Наши выпускники

Kirk Scott (University of Alaska, USA), Petrozavodsk, May-June 2005
As a Fulbright scholar, this has been my second visit to Karelian State Pedagogical University. I spent 3 weeks working in the Center for New Information Technology in Education (CNITO), which is responsible for administrative computing as well as other initiatives.

CNITO has responsibility for the on-campus laboratories used by all academic departments. It also hosts special courses on nights and weekends for external students, and it has begun preparing Web sites for distance education. Some of these efforts are funded by grants. CNITO has received support from the Intel Corporation, the Eurasia Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, and others.

The Pedagogical University has several computer laboratories in various buildings, connected to the Internet, and CNITO's offices are well-equipped with modern computing equipment. The leadership of CNITO has made significant strides in gaining support from the administration and understanding of the importance of computer technology in higher education. It was just seven years ago that the Pedagogical University got its first Internet computer laboratory.

Various employees, both junior and senior, in CNITO and the Department of Informatics, are at the forefront of progress and change. One young faculty member recently spent a semester on exchange with a Swedish university. CNITO has a cooperative project with a university in Finland. The director and various members of the staff attend national and international conferences on information technology. The director is also pursuing a graduate degree in order to improve her qualifications and ability to manage academic projects.

The employees of the Pedagogical University have laid the foundation for ongoing work in information technology and they are active in seeking partners for cooperation. At the same time it should be emphasized that, as at any school, there are shortcomings and areas of difficulty. Not only would the people at the Pedagogical University be willing to share their experience; they would also be interested in gaining from the expertise of others. By means of both their independent work and joint projects with forward-looking individuals at other institutions, they hope to stay abreast of a changing field and provide innovative and effective education for their students in the future.

Nethel Thellir (La Rochelle Business School, France), Petrozavodsk, March-June 2005
(текст приводится в авторской редакции)

Я приехала в Петрозаводск в 28ое февраля 2005ом году. Почему решила особенно в феврале? Просто потому что мне хотелось чувствовать зиму, и как люди живут в этих условиях. Я хотела как и все проводить этот момент, который по моём умением не обычный. Честно говоря, было не так легко сначала. Во первых я была на другом стране о котором плохо знала, без знакомы, без возможности понимать о чём речь идет когда говорят и даже когда понятно без возможности отвечать полностью как думаю. И во вторых надо привыкнуть ходить на снегу хотя обще видно легко на каблуках для русских девушек!

О погоде, могу сказать что когда метель и минус двадцать градусов, я часто думала о как мне было хорошо во Франции и обещала себе никогда больше сказать что холодно когда 5 градусов в Ла Рошелъ. Дело о том что во Франции когда снег идёт - праздник для детей и кошмар для водителей, смысли редко бывает когда снег остаётся. Конце концов я конечно всё таки привыкла. Съездила на дачу ( нет дачи во Франции ), попробовала баню, с удовольствием кушала русского блюда (борщ, пельмене, салаты, блины)

Eva Andreasson (University of Umea, Sweden), Petrozavodsk, February-April 2005
Hello! My name is Eva Andreasson and am a Swedish upper grade school teracher in mathematics and psychology. During the spring of 2005, I had the great pleasure of spending nine weeks at KSPU in Petrozavodsk. It was my last semester at the teacher program that I studied at Umea University in Sweden, and I was there to do teacher practise and write my undergraduate's thesis. The two months in Petrozavodsk became a fantastic experience. I did not know a single word of Russian as I arrived, but was well taken care of by Sergei Bogdanov, the dean of the faculty of physics and mathematics, and his staff, and of course Anastesia Pelgonen, the fifth year student who offered me to share her apartment and gave me all the help and support I could wish for.

My practise was done at two schools in the city and at the university where I held a series of extracurricular seminars about the Swedish educational system. It was a great experience, I learnt a lot about my subjects as well as about working in an intercultural environment and teaching in a foreign language, since all activities was done in English. The exception was one of the schools where I cooperated with their Swedish teachers.

My thesis was devoted to the Russian tradition of oral examination at the university. I made interviews with several students and teachers, who all were very willing to share their experiences with me. I learnt a lot that I definitely will have use for in my coming work. To summarise, I am very grateful for my time at KSPU, it was a lifetime experience. As I left Sweden, I had no idea what to expect other than a great adventure, and a great adventure it was. It was not easy to come to a country without any language skills, but my English and Swedish brought me far enough to manage. It demanded a large amount of flexibility and an open mind, but I never encountered any problems that could not be solved by my caring hosts. I made many new friends and will return as soon as possible.

Elina Kosonen (University of Kuopio, Finland), Petrozavodsk, February 2005
- The streets were all frozen and yet women were able to walk on high heels, unbelievable!
- Women are so feminine with their furs, heels, make-up and hair in Russia, which is not quite the case in Finland;
- Crossing the road in Russia made me cross my fingers and the local drivers nearly drove me crazy;
- Using a toilet without any seats (in the railway station) was an unforgettable experience;

Paivi Vaananen (University of Kuopio, Finland), Petrozavodsk, February 2005
When I stayed in Russia I noticed that many things are quite different than in Finland. For example the traffic. In my opinion you really have to be brave person if you want to cross the street in Russia -the drivers didn't seem to be very polite or careful! I think we would have stood quite long on the other side of the road, if we wouldn't have someone with us... Another thing that I will always remember is the cultural life that I got to know in Russia. Ballet was beautiful, but the funniest thing happened when we went to the Finnish theatre where we listened finnish translation of the show through headphones; the translation came with a little delay, so we heard all the "jokes" later than others, so when others stopped laughing we just got started... :-)

One more thing that comes to my mind is the hospitality and kindness I met in Russia. People I got to know were so friendly and ready to help us in so many ways. Though it was funny to see, that people who work in service trade weren't that polite or friendly, at least not in everywhere. I think in Finland you always try to please the customer, so the service in Russia felt weird for me. But all in all my staying in Russia was very interesting and pleasant, and I experienced many unforgettable moments and things that I will always carry with me!