A. Project Abstract


The Narod* Network Project aims to unite young Armenian students worldwide in a collaborative experience. It will make it possible for students from ten different schools to collaborate on specifically designed educational tasks during a period of six months. The goal of the Three Pomegranates is to become a prototype for conducting joint educational activities among primary and secondary schools in different locations in Armenia and in Armenian communities around the world. The project consists of the following components, the details of which are described in this document:

Through the 3PN we aim to address a number of topics of general interest, ranging from issues of content specific to cultures with a strong global component to technical matters such as the challenge posed by non-Latin alphabets on the Internet. We will address these topics by centering our attention on the goal of enhancing the mutual awareness of young Armenians and reinforcing their shared culture.

We see great potential in the Internet, and specially the World Wide Web, as a platform for the Three Pomegranates . The Internet is recognized as an important contributor to an emerging global culture, but it is also accused of having a negative homogenizing effect. Our belief is that while it brings cultures together, the Internet also has the potential of reinforcing minority identities. Bringing Armenian youth together on the Internet can be a very natural process. Dispersed around the world but sharing increasingly different variations of the same culture, the global Armenian community is, in a sense, the other worldwide web.

* The narod is a headband worn by the bride and groom in Armenian wedding ceremonies. It is the circle symbolizing union and the coming closer together of individuals.


B. The Organizer: Narod Armenian Children's Cultural Institute

Background of the e4d institute

The Narod Armenian Children's Cultural Institute is a subsidiary of the Ani and Narod Memorial Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization established in 1994. The mandate of the e4d institute is to work with the aim of bringing joy to the life of every young Armenian in the world, improving the educational contexts of childhood and helping young Armenians share the Armenian cultural heritage. The Ani and Narod Memorial Fund, was established in New York by the Ardhaldjian and Coherian families in memory of Ani Coherian Ardhaldjian and her two-year-old daughter Narod. Ani and Narod died along with 130 other passengers and crew in the crash of USAir flight 427 in Pittsburgh, on September 8, 1994. The foundation is committed to helping mothers and children worldwide live healthier and more fulfilling lives. To realize these objectives, the fund finances and develops programs, often in collaboration with other non-profit organizations, in the areas of health care, education, culture, community services, and capacity-building.

Objectives and accomplishments

During the next several years, the e4d institute will focus most of its efforts on meeting the educational and cultural needs of young Armenians residing in Armenia and in the Armenian Diaspora by using new telecommunications technologies and specially the Internet. We believe that enhancing the level of communication among Armenian youth, while a worthwhile effort in its own right, will also lead to novel opportunities for effective educational activities.

The e4d institute's and Ani and Narod Memorial Fund's most recent projects include:

— Open Sesame© in Armenian, an adaptation of the well-known Sesame Street children's television program. A new episode of Open Sesame is now being aired regularly in Armenia.

— Renovating the Narod Ardhaldjian Children's Library in Beirut, Lebanon.

— Developing and marketing an Armenian Alphabet poster for children.

— Sponsoring and distributing in Armenia 2,000 audio cassettes of Armenian children's songs.

— Developing and marketing an Armenian calendar poster and Armenian Christmas cards.

— Producing a collection of cards entitled "Toys" in collaboration with artist Kardash Onnig.

— Developing a series of children's books scheduled to be published in 1998.

— Details and samples of these projects will be provided upon request.


© Sesame Street 1997 CTW


C. Why an Internet Project for Armenian Schools?

At the basis of the 3PN are two cultural realities, one quite ancient, and the other rather new. The first of these is Armenian culture and the second is the culture emerging out of the widespread use of global communications networks and the Internet. The following sections offer a brief introduction to each of these.

Armenia and Armenians

Current Armenia is located in Southern Asia, bordered by Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey with a total area of 29,800 sq. Km.. Armenians are an ancient people who trace their roots back to the early part of the first millennium BC. For long periods, Armenia was an independent nation, located primarily in the eastern regions of present-day Turkey, and the ancient history of Armenia includes a short-lived empire under Tigran II (95-55 BC) which was ended by a Roman invasion. Present day Armenia comprises only 10 percent of the nation's historic territory. In 1915, a large segment of the Armenian population was either killed by the Young Ottoman government (about one and a half million Armenians), or deported into the Syrian desert, from where the Armenian Diaspora was scattered around the world.

