The TOPILOT project started in 1996 and was finished in 1999. It uses modern technologies to improve the education of travelling children (circus, fairground, bargee children). It is the result of cooperation between 22 institutes from 4 EU Member States. The project was well received by the travelling communities and by the press. The European Commission, DG XIII, co-financed this 36-month project in the framework of the Telematics Applications Programme. The experience gained in the project was the basis to continue investigating the opportunities new technologies offer to travelling childrenâs education in the FLEX project.

For more information on TOPILOT, contact: efecot central office tel: +/32/2/227 40 66.

1. Aims
The TOPILOT-project aims to develop a low-cost multimedia service for open distance learning. It targets at children and young adults in the communities of occupational travellers (circus, fairground and bargee families). The children and young adults in these communities have a clear need for a service of this type, since existing educational structures generally do not fit their needs. Usually, they travel from one school to the other and as a consequence often experience a lack of learning continuity. The open distance learning service developed in the TOPILOT project increases their learning continuity by allowing the teacher to follow up the learnerâs progress.


2 Technology used
When describing the TOPILOT technology, we can distinguish between (1) the tutor station, (2) the learner station and (3) the TOPILOT server. The reason for using mobile telecommunication is of course related to the mobile life style of the fairground, circus and bargee groups.


Tutor Station (Figure n¡1

Each tutor within the project has a computer and a modem. The computer and the modem are used to access a database via a website on the internet (figure n¡3). This database contains information on the studentâs progress and thus allows the teacher to monitor and manage the learning progress. The database is protected by a password and access is restricted to members. The tutor can also send messages to this database, which the student can then pick up at a later stage.

The technology at the learner side is kept as simple as possible. The learner is not confronted with the Internet, nor with personal computers. Instead, a CD-i player connected to a television is used. A CD-i player is a very user-friendly consumer product that can be operated as easily as an audio CD player. It plays CD-i disks that contain the multimedia learning information. The learner controls the events on his TV-screen via a remote control.

The communication with the teacher happens through a small box (a mobile phone modern). It is operated by the programme on the CD-i player. Since all the multimedia the information is contained on the CD-i disk, it is not necessary (or even possible) to send large amounts of data over the GSM network.

The database on the TOPILOT server is the central part of the whole open distance learning system. Like mentioned before, it stores the results of the learning progress and allows the teacher to monitor and manage that progress. It also stores all messages from the teacher to the learner and vice-versa.


3 Results

* The TOPILOT project ended in Januari 1999. In total, it lasted 34 months. What has been achieved over this period?
* First of all, a user-friendly, relatively cheap communication platform has been developed. This platform, combining pc, database, internet, CD-i and GSM technologies, greatly improves the monitoring and management of travelling childrensâ learning process.
* Secondly, the consortium has created 3 high-quality multimedia learning packages, in close collaboration with teachers. These 3 learning packages cover basic skills (for pre- and primary education), electricity and business skills (for vocational training).
* Thirdly, teachers in 15 schools from 4 EU member states have been trained to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their daily teaching methods and experienced how ICT can help them. They
* The TOPILOT project has been greeted with great interest in the travelling communities and in the press. EFECOT received a considerable number of phone calls from parents asking how they could participate in the project. This is an encouraging sign for the future of ICT in the European Union. At the same time however, it is also a lesson in modesty. There is still a long way to go before travelling children enjoy the same education opportunities as other children.




4 Partners
In the TOPILOT project, 22 very diverse partners from 4 EU member states worked together. The partners can be divided into 2 categories: research institutes (consortium partners) and schools.

1. Consortium partners

* EFECOT
EFECOT was the coordinating partner of the project. The organisation has close links with the travelling communities. They did the project management and the finances of the project.
*

University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield played a vital role in evaluating the whole project. Thanks to their constant feed-back, many pitfalls have been avoided.
*

National Institute for Curriculum Development SLO / Educaplan
SLO/Educaplan develops curricula for primary, secundary, vocational, special and adult education. The organisation offers a wide variety of products and services. In the TOPILOT project, SLO/Educaplan managed the pedagogic development of the learning package Basic Skills.
*

Expertise Centre for Digital Media (EDM)
EDM is an institute within the LUC, carrying out research in a large number of informatics projects. Its role in the project was to develop the communication platform and (technical side of) the multimedia learning packages.
*

