Discovery

Enviro-Net Education

A "one stop shop" for New Zealand environmental information could lift environmental education here to new technical heights, says a Lincoln University lecturer who is promoting the introduction of a revolutionary system based on a Korean prototype.

The Internet-based system will provide young Kiwi users with an instantly accessible window on their environment here and, ultimately, overseas, says Felicity Heffernan. Described as an "interactive database consisting of a home page with links", Enviro-Net is aimed at students at all levels from primary to tertiary. Access to projects is one example of its many functions, and students can have their own data entered in the system.

The system as developed in Korea links elementary, middle and high schools with universities to provide information on environmental issues. It is also used to connect schools in Korea with schools in the US so there can be cross-cultural exchanges about environmental issues faced by each country.

"The Korean project has demonstrated that their system can vastly improve the efficiency of environmental education for a large proportion of the population."