Abstract: We can feel the changing demand of the economy but our educational system does not react to them. Old educational patterns are continued, educational systems have remained the same.

1. Introduction

   Different types of schools, which address different groups of interest and age, are to work with common subjects. These different approaches to a subject will lead to different results. The schools will learn from each other. An agricultural vocational school will take a different approach to an agricultural subject than a secondary school or a sports college. Adults (evening schools) have a different opinion on a special subject than young people. It is priority to "learn from each other".

   This project is to be carried out in two other European countries. This leads to evaluation on an international level, exchange of experiences and comparison of different cultural approaches.

   Planning and organisation of a communication network, which links the individual national schools.

   1. Information and communication technologies in schools

      A global network of electronic media creates new conditions that go beyond the traditional ways of teaching like the reading of books and frontal teaching. Electronic networks can create connections that did not exist in traditional systems.

      Our knowledge, which has exploded in the last few yeas, will now be linked via networks. The whole knowledge becomes accessible and can be processed. In the last few years technology has helped to produce information and now it helps to select and process it.

      In the last 20 years we have been blinded by technological innovations, now we are changing our minds and use these technologies. Technological knowledge becomes a part of our lives.

   2. Organisation of the project

      Planning and establishing of a communication network between the individual national participants. Establishing of common subjects and of the way of dealing with them.

      Presentation of the results at a national level.

      International exchange

      • About the course of the project and possible synchronization ("learning from each other")
      • By international presentations of the respective national results and an exchange of experience.

      The project is carried out at two levels.

      • As a project at a national level between different types of schools.
      • At an international level, where national results are exchanged and evaluated.
        Oulu Polytechnic, Finland
        Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus, Greece

      Telecommunication in its varieties is used for these new methods of teaching. The media are specified by the project: Internet, CD, film,....

      The Austrian Broadcasting Company (ORF) as a producer of media will help with its archive to organise the project.

   3. Social competence

      Specifically for Austria it has to be determined if with such a "model of mixed schools" and the incorporation of adult training the social competence can be increased. In international statistics (compared with the industrialised nations of the "Western World") Austria has a very high rank regarding education.

      Among those aged 15 only 2,3% leave school, 2/3 of them being girls. Thus unemployment is a greater problem for them than for boys.

      We can also match ourselves worldwide in the education of our 20-years old:

      38% have finished an apprenticeship

      11% a technical college

      10% a specialised secondary school

      14% a secondary school

      26% a 9-year elementary school.

      However, Austria does not use this international advantage because education lacks the social competence. Students have much specialised knowledge but they never learn how to put it into practice. Only 20% have the "social competence" to use their knowledge in practice. This attitude is reflected in the fact that they do not set up new businesses and it becomes particularly clear in the case of university graduates: more than 70% of them work as teachers, lawyers and officials in the public administration.

2. Definitions
   1. Scope

      For the project VEN the following conditions were defined:

      • establish a network for different schools in Krems
      • connection and introduction of different types of schools (at least 4)
      • sample experiences with teachers, professors and pupils concerning the subject 'using multimedia in the lessons'
      • produce a final report
      • a rough time schedule was also defined
   2. Goals

      The following goals for the VEN project are defined by the project team:

      • set up of an education network
      • the network must connect at least 4 different types of schools
      • define a common user interface
      • define the contents
      • produce, store and obtain the contents
      • work with the contents
      • get experiences from the teachers and pupils
      • evaluate the system
      • check the acceptance of the system by the people who work with it
3. Technical Part
   1. Technical descriptions
      • ATM backbone network of Telekom Austria

        The ATM backbone network of the Telekom Austria is one of the assumptions for our project. This network will be used to transport the stored contents from the central video server of the TA to the different schools, which are located in the surroundings of St. Pölten.

      • Access to ATM backbone network of Telekom Austria

        To present the video clips in an excellent quality at the class rooms a new technology called ADSL is used. Therefore it is necessary to connect the local exchange of Krems to the ATM backbone network of the TA.

      • Planned VEN –Network (Austria)

        Schematic view of the network in Austria

        It is planned to connect the schools with ADSL lines to get a higher bandwidth for the transport of video clips.

4. Application Part

   For the application part we want to use a tool, which is able to obtain the required data of the project VEN, that means to obtain

   • video clips
   • text
   • graphics
   • pictures
   • courses
   • animations

   After the data were produced by the teachers and pupils and after having been checked the data can be published with the help of a publishing server. From there the contents is transmitted to specific servers and databases.

   Furthermore the tool should be able to know the status of the requestor - that means if a video clip is currently presented on the screen and a text should follow, or if a text is presented and a course should follow.

5. Summary

   Evening schools for adults, vocational schools, sports colleges, secondary schools etc. are to work with a common subject via a communication network. The different approaches (special qualification) and the various age groups are to make it possible that students can learn from each other.

   This project is to be carried out in parallel in 3 European countries and should make it possible to make an international comparison and a cultural evaluation.

6. Abbreviations and Definitions

   ADSL	asymmetric digital subscriber line
   ASN	Austrian School Network
   ATM	asynchronous transfer mode
   EU	Europäische Union - European Commission
   TA	Telekom Austria
   VEN	Virtual Education Network