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Hi everyone.

In my opinion Jochen Dietz questions concern most important area in modern teaching. I have experience in e-learning from my courses (Web design and Automated Information Systems) and that's why I agree with Nikolay Netov (“blended learning” model).

Actually in Sofia University we use e-learning platform Arcade (http://62.44.100.133:8080/arcade/index.jsp). From my experience for me more important question now is how to prepare e-learning materials for all students (different basic knowledge; different interests; different necessity; different places) in a short time and response to their needs. May be answer is in the new methodology to create learning subject for new education technologies. For me the possibility is to create precise learning modules and give students an opportunity to select content according to their necessities. Web access platforms are a good way for that, but … what about technological possibility to exploiting them, how we can decide possibility for Internet access, motivation, prices...?

For one example, in Bulgaria:

- 31% of citizens have Internet connection (high-speed connection - 26% (mainly in Sofia)), but others are excluded from the information society for different reasons – low income, settlements without appropriate communication infrastructure, not suitable education or because their job does not require the use of such communication means.

- 58% of businesses have Internet connection (high-speed connection – 44%), but approximately 98% of all firms are SMEs.

For second example, in Bulgaria:

- Small proportion of libraries has computers (30% in total); only 14% have Internet access and only 11% have high-speed connection.

- On average: one library has 0.6 PC for the staff with Internet access and 0.4 PC with high-speed connection, one library has 0.2 PC for readers/visitors with Internet access and per one library 0.2 of the staff have access to e-mail.

So, what you think about facts and possibilities for Web access in e-learning context?

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Dear Olya,

Thanks for your interesting and thought-provoking statement. … What do the others think?

Jochen

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Dear Olya,

During the last summer-term at my university I've visited a course which topic was "the aspects of European integration of the former communist countries" and especially the access to the information society "from the west". During this seminar I've heard about a comparing study which results showed, that Bulgarians are at one of the first places between many other east-European-Countries of using an Internet access.

I would like to give You a funny example also. This summer I visited a small village near the Border with Turkey ( Village named "Кости" (in Bulgarian), very small one with population ca. 150 people). This village is situated even almost behind the border. At almost every house in this village there was a cable internet access provided by a local internet firm.

So, I will generally agree to you that unfortunately there are many people and even firms who cannot have internet access because of the reasons which you described, BUT my idea is that the data you provided will be very very different in two or three months due to the falling prises of the internet access solutions. Soon we will reach the point (and I'm quite sure about that), when more than 50% of the people and more than 70% of the SMEs are going to have internet connection. And NOW is the very moment for us to prepare for it.

All the best
LZ

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Dear Ljubomir,

Thank you for notes. I agree with you that my data is really “different in two or three months due to the falling prices of the internet access solutions” and that “NOW is the very moment for us to prepare for it”.

The data I provided are from our research “Survey and Analysis of the Consumer Driven Demand for Telecommunication Services in Bulgaria” (September – December 2005) (Zhelyu Vladimirov, Olya Harizanova, Krastu Mirski).

Particularly:

- The proportion of firms with Internet connection (our research - total 58%) is lower than the registered by the last report “E-Bulgaria” (between 70 and 82% of the businesses and 78% of the computers there has Internet connection as of January 2006). This difference is due to the high proportion of micro-firms in our sample (63%). It needs to be pointed out that the proportion of micro-firms of all businesses in Bulgaria is nearly 91%. To illustrate the above: according to our survey 79% of the businesses (without the micro-firms) have Internet access, while 77% of the SMEs (without the micro-firms) have Internet access. In total, 44% have high-speed connection, without the micro-firms the proportion raises to 56%. The proportion of SMEs (without micro-firms) with high-speed connection is 55%.

But however, in my opinion it is important to understand that the Internet availability (connection) is a firs step; the second step is utilize Internet (how citizens and firms utilize Information society, how they use online service). That’s why you are right; we must be ready to the second step.

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