The MAILBOX project aims to study the use of electronic communication systems in school environments. It is funded as an Observatory Project under the European Commission's Socrates sub-programme on Open and Distance Learning. Designed as a two-year project, it began in September 1996.
The focus of the project is on learning. Here are a few basic questions:
The project will focus in particular on interpersonal communication skills, group dynamics, intercultural communication, expression skills, integration strategies, the relation of learning to place and time, as they are affected by the use of technologies. Results from six participating countries will be compared to identify common factors and differences.
The project will also contribute to the development of teacher competence. It will initially identify the skills teachers deploy, or need to acquire, in order to use interactive communications technologies to best effect. It will then provide orientation and training to teachers in the use of these technologies, using training material developed as part of the project.
Schools participating in the project will be encouraged to communicate with each other, as well as with a wider local community. This will serve to enrich the learning process, encourage rapid dissemination of project findings, and also strengthen inter-institutional co-operation and lead to enhanced inter-cultural understanding amongst pupils and teachers..
[HOME Page] [Overview] [Method] [Calendar] [Outputs] [Participants] [Experiments] [Forum] [Links]
last update: 15.5.97; pdf