Full paper submitted for 63rd International Council for Educational Media (ICEM) Annual Conference 2013 in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore written by University of Central Florida Emeritus Prof. Richard Cornell as lead author whilst the co-authors are Harvard Prof. Robert Doyle, Arizona State University Emeritus Prof. Marina McIsaac, Northern Arizona State University Prof. Chih-Hsiung Tu, University of Texas at Brownsville Asst. Prof. Cheng-Chang (Sam) Pan and myself Goutama Bachtiar.

1. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: ROADMAP FOR
COLLABORATION
Richard Cornell
Cheng Chang Pan, Robert Doyle, Marina McIsaac, Chih-Hsiung Tu, Goutama Bachtiar
Abstract
A remarkable collaboration has evolved over the past half century of international organizations dedicated to the
wise use of technology in education. The road toward collaborative efforts has not always been easy, especially
given the changing political, economic, social, and educational challenges.
This presentation examines selected organizations and their ongoing role in bringing together diverse
international entities toward a common goal, education on a global scale. The result has been a series of
conferences, publications, seminars, and personnel exchanges over the years, transcending cultural differences,
languages, and locations, extolling unique benefits that have accrued for all participants.
What follows is the story of one man’s journey across seven continents, multiple languages, diverse arrays of
transport, housing, cuisine, beverages, and customs, acclimating to all where possible, adjusting to multiple
stimulae. The tale then concludes by sharing recent experiences and a unique set of attributes involving three
differing cultures requiring finesse, diplomacy, and fortitude to accommodate each in their own way.
The session will conclude with a panel discussion by Professors Pan, McIsaac, Doyle, Tu and Goutama. Both
Professors Cornell and McIsaac will be communicating via Skype from Florida and Arizona respectively.
Research Questions
What was the role of the Department of Audiovisual Instruction (NEA) in addressing international issues as
related to technology in education?
What was the initial role and core mission of the International Council for Educational Media (ICEM).
What were the major issues and trends of the International Division of the Association for Educational
Communications and Technology (AECT)?
How did the core mission of ICEM and AECT evolve from what it was to what it is now?
What were the benefits to both organizations over the years and what is the profile of their members?
What was and is the role of UNESCO to the two organizations, if any?
What have been membership numbers over the years of AECT and ICEM?
What have been the benefits to individual members of both organizations over time?
How has the presenter and organizational members of other geographic areas arrived at positions of mutual
assistance and exchange? Are there other similar situations elsewhere?
Methods and Results
The methods related to the questions posited all relate to collaboration between and among individuals and
organizations, each of which have similar goals and desired outcomes. They are unique, in most instances, to the
cultures in which the activities occur.
The results of the presentation are manifested through more recent conferences held in Louisville, Kentucky,
Nicosia, Cyprus, Taichung, Taiwan, Wuhan, China and now, Singapore.
Key Words
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2. D.A.V.I. AECT, ICEM, UNESCO,CNIE, SICET, IPTPI, KSET, TAECT, CAET, HKAECT, TASET
Introduction
Welcome diplomats, you have just signed on to become road cartographers between Singapore and
the rest of the world. Many years ago, Franklin P. Jones defined a diplomat as being one who can put
his oar in the water without rocking the boat (Baughman, 1958). Another famed scholar whom shall
remain anonymous said that a diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell and have you
looking forward to the trip!
As the new diplomats representing both AECT and ICEM, you’ll receive no glory, little or no funds,
but untold satisfaction as you carry the word far and near that we have many gifts for both our
teachers and students. What are these gifts? You! Sometimes the roadmap will be easy to follow,
other times it may confuse. Often it takes two oars to remain afloat, especially in rough seas.
Most of you at this conference also belong to an association of one kind or another. You have been so
kind as to have invited some of those association members to join you here in Singapore! That was
your first gift to your colleague, the invitation. Please accept our profound gratitude.
Soon, once you have left the idyllic tropical environment in which you find yourselves, someone is
going to ask you, “You went where?” Aha, now it’s your turn to give your first gift, telling the person
where you went, why you did so, and hopefully, a little bit of what you learned! Maybe even now, as
you sit participating in this session, you are recording it for your students or colleague to see, this
being the era of Cell-phone or I-Pad video recording capability. That’s gift number 2!
Once you arrive home and you head to your own regional or national; conference, the door opens far
and wide for you to keep on giving, one person after another, And then, once you are in your office or
classroom again, wow! Think of all the gifts of you that are possible! Many raods, innumerable maps,
some of which require updating.
My beginning gift to each of you is allowing me to share four of my distinguished colleagues, Drs.
Cheng-Change “Sam” Pan, Robert Doyle, Goutama Bachtiar and Chih-Hsiung Tu, each of whom is
either sitting in front of you (but not blocking the screen, of course), and from the arid-and-finally
cooling Tempe, Arizona, our dearly beloved colleague, Dr. Marina Stock McIsaac, who will be
coming to you on first-chair Skype, and finally me, Dr. Dick Cornell, un-allowed to travel to
Singapore by my medical team, who will also share his presentation via Skype with the aid of
maestro-chair, Sampan, playing the laptop as we progress.