CINOP
CINOP is a Dutch organisation that specialises in innovation in national and international vocational education and company training. They were responsible for the pedagogic development of the learning packages Business Skills and Electricity.
* Scottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET)
SCET is situated in Glasgow. It is a centre that offers advice on learning through technology to government, business, parents,... SCETâs role in the TOPILOT project was to concentrate on the validation phase.
*

Philips
Philips is a Dutch consumer electronics giant. It brought into the project its extensive expertise in the field of CD-i technology.
2. Schools
15 schools were involved in the TOPILOT project. They participated in the development of the learning packages. They also tested the communication platform.
*

Landelijke Stichting voor Onderwijs aan Varende Kleuters, The Netherlands
* Stichting Rijdende School, The Netherlands
* De Schroef, Belgium
* London Borough of Hillingdow: Education Services Group, UK
* WestMidlands Education Service For Travelling Children, UK
* T.P. Riley School, UK
* Apeldoorns College, The Netherlands
* Markiezaat College, The Netherlands
* Koninklijk Atheneum Schaarbeek-Evere, Belgium
* Koninklijk Atheneum Maasmechelen, Belgium
* Volkshochschüle Düsseldorf, Germany
* Volkshochschüle Mönchengladbach, Germany
* Anniesland College, UK
* Schule für Circuskinder, Germany
* Eastbank Academy, UK





5 Press article
The following article appeared in Dutch in a Belgian newspaper, De Standaard, on 6-7 June 1998:
"Learning at home: a fair"
Sint-Truiden (B) - About 140 youngsters in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom are testing a new way of distance learning, which is specific for children of Occupational Travellers. Daisy Albert from Leopoldsburg (B) is one of them. Like most other fairground, bargee and circus children, she is very excited.
For years, Daisy Albert studied at a boarding school in Maasmechelen (B), while her parents were selling chips and sweets at jolly fairs far away. Now she can travel with her parents and help them, thanks to the new way of distance learning.
Daisy , nearly 17 years old: "In the past, I saw my parents almost only in the weekend, just when they donât have any time. I used to make my homework very quickly then. Now I only go to school in winter. The rest of the year, I study via my cd-i. I can work at my own rhythm".
"Sometimes I do nothing during a whole week. Other weeks, I complete a few chapters one after the other. It is much easier to study alone than in class. You get less distracted by the other classmates. You are at home, relaxed, you can think better. The programme has been composed in such a way that you can easily study the material. And if I have problems, I can always contact my teacher via the cd-i. He follows my work, corrects and adjusts when necessary."
Attending school is not self-evident for children of travelling parents. During the non-travelling season they go to "winter schools". When in spring the travel bug is back, they hardly, if ever, see school desks for months on end. And this in spite of the compulsory school attendance. When the parents are working at a fairground in the area, it is possible. However, when distances become too large, the children do not go to school. Some children even bring in a medical certificate for a few months.
Daisyâs father: "In the past there was quite a lot of illiteracy amongst the fairground population. Now this is no longer possible. A showman sometimes gets confronted with people who have studied. You have to bargain with politicians over a stand. A stall may well cost many millions. It is quite a company you are responsible for."
The learning packages made by LUC Diepenbeek are written in a practically-oriented way by teachers of the travelling children. Chris Wyckmans from vzw De Schroef in Antwerp works with bargee toddlers. "When the parents are in Antwerp, they bring their children half a day or a whole day to our school. Or for a few days, when the barge has to be repaired. But generally, it takes months before we see them again."
"Thanks to this new system of distance learning, we can continue to monitor our toddlers. Bargees who travel a lot in foreign countries can keep their toddlers aboard amused in a useful way so that they, as parents, do not have to spend all their time on them."




6 Telematics Applications Programme
The TOPILOT project was executed in the framework of the Telematics Applications Programme (TAP). The Telematics Applications Programme is one of the European Commission's research programmes. It is aimed at stimulating research and technological development on applications of information and/or communications technologies in areas of general interest. The Programme ran from 1994 until 1998 (4th Framework). The total funding from the TAP for TOPILOT amounted to almost 1,8 million ECU.
For more information on the TAP: http://www2.echo.lu/telematics/