CARNet - E-islands

| Page last updated at 12. 7. 2011. 16:38 |

E-islands

Croatia is a land with over one thousands dazzling islands. Due to it's replacements of the islands and very low numbers of inhabitants and schools (with few or no children), the Government of Croatia recognized following problems that reflects school system: low number of teachers who are willing to work on remote islands, very low number of pupils and constant need of traveling of pupils and their teachers from islands to land and back, with very low or almost no ferry line during bad weather or rough sea.

In 2006 the idea for better education of pupils on remote islands started to evolve. The aim of the project was to keep the population and especially the children on the islands by providing better education and bringing of the Internet resources like e-learning, telemedicine, wireless hot-spots, etc.

The nature of the project e-Island project is to deliver e-content on the schools on the Croatian islands and to give them the same or even better level of access to the knowledge regardless of the place where children live.

The first phase of the project was to connect selected schools on the land with remote schools on the islands with necessary technology (wireless links and H.323 videoconference equipment, smart-boards etc.). The final product of the project is fully equip of classroom on each island that enables distant learning and remote teaching.

Through this project we have extended CARNet network in the first phase on 21 island and land locations. Those islands are now no longer jeopardized by the truth that children “have to leave” the their birth place to seek the knowledge on the mainland.

To connect the schools, CARNet uses a system of room videoconferences, which enables the set-up of a videoconference link between two or more locations that are part of the system.

In its first phase, the e-Islands project comprises the following elementary schools (central and branch schools on islands):
Link to CARNet PoP Zadar:

Zadarski otoci Elementary School, Zadar
Ist Branch School, Ist
Olib Branch School, Olib
Veli Iž Branch School, Veli Iž
Petar Lorini Elementary School, Sali
Maria Martinolića Elementary School, Mali Lošinj
Ilovik Branch School, Ilovik
Susak Branch School, Susak
Unije Branch School, Unije

Link to CARNet PoP Šibenik:

Fausta Vrančića Elementary School, Šibenik
Prvić Branch School, Prvić Šepurine
Zlarin Branch School, Zlarin
Juraja Šižgorića Elementary School, 22000 Šibenik
Krapanj Branch School, Krapanj

Link to CARNet PoP Dubrovnik:

Ivan Gundulić Elementary School, Dubrovnik
Koločep Branch School, Koločep
Antuna Masle Elementary School, Orašac
Lopud Branch School, Lopud
Slano Elementary School, Slano
Suđurađ Branch School, Suđurađ
Šipanska luka Branch School, Šipanska luka

Link to CARNet PoP Split:

Majstor Radovan Elementary School, Trogir
Drvenik Branch School, Drvenik Veli

The e-Islands project was financed by: the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, State Office for e-Croatia and the Croatian Telecommunications Agency.
In 2008, the project was declared best project of the year at the 2008 Cisco Networkers Innovation Awards, with CARNet receiving the award in the category best project with the greatest influence on the community.