My five dear colleagues, Pan, Doyle, Tu, Goutama and McIsaac have kindly agreed to serve as judges
for this contest and will be acting in the role of Diplomatic Reaction Team. It will be their task to
give you diplomatic and cogent reactions to what will follow. Dr. Doyle, having shared his own
research on the international locations of Magnum Bars will wear the hat now of Reaction Team Host.
An Historical Perspective
AECT and its International Division
This year AECT turned 90. We were originally born as the Division of Visual Instruction in 1923 as
part of the National Education Association. The latter still exists. The former (DIVI) has morphed
over the years from what it was then aimed at; school administrators and teachers who had become
enamored with the use of the “newer” media of that time, lantern slides and motion pictures, both of
which had extremely low ignition points. As was described at the time, that Division’s membership
numbered in the hundreds, consisting mainly of school people “eager to liberate instruction from the
bonds of verbalism”(Molenda, M, AECT, 2001) .
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3. Leaping forward 48 years came the beginnings of the DAVI International Division. As memory
serves (Cornell),in 1963, Dr. J.J. McPherson, originally from Toronto, served as the first Division
President. In those days, DAVI had few members from abroad. Those who were members came
from backgrounds as consultants to UNESCO, and other international non-profits. Indeed, it was not
until the election of Dr. Clement Chow as International Division President that more and more
members from abroad began to attend the conference. (Cornell, 2013, Distant Memory).
In the period between 1971 and the next almost-decade, the International Division was known for its
Sunday night International Film viewings under the caring eyes of Dr. Laverne K. Miller who
organized these film fetes. Not only did these film evenings attract many international attendees, they
also drew in many from the United States. These were the Golden Years of Educational Film and
producers such as Julian Bryan, McGraw Hill, Coronet, Walt Disney, the National Film Boards of
Canada Norway, and the national film boards of many other nations also began to have their films
screened. As the number of producers increased so too, did the number of people attending the
Sunday night film showings! Indeed cross-cultural collaboration arrived with a bang.
Internationalizing AECT-An ICEM Case Study
Over time the “face” of DAVI changed with both a name change, to AECT (Association for
Educational Communications and Technology) and evolved from mostly “American” to greatlyincreased “International.” What has driven this change? From where are the international delegates?
Why has AECT developed such an internationalized focus? Do international affiliated organizations
have a place within AECT? We will trace the past, present, and speculate what these questions mean
for AECT’s future.
Twenty-four years ago, the lead author attended a conference in The Hague, the 30th annual Congress
of the International Council for Educational Media (H.J. L. Jongbloed, 1988). AECT was a major
contributor to that meeting as they had been since 1958. In October, 2013, AECT will again have
major representation at the 55th Annual ICEM Congress in Singapore.
As the years progressed the numbers of international attendees who had traveled from their countries
to the convention began to increase. Concurrently, increased numbers of AECT members became
involved with ICEM beginning in 1988.
ICEM Collaborations
The International Council for Educational Media, born in 1954, is similar in age as AECT. Originally
its members were film makers, producers, distributors, and many were housed in various Ministries of
Education or Sport and Culture. There being no “Ministry of Education” in the United States, the
ICEM Board invited the Executive Director of DAVI, Dr. Anna Hyer, to represent the United States.
Each nation was assessed annual dues based upon their annual GNP (Gross National Product) thus the
United States was among a small group of nations who paid the highest annual fees. Because the
ICEM dues were being paid by DAVI/AECT, there was ongoing concern by some that the assessment
to the USA was excessive as, unlike the other nations being represented by their various Ministries,
the U.S. State Department handed off responsibility to DAVI to pay the dues for the United States.
This perceived inequity was largely because the United States had pulled out of UNESCO, the overall
government body to which ICEM was affiliated. (It was not until 2005 that the annual ICEM dues of
approximately 2500 Swiss francs were reduced to about 10% of that amount. This dues reduction took
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4. extreme delicacy before receiving approval by the ICEM Executive as it meant a considerable drop in
annual income with the United States pay so much less.
Great finesse was required to finally convince that Board that ICEM – USA was being supported by
an American-based professional organization (AECT) rather than by the United States Government,
thus the battle was finally won to get the dues reduction.
ICEM held its first United States-based Congress in Orlando, Florida in the fall of 1992, and many
AECT presenters attended. The result was an increase in participants from abroad. A decade later
some new internationally-oriented organizations met with AECT, eventually to become international
affiliated organizations; CAERDA, followed by SICET the following year. In both of these
organizations there were a number of Asian professors and students who began to see AECT as the
major professional technology-related organization closest to their interests, with AERA following as
a close second. By this time the numbers of international attendees had grown noticeably and the
International Division instituted its annual dinner and auction in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Jenny K.
Johnson became the International Division “Mother” and remained so until her passing in 2011.
