !! AFL Gayle : Next week is Valentine's Day, so we're taking the night off, so you can spend AFL Gayle : the evening with your sweetie. :) DUNMORE : You have been very helpfull Thank you. MarinaToot : *Drumroll* BobFrost : Believe me, you can have all the weather. AFL Gayle : Join us again on Feb. 21 for a look at the Consortium on School Networking with Ferdi Serim. AFL Gayle : Now for our free hour winner... AFL Gayle : *Drumroll* AFL Gayle : The winner this evening of one free nonprime time hour is. AFL Gayle : Dunmore for the word, children! AFL Gayle : *Applause* AFA Bard : Congratulations to CAROLYN DUNMORE!!! ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()() AFA Bard : Yippeeeee!!!!! AFC Leni : Yeah!!!!!! Huzzah!!!!!!! AFA Bard : Hooray!!! AFL Gayle : Thanks to all for coming! :) DUNMORE : Thank you :):):):):):) BobFrost : Supper calls (it's just 5:00 here.) Bye all. Congrats, Dunmore AFA Bard : A complete copy of the log from this chat will be posted in the AED new files library shortly. :) AFL Gayle : Now, I've got to run to get to my Staff Meeting! :) Good night! :) AFC Leni : Good night, friends. TEACHER ms : Nite, Gayle MarinaToot : So long, Bard and all :-)))) 2/7/93 9:02:55 PM Closing Log file.