The Russian part of Armenia was revived as an independent state on May 28, 1918. This state did not last long and was taken over by the Bolsheviks. The current Republic of Armenia declared independence from the Soviet Union on September 21, 1991.

The Armenian language is an independent branch of the Indo-European group, with a unique alphabet which was created in 405 reaffirming the national identity. There are currently two major dialects of Armenian in use today: Most of the Armenian Diaspora speaks Western Armenian, while in Armenia proper and in the Armenian community in Iran, the dialect called Eastern Armenian is used. The differences are relatively trivial and center mostly around pronunciation. Given adequate motivation, a speaker of one dialect can learn the other quickly. Armenians are also the oldest Christian nation. The introduction of Christianity is ascribed to St. Gregory the Illuminator, who converted the pagan Armenian sovereign Trdat III in 301 AD.

The members of the Armenian Diaspora and Armenians in Armenia are conceptually united by a common heritage and by the "ian" suffix. Most Armenian family names end in "ian". There are a few exceptions, such as Pakradouni, Ardzrouni and Rshdouni, as well as many Armenians who have either adopted non-Armenian family names, or have replaced the "ian" in an effort of integration (Kasparian/Kasparov) or removed it (Aznavourian/Aznavour) for the sake of internationalization. Of course not all family names that ends in "ian" are Armenian, a notable case being a number of Persian family names with that ending.

The Armenians are a mobile, as well as widely scattered people, so it has always been very hard to establish the total world population of Armenians. All counts are based on estimates and on the records of the Armenian Church, since many Armenians baptize their children in church, thus registering their names.

Today, various estimates place the number of Armenians in the world around seven and a half million. Three million of those seven and a half live in Armenia while two and a half million are scattered across the rest of the former Soviet Union. Another million live throughout the United States, with the largest concentration in Los Angeles, and then New York, Boston and other major cities. One million are spread out across the rest of the world with large concentrations in Canada (50,000), South America (50,000) the Near and Middle East (420,000), Eastern and Western Europe (500,000), and Australia (20,000).

An Armenian magazine published in Vienna in July 1975 declared: "Ils sont 7 000 000 dans le monde qui disent AYO" ("Seven million people in the world say AYO"—Ayo being the Armenian word for "yes"). Official Soviet Statistics quoted an estimate of the population of Soviet Armenia at 3,317,000 (1985 figures) of which almost three million are ethnic Armenians.

Armenian schools in the world

USA and Canada
There are approximately 30 Armenian all-day schools in the US and Canada (in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Quebec...) which go from pre-school to high school. As for Saturday and Sunday one-day schools, there are 80 and 65 schools respectively, scattered around the United States and Canada.

South America
There are more than eight all-day schools in Argentina, and several in other South American countries.

Europe
Various schools in Paris, Marseilles, Venice, Bulgaria, Romania etc..

The Near and Middle East
In Lebanon there are 37 all-day schools (and one college,) mostly concentrated in the capital Beirut, with more than 10,000 students among them. Syria has 41 all-day schools with more than 14,000 students, mainly in the city of Aleppo, which has a large Armenian population. In Iran there are 30 schools. In Turkey, eight schools. One main operating all day school in Cyprus and three high schools in Egypt (one in Alexandria and two in Cairo) with a few schools in Jordan and Israel.

Australia
Two all-day schools can be found in Australia.

In June 1996, a "Diaspora Armenian Educational Symposium" was organized in Nice, France attended by more than thirty representatives from Armenian schools all over the world. The goal of the meeting was to work towards finding a method for the unification of Armenian educational material and curriculums in the world. Unfortunately, for economical and technical reasons, this international meeting did not take place the following year as expected. School representatives were asked to meet in their own countries and report their annual activities and conclusions to the organizing committee later on. Both the motivation and the difficulties associated with this symposium and with similar efforts reinforce the need for an effective and flexible forum, based on telecommunications technologies, aimed at bringing Armenian educational institutions, their staff and their students closer together.

The Internet, the world's knowledge network

According to the Educator's Internet Companion (Wentworth Worldwide Media, Inc. 1996) we are witnessing the greatest explosion of change to affect the field of education in decades, perhaps in all history. This change is the Internet. It is hard to define the Internet in a few sentences. Technically, the Net is an interconnected, spider web-like system of millions of computer networks linked with telecommunications software and hardware. To the people who use it, the Internet is the sum of all individuals and institutions that connect their computers to other computers anywhere in the world with devices called modems. A computer with a modem can plug into any phone line, and that simple connection is enough to bring together people and information around the world via the Internet.

