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MONTHLY NEWS June 1998 On-Line Science Website Answers Questions from Kids |
An educational Website to help Japanese schoolchildren gain a better understanding of scientific subjects came on-line in June 1998. Called "Science QA Plaza," the site (http://qa.mediakids.or.jp) is operated by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JSTC), which is affiliated with the Science and Technology Agency.
The site offers two major services. In Forum, visitors can ask questions like "Why is the sky blue?" and "Do extraterrestrial beings really exist?" Scientists and teachers, who are called "QA navigators," answer these queries from children. The second service is called Naze Nani Hyakka, and is an electronic encyclopedia covering some 800 topics. About 20 schools in Japan have already been using this on-line service on an experimental basis since December 1997. Students at Tozaka Elementary School in Hyogo Prefecture, for instance, began using it in March 1998. Because the number of computers at the school is limited, students usually write down their questions on a piece of paper and put them in a box set up in front of the computer room. Takemasa Onishi, who leads computer classes at the school, sends the questions to the QA navigators for the students. The replies that are sent over the Internet are printed and distributed to the children. Yukie Adachi, a sixth-grade girl, said, "The service is great because I can ask any question I want and the answers I get are easy to understand." Onishi praised the site, saying "It's a very good idea that can get students more interested in their natural surroundings."
Photo: These sixth-graders at Tozaka Elementary School can't wait to learn more about the wonders of the world. (Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun) |
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