3. Hot Topics
3.4 ED Domain Names
3.4.1 EDU-TALK SUMMER FORUM '99
3.4.2 Experimental Project of ED Domain Name Registration
3.4.1 EDU-TALK SUMMER FORUM'99
(Education Review Panel)
EDU-TALK SUMMER FORUM' 99 is to be held at Yurakucho Marrion on August 10, 1999 as the first event organized by the Education Review Panel. The background to the staging of this forum is as follows.
- At the Education Panel BOF during Internet Week'98 (Kokuritsu Kyoto Kaikan), there were calls for the provision of a forum for people involved in education to exchange ideas, and this led to the establishment of the EDU-TALK mailing list.
- It was necessary to conduct an experimental project and examine trends relating to ED domain names, for which registration commenced in February 1999.
- The rapid introduction of Internet use environments into places of education had led to considerable confusion within primary, middle, and high schools.
- There are surprisingly few events where people involved in education within disinterested organizations can gather.
Regarding the planning of this event, staff were recruited using EDU-TALK, and the SF99 (SUMMER FORUM'99) task force was formed by members of the education panel and other JPNIC staff members. Meetings have been held as necessary since May, with the task force working to finalize the purpose of the forum, program details, speakers, and sponsors. A copy of the forum announcement follows.
|
EDU-TALK SUMMER FORUM '99 - Considering School Internet Connections |
||
| Promoter: | Japan Network Information Center JPNIC | |
| Sponsors: |
Japan Computer Emergency Response Team Cordination Center (JPCERT/CC) Internet Association of Japan (IAJ) Japan Association for Promotion of Educational Technology (JAPET) Center for Educational Computing (CEC) Japan Educational Resource Information Center (JERIC) |
|
| Date: | August 10, 1999 (Tuesday) 10:00-16:40 | |
| Place: | 'Asahi Square', Yurakucho Marrion, Yurakucho, Tokyo (03-3284-0131) 2-5-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
|
| Purpose: | Moves are well underway toward the connection of every school to the Internet. A number of school Internet connection ventures are currently being conducted by the national government and municipal corporations, and the Internet, as the information base for the coming century, is rapidly gaining a foothold in the classroom. This has created the need for new educational value systems, as well as a heightened awareness of potential problems and risks. JPNIC's Education Panel was established with a view to conducting seminars and symposiums to promote the spread of the Internet and help to achieve a healthy network society. Supporting Internet use in schools is one of the Panel's main activities. With the establishment of ED domains and the EDU-TALK mailing list, we have come into contact with the education community. We have strongly felt the need for a forum where interested parties can gather and discuss the contemporary issue of 'Internet connections in schools'; we hope that EDU-TALK SUMMER FORUM' 99 will prove valuable in this regard. |
|
| Cost: | Free of charge (participation in social gathering: 4,000 yen) | |
| Applications: | to be accepted from special JPNIC WEB page (200 people) http://www.nic.ad.jp/jp/edu/sf99/index.html Applications for school-related parties: July 1-July 11 General applications: July 15- |
|
| Program: | ||
| 10:00 | Opening Speech Shigeki Goto (JPNIC Director/Waseda University) | |
| 10:10 |
|
|
| 10:40 |
|
|
| 11:10 |
|
|
| 11:40 |
|
|
| 13:30 |
|
|
| 15:10 |
Session 3 'Internet Introduction and Educational Use in Schools'
|
|
|
Themes: Panelists: |
Construction of school networks, ensuring sufficient security, user etiquette education, institutions supporting schools, etc. Chair Kunio Goto (Member of JPNIC Education Review Panel, Nanzan University) - Mototsugu Kameda (Ministry of Education) |
|
| 16:40 | End of Forum | |
3.4.1 EDU-TALK SUMMER FORUM '99
3.4.2 Experimental Project of ED Domain Name Registration
3.4.2 Experimental Project of ED Domain Name Registration
(JPNIC secretariat)
ED Domain Names: The Story so Far
In recent years, the relationship between education and the Internet has been much talked about. With the government's plans to promote Internet connections in primary and secondary educational institutions, and the spread of low-cost Internet connections, there is expected to be a rapid increase in applications by educational institutions for registration of domain names.
A number of issues relating to the current situation were identified prior to the establishment of ED domains.
- Regional-type domain names registered by primary and secondary educational institutions such as primary, middle, and high schools, while appropriate for indicating affiliation with a particular region, tend to become relatively long, making them difficult to handle, particularly for young children.
- As there are a number of schools with the same name in various regions, a number of schools are likely to request the same domain name, and for the reasons stated above, a large number of domain name applications are expected to be concentrated over a short period. Some adjustment was necessary in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the domain name registration process.
In response to these issues, ED domain names were established as domain names to be used primarily by children and students receiving an education. Specifically, ED domain names may be registered by kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, high schools, and other educational institutions for children and students under the age of 18. They may also register as part of a network grouping these institutions together.