Advances in the software used to navigate the Internet have opened its vast potential to even the most computer-phobic. In particular, the World Wide Web, known as the "Web", is the fastest growing, most exciting component of the Internet. Fully multi-media, including text, graphics, video, and sound. Web "browser" software such as Netscape and Microsoft Explorer have given computer users around the world access to millions of documents on the Internet. This new type of software is so simple, anyone who can maneuver a mouse already knows how to use it. With a simple click, its "hypertext" capability immediately presents you with information located on computers throughout the world.

Using the Internet, we can teach students to search, retrieve, collect, and exchange information. More important, they will learn to analyze, write about, and then publish information on any imaginable topic. This cycle of information gathering, analyzing, writing and publishing is important in the new information age already upon us. From elementary school to high school, from school-to-work programs to higher education, teaching the value of the Internet will be a key component to success and achievement in the job market of the future.

Why the Internet

EIFG, classroom connect (Wentworth Worldwide Media, Inc. 1997) identifies the three dramatic changes that access to the Internet provides to schools:

1 The Internet breaks down classroom walls, bringing students and teachers into contact with people and places they would otherwise never have met or visited. Teachers, often isolated in their classrooms, suddenly have immediate access to thousands of colleges. The classes, and indeed, the schools they attend, suddenly become connected, and the barrier of distance disappears.

2 The Internet dramatically expands classroom resources by making the latest information, graphic images, and software available at the click of a mouse. These resources yield individual and group projects, collaboration, curriculum and lesson plan materials, and an increased level of idea sharing found only in schools with on-line access.

3 Internet use encourages independent, autonomous learning, which most educators agree helps students become lifelong learners.

Why the Internet for an Armenian project?

The Internet is recognized as an important factor in creating and reinforcing a global culture. This unifying instrument, often sited as one of the most positive developments of new telecommunications technologies, is also accused of having a negative homogenizing effect. But the Internet, while acting as a forum for the encounter of cultures, also has the potential of reinforcing each of them. We believe that it is precisely those cultures most in danger of disappearing through assimilation into more predominant local identities, which have most to gain by building a global critical mass. Armenians have existed in a globally dispersed state for many generations. We are convinced that this project will contribute to the unification of the different manifestations of Armenian culture, and that it will help demonstrate the potential of the Internet for sustaining heterogeneous identities.

A prime objective of this more fluent communication between Armenians is to bring the intellectual and human resources of Diaspora Armenians to the Armenian state, providing it with a permanent source of support. At the same time Diaspora Armenians can benefit from this virtual connection with the physical source of their cultural heritage. Armenia has a demographic density of Armenians and a level of Armenian cultural activity unequaled anywhere in the Diaspora. It also has a future as a national entity, which is much more long-term than that of any given Armenian organization. A very large number of Armenians have never been to Armenia and know little about what it means to live there, yet most consider Armenia their other homeland. This project aims to explore how Diaspora Armenian students and students in Armenia can contribute to the development of Armenia and Armenians and ensure the healthy progress of Armenian culture and education.


D. The 3PN: A Detailed Overview

Project synopsis

The Three Pomegranates is an Internet based educational project that aims to unite young Armenian students from ten different schools around the world. These students will collaborate on specifically designed educational tasks for a period of six months, during one class period per week. Teachers, students and visitors will access the 3PN through a central Web page. During the course of the project, the students of every school will execute three activities by collaborating and sharing their work with each other over the Internet, using Armenian as the main language of communication. The results of the activities will be posted for a general audience in Armenian and English in the e4d institute Web site.

Project content and activities

1 Activity I — Linking:
Students and staff use the Internet and are guided in exploring the World Wide Web. They then carry out exercises in searching for information —with an Armenian theme — on the Internet.

2 Activity II — Acquaintance:
Students provide a profile of themselves, their school and their community for their partners in the other schools. They provide multimedia descriptions of Armenian extracurricular activities, a map of the location of extended family members in the world, family origins, etc..

3 Activity III — Presentation:
Each school prepares a section of an "Armenian student's magazine" using the material generated in activities II and III. The magazine will be rotated through the Internet between the ten schools for final editing of common sections. When completed, copies of the magazine will be sent to all Armenian schools of the world.

