UNESCO’s International Olympiads Series

Related to the eigth International Science Olympiads(*) organized under the auspices of UNESCO, the 14th International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO 2006) was held last May in Cosenza, Italy.

The IPOs are organized every year in May, by one of the participating countries. They were initially proposed by UNESCO within the organization’s project on “Philosophy and Democracy in the World”, to promote national and international competitions with the aim of “encouraging the practice of philosophical, critical thinking and stimulating, through competition, the interest of young people in philosophy”. They are open to high-school pupils from every country in the world.

Each country can participate with one or two pupils, with the exception of the host country which may participate with a maximum of 10 pupils.
Even though the U.S. hosted the 9th Olympiad ( IPO 2001) in Philadelphia, PA, we regret to note that the U.S. does not seem to continue to be involved any longer.

Along the lines of the IPO, the 4th International Linguistics Olympiad for Secondary School Students took place from August 1st – 6th, , 2006 at the University of Tartu, Estonia.
The International Linguistic Olympiad (ILO) is the youngest one in the group of science olympiads. The setup is somewhat different from the other science olympiads, as both individual and team contests are on the program.

The idea of holding an International Olympiad stems from a long tradition of Linguistics and Mathematics Olympiads organised in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. This olympiad furthers the field of mathematical and theoretical linguistics. Like all science olympiads, its problems are translated and completed in several languages and as such must be written to be free of any native language constraints.

Related Readings
* International Philosophy Olympiad website
* International Linguistic Olympiad
* Our posting on "The US Wins Gold and Silver Medals at the IOI"

(*) Informatics IOI, Mathematics IMO , Physics IPhO, Chemistry IChO, Biology IBO, Astronomy IAO, Geography IGEO, and The International Linguistic Olympiad ILO. All them, are for young students, High School Students, less than 20 years old.
© Logo: Tartu Ulikool

UNESCO’s International Olympiads Series

Related to the eigth International Science Olympiads(*) organized under the auspices of UNESCO, the 14th International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO 2006) was held last May in Cosenza, Italy.

The IPOs are organized every year in May, by one of the participating countries. They were initially proposed by UNESCO within the organization’s project on “Philosophy and Democracy in the World”, to promote national and international competitions with the aim of “encouraging the practice of philosophical, critical thinking and stimulating, through competition, the interest of young people in philosophy”. They are open to high-school pupils from every country in the world.

Each country can participate with one or two pupils, with the exception of the host country which may participate with a maximum of 10 pupils.
Even though the U.S. hosted the 9th Olympiad ( IPO 2001) in Philadelphia, PA, we regret to note that the U.S. does not seem to continue to be involved any longer.

Along the lines of the IPO, the 4th International Linguistics Olympiad for Secondary School Students took place from August 1st – 6th, , 2006 at the University of Tartu, Estonia.
The International Linguistic Olympiad (ILO) is the youngest one in the group of science olympiads. The setup is somewhat different from the other science olympiads, as both individual and team contests are on the program.

The idea of holding an International Olympiad stems from a long tradition of Linguistics and Mathematics Olympiads organised in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. This olympiad furthers the field of mathematical and theoretical linguistics. Like all science olympiads, its problems are translated and completed in several languages and as such must be written to be free of any native language constraints.

Related Readings
* International Philosophy Olympiad website
* International Linguistic Olympiad
* Our posting on "The US Wins Gold and Silver Medals at the IOI"

(*) Informatics IOI, Mathematics IMO , Physics IPhO, Chemistry IChO, Biology IBO, Astronomy IAO, Geography IGEO, and The International Linguistic Olympiad ILO. All them, are for young students, High School Students, less than 20 years old.
© Logo: Tartu Ulikool

"Using ICT to Develop Literacy"

This new UNESCO publication, entitled "Using ICT to Develop Literacy," provides a concise overview of how ICT can be used to improve literacy education. The publication, was produced by UNESCO's office in Bangkok with the support of Japanese Funds-in-Trust. It discusses five areas in which ICT can be utilized in literacy education (enhancing learning; raising access to literacy education; training of teachers; localizing content; and creating a literacy-conducive environment). It also provides examples of projects in which ICT has been utilized effectively to improve literacy education. The booklet concludes with recommendations for policy makers regarding the use of ICT in literacy campaigns.

Click here to download the PDF file containing the booklet.

Using ICT to Develop Literacy, Editor-in-Chief: Cedric Wachholz, Editor: Ellie Meleisea. Bangkok: UNESCO, 2006. 60p. ISBN 92-9223-088-3

"Using ICT to Develop Literacy"

This new UNESCO publication, entitled "Using ICT to Develop Literacy," provides a concise overview of how ICT can be used to improve literacy education. The publication, was produced by UNESCO's office in Bangkok with the support of Japanese Funds-in-Trust. It discusses five areas in which ICT can be utilized in literacy education (enhancing learning; raising access to literacy education; training of teachers; localizing content; and creating a literacy-conducive environment). It also provides examples of projects in which ICT has been utilized effectively to improve literacy education. The booklet concludes with recommendations for policy makers regarding the use of ICT in literacy campaigns.

Click here to download the PDF file containing the booklet.

Using ICT to Develop Literacy, Editor-in-Chief: Cedric Wachholz, Editor: Ellie Meleisea. Bangkok: UNESCO, 2006. 60p. ISBN 92-9223-088-3

UNESCO co-sponsoring World Conference on Distance Education

The 22nd world Conference on Distance Education is only a couple of days away. The event, co-sponsored by UNESCO, will take place September 3rd-6th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The purpose of the conference is to gather professionals, the general public, and the corporate sector around the theme of “Promoting Quality in On-Line, Flexible and Distance Education” from elementary to university level. Participants from around the world are expected to present and discuss the current distance education initiatives.

Related
UNESCO, Education, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

UNESCO co-sponsoring World Conference on Distance Education

The 22nd world Conference on Distance Education is only a couple of days away. The event, co-sponsored by UNESCO, will take place September 3rd-6th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The purpose of the conference is to gather professionals, the general public, and the corporate sector around the theme of “Promoting Quality in On-Line, Flexible and Distance Education” from elementary to university level. Participants from around the world are expected to present and discuss the current distance education initiatives.

Related
UNESCO, Education, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

UNESCO's follow-up to WSIS

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was one of the most important U.N. events in the last decade. It was organized by UNESCO and the International Telecommunications Union, and represented an important acknowledgement by the international community of the critical changes that are taking place with the Information Revolution. It set an international agenda of actions to help assure that progress toward the global information society is rapid and equitable.

UNESCO works with all stakeholders towards the implementation of the outcomes of WSIS, which involved major conferences in Geneva in 2003 and and Tunis in 2005, as well as many preparatory activities. UNESCO's role in the implementation process is three-fold:

* UNESCO implements concrete activities included in the Geneva Plan of Action within the framework of its regularprograme and budget.

* UNESCO helps facilitating the coherent implementation of the Action Lines in its areas of competence.

* UNESCO, together with ITU and UNDP, is engaged in shaping the overall multi-stakeholder coordination of the Facilitators of all Action Lines.

The next in a series of meetings at UNESCO's office in Paris relating to WSIS will be in October:

* 16 October 2006, "Access to information and knowledge"

* 17 October 2006, "Ethical dimension of the Information Society"

* 18 October 2006, "E-learning"

* 19 October 2006, "Media"

There will is also to be a meeting on 22 October 2006, at the Huarun Hotel, Beijing, China on "E-science"

All participants have to register online in order to obtain their badges to allow access to the meeting rooms.

Click here to go to the website devoted to UNESCO's activities implementing the plan of action developed at WSIS.