As result of this change, domain names have become simpler in comparison with regional-type domain names. The need to consider existing domain names has also disappeared, and it is now possible for schools to use a 'reserved domain name' in order to ensure the domain name of their choice.
In the five months since registration of ED domain names began in February of this year, around 500 domain names have been registered. Until mid-April, only 'reserved domain name' applications were accepted, so this figure is rather high when one considers that other applications have only been possible for around 2 months.
The Reason for Experimentation
A number of issues expected to arise as a result of the establishment of ED domain names have been considered.
However, it is only possible to guess from trends in the number of registered domain names and from details of day-to-day inquiries as to whether the introduction of a 'reserved domain name' system and, indeed, the establishment of ED domain names are a sufficient response to these issues. It is certainly not an ideal method. It is essential to conduct surveys in order to verify whether the initial goals have been reached, and whether this has been done effectively, and ensure that relevant matters are reflected in future policy formulation. This is particularly important given that a new method has been introduced.
However, it would be difficult for JPNIC alone to verify the effectiveness of the introduction of JP domain names, given the scope of the survey and the necessary budget. To this end, JPNIC has enlisted the support of IPA in order to conduct this experimentation project. This will avoid placing a heavy burden on JPNIC's budget, which is based on membership fees, thereby making the project possible.
Details of the Experimentation Project
The following details are envisioned for the ED domain name experimentation project.
- Purpose
JPNIC is to support the registration of ED domain names clarified as domain names to be used primarily by children and students receiving an education, while simultaneously examining the effectiveness of the establishment of ED domain names.
- Period
August 1, 1999-November 30, 1999
- Details
- During the experimentation period, JPNIC will charge no fees for registration of ED domain names.
- Questionnaires regarding ED domain names will be sent out to registering organizations.
- Interviews regarding ED domain names will be conducted with some registering organizations.
- The unconnected deadline is to be extended to March 31, 2003 after registering ED domain names. This extension will also apply to organizations registering prior to the experimentation period. However, this will not apply to organizations which have previously registered name server information on the JPNIC name server.
- Questionnaires as described in 2. and interviews as described in 3. will also target schools, etc. which do not register ED domain names.
- During the experimentation period, JPNIC will charge no fees for registration of ED domain names.
Cooperation with questionnaires and interviews is strictly voluntary. However, we hope to receive as many replies as possible given the purpose of this project. We would also be grateful if ISPs could provide detailed explanations to applicants.
Regarding Measures Associated with the Verification Project
- Reason for Making Registration Free of Charge
As mentioned above, this project is being conducted with the support of the IPA. The aim of the project is to verify whether the 'reserved domain name' system, which is peculiar to ED domain names, is actually effective as regarding the domain name registration process, and the costs associated with the registration process have been included in the budget. As applications made as part of this project will be funded from this budget, JPNIC has no intention of charging applicants or ISPs for these applications.
- Reason for Extending 'Unconnected' Deadline
For a number of reasons, the introduction of the 'reserved domain name' system was targeted at a public education network consisting of primary schools, middle schools, high schools, and special education schools. However, a number of organizations to which the 'reserved domain name' system does not apply expressed a desire to reserve a domain name.
This measure effectively provides organizations without a 'reserved domain name' with an opportunity to reserve a domain name, and is intended to maintain fairness regarding domain names with similar characteristics to ED domain names. However, the 'reserved domain name' system is unique to ED domain names, and the introduction of such a system is not being considered for domain names with other characteristics (e.g. commercial domain names). Also, this measure does not apply to organizations which have previously registered name server information on the JPNIC name server. Please note that standard measures apply: in the event that name server settings are not re-established within 6 months of being removed, the domain name will be erased.
- Regarding Questionnaires and Interviews
Questionnaires and interviews are to be conducted in order to examine issues relating to the process leading up to ED domain name registration, as well as schools' views on the documents sent to them at the beginning of this year, their reserved domain names, and current issues.
Questionnaires will be sent to all schools registering ED domain name during the experimental period, as well as to other schools chosen at random. While replies are strictly voluntary, we hope as many schools as possible will cooperate given the purpose of this project. Note that JPNIC will send out questionnaires directly to schools, and will not ask ISPs to distribute questionnaires.
JPNIC will directly request interviews with certain schools. We would be grateful if you could advise applicants that they will soon be receiving information on the interviews from JPNIC.
ED Domain Names: The Road Ahead
ED domain names were established following considerable deliberation. A number of features are worthy of note, such as the introduction of the 'reserved domain name' system, the first such system in the world. The objective verification of the effects of the introduction of ED domain names through this experimentation project will prove valuable not only in determining the future of ED domain names, but also in the formulation of general policies for future domain name administration.