Objectives and goals

The main goal of the project is to bring Armenian students in different countries closer together and closer to Armenia by achieving the following objectives:

Project network structure

The project is structured around a Web site specifically designed for it, which will be maintained even after the project is completed. This is linked to the e4d institute Web site but, during the course of the project, it will typically be accessed directly.

Further extensions to this structure can include:

Note: Most pages will have an "Armenian version" or "English version" button to switch back and forth between languages.

Participating schools

Group A: Armenia, France and Lebanon

Author's school # 198 Ministry of Education of the Republic of Armenia
(HH Krtutian Nakhararutian tiv 198 Heghinakayin Dprots)
IX Nork Massiv, Yerevan, 375111, Armenia
Principal: David Edonis Harutyunyan
Tel: 374-2-657260
Fax: 374-2-520703
email: PIH2@parliament.am

Yerevani tiv 170 tbrots, Avan Tagh Toumanian Hadouadz
Yerevan, Armenia
Principal: Sousan Parsatanian
Tel: 374-2-610 930
Fax: 374-2-610 940

Ecole Armenienne Hamazkaine
185, Chemin des Sables Jaunes
13012 Marseilles, France
Principal: Loussine Malikian
Tel: (33) 491 93 75 25
Fax: (33) 491 88 22 65

Nishan Palandjian Djemaran
Principal: Hratch Dasnabedian
Tel: 961-1-406 480
Beirut- Lebanon

Yeghishe Manougian Armenian School
Principal: Manoushag Boyadjian
Tel: 961-1- 412 937
Beirut - Lebanon



Group B: United States and Canada

AGBU Manoogian Demirdjian School
6844 Oakdale Avenue
Canoga Park, CA 91306 USA
Principal: Hagop Hagopian
Tel: (818) 883 2428
Fax: (818) 883 8353

Hovnanian Armenian Day school
817 River Road
New Milford, NJ 07646 USA
Principal: Artoun Hamalian
email: Hourherzam@aol.com
Tel: (201) 967 5940

Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School
1615 North Alexandria Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90027 USA
Principal: Vicken Yacoubian
Tel: (213) 668 2661

Vahan and Anoush Chamlian Armenian School
4444 Lowell Avenue
Glendale Ca 91214 USA
Principal: Vazken Madenlian
email: chamlink@aol.com
Tel: (818) 957 3399

Sourp Hagop Armenian Day school
3400 Rue Nadon
Montreal, Quebec H4J 1P5 Canada
Principal: Hagop Boulgarian
Tel: (514) 332 1373
Fax: (514) 332 8303

Time schedule

The total duration of the project in the schools will be of six months, starting in January 1998. During this period all the schools will work in parallel and in collaboration. Six to seven weekly sessions will be devoted to each of Activities I, II and III.

Curriculum integration

All previous experiences in these types of projects indicate that it is essential for the project be part of the official school program and be integrated in the curriculum. Accordingly, students and staff will spend approximately one class period per week on project activities. There is one main teacher appointed by each school, who is responsible for the project activities in that school.

Ages of students

Participating students are 12 to 18 years of age.

Languages

Armenian and English are the main languages of the project. Armenian is expected to be used as the main working language, while translations to English will provide access to a greater public.


E. Methods

Project task plan

Project execution is divided into six major packages. Each package has a responsible partner whose role is to ensure the technical management of that package.

1 Setting up the technical infrastructure: This task consists of, but is not limited to, setting up the networking infrastructure, selecting and contracting a networking service provider in each country, selecting server software, installing computers at end user locations and testing the network.

2 Training: This task will be conducted and supervised together with I• EARN (the International Education and Resource Network is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to assist youth in collaborative telecommunications project). It consists of preparing and coordinating training courses and courseware material for students and teachers. This task includes necessary support during the project implementation for the end-user. The schools are conceptually divided into two major groups, Group A (Armenia, Lebanon and France) and Group B (USA and Canada). The training course will be held separately for each group, however the technical support during the course of the project will be offered locally.

3 Developing content and details of project activities: The project activities are divided into three (optionally four) basic sections. The subject and main ideas of each activity is specified above. The detailing of each activity will be given to different Armenian institutions under the management and coordination of the partner responsible for that specific task.

4 Armenian/English coordination: This task will include all necessary translations back and forth between English and Armenian before, during and after the implementation of the project. Examples are the teachers' and students' guides (translation to English or Armenian), translation of all the schools' results from Armenian to English, etc..

5 Project structure design and maintenance: This task consists of the deployment and subsequent maintenance of the information system which will provide a platform for all the activities of the project. This includes the design and implementation of a virtual forum for collaboration based in the World Wide Web, putting together a software tool kit for working in Armenian and English on the Internet and a methodology for managing the project workflow at a technical level.

6 Project management: The aim of this package is to coordinate the project, assure the quality, content and timeliness of results, collect information and coordinate all baseline activities and work packages, supervise the progression of work, produce deliverables and reports, assign people to tasks, manage the project budget, lead the project management committee and implement all activities required to run the project as planned.

Tutorials, guides and manuals

The site contains technical tutorials and guides which make each activity more accessible to students and teachers by playing the following roles:

— A teachers' guide provides a framework for participating teachers to engage their students in the 3PN including an overview of the Project, background information, instructions to help in starting the curriculum, a step-by-step list of procedures to help teachers to implement each activity in their class. As additional support, the project web site includes a teacher corner where teachers can consult the organizer and each other during the course of the project.

— A students' manual introduces them to the project and guides them step by step through the different activities (objectives, requirements, schedules, deadlines, results, comments, etc..)

— A telecommunications tutorial designed specially for this project will be prepared for teachers in order to help them understand and use the telecommunication equipment and systems. They will also use this tutorial to teach their students the use of the system.

The challenge of using Armenian on the Internet

Using non-Latin alphabets on the Internet is still a challenge today. Users who have a need to use a Language such as Armenian on the Net need to overcome a number of obstacles, and perform a certain amount of previous coordination among themselves. The three main activities that an Internet user might need to perform in a hybrid language setting are:

In order to ensure a smooth project implementation, all necessary equipment and services will be installed a month prior to the project implementation date. This means that all schools should be fully equipped by the end of November 1997 for testing prior to the implementation of the project which is scheduled for the beginning of January 1998. Each participating school will have one "Three Pomegranates" class composed of twenty students, divided into five working teams of four students each.

Training school staff: the role of the facilitator/coordinator

Each school will have a "facilitator/coordinator" assigned by the e4d institute and living in the country where the school is located. The facilitator/coordinators will be responsible for training the teachers prior to the starting date of the project as well as for supervising and coordinating all the work done by the teachers and the students of the corresponding school. They will ensure the correct evolution of the project, inform the main project coordinator of any problem or concern, overview the results, track the deadlines, and follow the day-to-day evolution of the project within the school by being in constant contact with through email and physical presence.

F. Continuity And Extension

Broadcasting project results as they emerge

Since the project's web site has a special area for visitors, all visitors will be able to follow the evolution of the project during its life by accessing the results updated day to day by the project coordinator. The visitor will also have the opportunity to send messages to schools, students and to the organizer. Because the web site will be both in English and Armenian, it will contribute to achieving one of the goals of the project: to create a showcase for introducing young Armenians and their culture to non-Armenians.

Ensuring the continuity of similar projects

The e4d institute will make every necessary effort to ensure the continuity of similar Armenian projects every year. This first experience will probably show the organizing team the main problems in organizing such an undertaking and will serve the role of a prototype model for future projects.

Evaluating the project

The project coordinator will periodically prepare written reports detailing the status of all pre- and post-production activities related to the 3PN for review by sponsors and funding organizations.

Connecting all Armenian schools in the world: Towards a unified curriculum

By setting the precedent of an international educational project in Armenian within these ten Armenian schools, the e4d institute is hoping to be able to prepare the necessary ground to unify Armenian schools in the world. Using the telecommunication technologies and specially the Internet and designing similar projects every year, the e4d institute will help every Armenian school to join this special effort. In doing so, this effort will ultimately aim to unify Armenian education in the world.


G. Conclusion

The 3PN is a novel innitiative in the work of reinforcing and envigorating a global Armenian identity. By bringing young Armenian students in Armenia and throughout the Armenian Diaspora closer together, the Three Pomegranates aims to become a prototype for distributed collaborative projects among Armenian communities.

To its organizers, the 3PN represents a unique opportunity to significantly contribute to Armenian cultural awareness, and use emerging telecommunications technologies to maintain a valuable heritage. To the project participants, the project represents a chance to meet young Armenians in different parts of the world, so different from them, and yet so similar. For its sponsors, the Three Pomegranates is a model and a future platform for effectively carrying out educational efforts accross the Armenian landscape, and for reaching out to an increasingly larger number of young Armenians now brought closer through telecommunication.

We strongly believe that the 3PN has the potential to vitalize communication between young Armenians in the world, to open new horizons for Armenian education, and to contribute to the health of Armenian culture in its homeland and around the world.

Contact person for the 3PN:

Marie Lou Papazian
Narod Armenian Children's Cultural Institute
1220 North Cedar Street
Glendale, CA 91207, USA

Tel: 1 818 548 4641
Fax: 1 818 548 4660
email: marielou@3noor.org


H.1 Resumes of the Three Pomegranates Team Members [in progress]

Marie Lou Papazian — main coordinator

As director of the Narod Armenian Children's Cultural Institute, Marie Lou Papazian has dedicated herself to developing cultural and educational material and programs for Armenian children since 1994. With a graduate degree in Project Management from the Stevens Institute, and undergraduate studies in Architecture and Engineering from the Université St. Joseph, Mrs. Papazian has been responsible for the organization and management of the e4d institute, coordinating its activities worldwide. As part of her research work for the Institute's parent foundation, the Ani and Narod Memorial Fund, Inc., she has conducted an extensive study of educational projects based on the Internet and has been invited to present the 3PN to the Fourth Annual Conference of the International Education and Resource Network on "Cultural Diversity and Global Community".

Email: marielou@3noor.org


Pegor Papazian — main technical coordinator

A specialist in Information Technology consulting and Geographic Information Systems, Pegor Papazian has been involved in Internet based collaboration projects since 1991. In 1994, he formed part of the organizing team for the Virtual Design Studio, a three-week collaborative experience in which university students from Hong Kong University, MIT, the Barcelona School of Architecture and the University of British Colombia worked on a common urban design project exclusively using the Internet. Two years prior to that, Mr. Papazian had organized and managed an Internet based partnership between architects working from three different offices around the worlds on a housing competition in Canada. Although trained as an architect, Mr. Papazian has a graduate degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from the Chicago University Graduate School of Business. He has a number of publications on the subjects of remote collaboration and design automation.

Email: pegor@ibm.net


Hourig Attarian - Project partner

An Armenian language arts teacher in Montreal's largest Armenian school, Hourig Attarian is currently completing a graduate degree in Education at McGill University. The focal point of Ms. Attarian's research has been oral history. In her capacity as "Oral History Project Manager" of the Canadian Youth Mission to Armenia in the summer of 1994, she trained a group of 12 interviewers and coordinated the videotaping of interviews with survivors of anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku. Ms. Attarian's incorporation of oral history into the teaching curriculum (at Sourp Hagop Saturday School) has been the subject of a front-page article of Montreal's largest English-language daily, "The Gazette". As a firm believer in the importance of incorporating Armenian cultural and heritage studies in Armenian schools, Ms. Attarian has designed the curriculum, written the textbook and prepared all relevant a/v material, for classes Sec. I through Sec. V for the Saturday school. She has also presented several papers at educational conferences dealing mainly with the challenges facing the Armenian schools in the Diaspora.

At her present position at Sourp Hagop school, Ms. Attarian has introduced reading and writing workshops into her Armenian language arts classes, that stress the process rather than the product of teaching. She has organized and supervises the literary club at the school, which publishes the school journal "Agn".

email: hattar@po-box.mcgill.ca


Viken Froundjian - Project partner

Viken Froundjian currently works as a training analyst with Planmatics Inc., a leader in providing software solutions to the metal manufacturing industry worldwide. He holds a Master's degree in Educational Technology and specalizes in distance education and particularly Intranet and Internet course delivery systems. Viken contributes frequently in Armenian to Montreal's Horizon Weekly and has taught Armenian to the Saturday school 8 graders. He is also an elected executive member of the Canadian region of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society.

Email: vilina@openface.ca

H.2 The Three Pomegranates Support Team Members

The Three Pomegranates support team comprises the following consultants and advisors:

Allen Adjamian - Los Angeles
Email: allen@imageweb.net
Ara Aslanian - Los Angeles
Email: ara@grafxnet.com
Jirayr Beudjekian - Beirut
Email: hitech@inco.com.lb
Arpy Coherian - New York
Email: Arpyseta@aol.com
Arsen Karabadjakian - Marseilles
Email: herve.karabadjakian@wanadoo.fr
Anna Karakhanian - Yerevan
Email: ann@styx.aic.net
Reymond Khachatourian - Los Angeles
Email: rey@imageweb.net
Marineh Khatchadourian - Yerevan
Email: charmar@aua.am
Onnik Krikorian - London
Email: onnik@clicks.co.uk
Haroutioun Kurkjian - Athens
Email: 100654.3672@compuserve.com
Kevork Manoyan - Los Angeles
Email: kevoliza@pacbell.net
Dennis R. Papazian - Dearborn
Email: Papazian@umich.edu
Hrant Papazian - Los Angeles
Email: hrant@cubicsci.com
Narcis Vives - Barcelona
Email: nvives@pangea.org

Many other individuals also contributed to the 3PN. Special thanks to:


H.3 Project Resources

A- Personnel and organizations:

- The 3PN is fortunate to have a group of volunteers and professionals, all very motivated, highly qualified and dedicated. This group has already devoted many hours to developing this project, and is ready to continue its efforts to ensure the success and quality of the project. See the section entitled "Resumes of the Three Pomegranates Team Members" and the list of the Three Pomegranates support team members.

- Volunteer services offered by groups such as college professors and educators as well as by parent committees from some of the participating schools.

- The collaboration with I*EARN, Inc. (the International Education and Resource Network) a not-for-profit corporation, founded in 1990. I*EARN is a national and international network of elementary and secondary schools linked by telecommunications. The I*EARN International assembly consists of 14 Centers (1), as well as smaller sites in 32 countries of the world. The purpose of the telecommunications work within I*EARN is to enable students to participate in joint projects where they can investigate areas of mutual concern. These joint theme-based projects focus on making a meaningful contribution to people, society and/or the planet. The 3PN is collaborating with the I*EARN - USA center:

I*EARN-USA Director: Edwin H. Gragert, Ph. D. 475 Riverside Drive #540 New York, NY 10115 http://www.iearn.org/iearn/ Email: iearn@iearn.org

- Layout and design work will be reviewed and commented by professionals in this field on a volunteer basis.

A- In addition to the active support of individuals and organizations, the 3PN has the following resources:

- The Ani and Narod Memorial Fund, Inc., e4d institute's parent organization, is offering an initial budget of $15 000 for the 3PN, as well as in-kind contributions. The Ani and Narod Memorial Fund will also consider the "matching funds" granting method.

- Availability of basic computer equipment and capacity to support Internet technology in five of the ten participating schools. Two of these schools already have their own web pages on the Internet.

- The e4d institute is offering a 300 MHz Pentium II server which will be used specifically for the 3PN.

- The Amicus Networks, founded in 1994, a privately held company headquartered in Austin, Texas and the leading provider of Extranets (also known as Extended intranets) is offering to the e4d institute its software product called Tool Belt, secure Network Operations Center and consulting to design and implement Extranets. The Tool Belt suite of products includes a fully integrated set of Intranet features: bulletin boards, conferencing/chat, RealAudio, live and archived video, messaging/e-mail, broadcast communications, HTML content pages, database search and query, forms handling and user tracking. This software will be incorporated in our project and be used for hosting chat rooms, maintaining user profiles and organizing Email directories on the Internet.

- Full acceptance and dedication of all the ten Armenian schools to this project: All the ten Armenian schools have agreed to participate in the 3PN (letters of agreement from each of the schools are available upon request) as well as to dedicate at least one and a half hour per week to it, as part of the official school program, integrating the project in the school curriculum.

- Collaboration with "Agn", the official school journal of The Sourp Hagop Armenian school in Montreal - Canada: This bilingual journal (Armenian and English) is published on a regular basis since 1996. The editorial group of "Agn" under the supervision of Mr. Mher Karakashian and Mrs. Hourig Attarian, has agreed to organize and implement the third activity of the 3PN. The third activity of the project which consists of "the global magazine" will be a Web version of Agn, however the content of the magazine will not only be limited to the Sourp Hagop school's students output but the work of all the ten participating schools.


(1) An I*EARN Center is a consortium of sites with a management infrastructure to support training, development and research. The I*EARN Center Coordinators comprise the I*EARN Assembly.