In 1998 your lead presenter assumed the ICEM presidency, the first American (albeit, Canadianborn), to hold that office. Due to some internal strife he served five years rather than the customary
two, and it was during his tenure that things began to change within ICEM. Initially the organization
had flourished under the “iron hand” of its Director General, Monsieur Robert LeFranc, and the
imposed protocols at the annual ICEM Congresses were laden with ritual, rigorous attention to a
formalized agenda during the annual General Assemblies, and such “Congresses” typically lasted two
and a half days. The Congress was in the autumn and the venue moved from one member nation to
the next each year, just as it had from the onset of its birth..ICEM was a recipient of numerous
UNESCO program development contracts and projects spanning much of Europe and into Africa.
The years between 1998 to 2003 saw the earlier formality of ICEM governance begin to lessen and
the main object of their professional interest had radically changed as well. The ICEM Media Week,
a mainstay for decades, saw fewer submissions each year.
The relationship of ICEM to UNESCO began to lessen, in part because of the ICEM’s announced
intention to hold their annual conference in Taipei. The issue was brought to the attention of the
Secretary General of UNESCO by the UNESCO Ambassador from China Mainland.
Sir John Daniel, then the Deputy Secretary General, was called upon to negotiate the issue including
requesting the current ICEM Board to come in person to Paris and provide information as to the
underlying basis of their decision. Your speaker, then current ICEM President, went to Paris to
discuss further the situation but upon the vote of his Board (to which he recused himself) , held to the
position that the ICEM Conference would be held in Taipei as planned. This situation clearly took
ICEM on an off-road trip and the lines on that map dimmed considerably vis-à-vis the relationship
with UNESCO. It is my fervent hope that bridges teetering may be strengthened in the future.
The collaboration between ICEM and the European Community has grown exponentially, due in large
part to the work of our dear friend Pambos Vrasidas and his Cyprus organization that has enabled
ICEM to co-share training and development projects. My hope is that ICEM will continue to expand
its involvement in educational projects and that there will be increased collaboration between
UNESCO and the EU..
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5. Today we have traced AECT’s international involvement from past to present using both the roles of
the International Division, ICEM, and as well, looking at more recent international outreach efforts
manifested in the growth of International Affiliated Organizations, ICEM being the most recent..
INTERNATIONAL
AFFILIATE
MEMBERSHIPS
(Doesn’t
include
retired
or
life)
June
2013
Affiliate
Rates
Web access
Registration
Print Pubs
CNIE – Canadian
Network for Innovation
in Education
Student $75
Regular $125
Comprehensive
$170***
Full access
to
AECT.org*
Member rates for
conference
registration
Print copies of
Tech Trends
SICET – Society of
International Chinese in
Educational Technology
Student $25**
Regular $48**
Full access
to
AECT.org*
Member rates for
conference
registration
IPTPI – Indonesian
Professional Association
of Educational
Technology
Electronic
Membership $15.00**
Full access
to
AECT.org*
International member
rates for conference
registration
KSET –Korean Society
for Educational
Technology
Student $15**
Faculty $30**
Full access
to
AECT.org*
International member
rates for conference
registration
TAECT –Taiwan
Association of
Educational
Communications and
Technology
Electronic
Membership $10.00**
Full access
to
AECT.org*
International member
rates for conference
registration
CAET-China
Association for
Educational Technology
Electronic
Membership $15.00**
Electronic access to
Tech Trends &
ETR&D $35 per year
Full access
to
AECT.org*
International member
rates for conference
registration
HKAECT – Hong Kong
Association for
Educational
Communications
andTechnology
Electronic
Membership $75.00**
Full access
to
AECT.org*
International member
rates for conference
registration
5

6. Affiliate
Rates
Web access
Registration
TASET – Turkey
Electronic
Membership
Full access
to
AECT.org*
International member
The Association of
Science,
$55.00**
Print Pubs
rates for conference
registration
Education &
Technology
*
electronic
books,
publications
and
journals,
discounts
of
AECT
publications
**
membership
offered
through
affiliates
i.e.
affiliate
collects
dues
and
forwards
names
to
AECT
***
all
comprehensive
memberships
receive
ETR&D
INDIVIDUAL
MEMBERSHIP
CATEGORIES
-­‐
Domestic
(doesn’t
include
retired
or
life)
June
3,
2011
Student
Regular
Comprehensive
Retired
$75.00
$125.00
$170.00
$62.50
Registered
fulltime
graduate
student
Anyone
Anyone
Anyone
Full
access
to
aect.org*
Full
access
to
aect.org*
Full
access
to
aect.org*
Full
access
to
aect.org*
Reduced
Member
rates
for
conference
registration
Reduced
Member
rates
for
conference
registration
Reduces
Member
rates
for
conference
registration
Reduced
Member
rates
for
conference
Registration
Tech
Trends
**
Tech
Trends
**
Tech
Trends
**
Tech
Trends
**
ETR&D
**
*
electronic
books,
publications
and
journals,
discounts
on
AECT
publications
**
print
copies
mailed
to
member
***
Life
membership
is
available
for
$900.00
Let me now close with a brief discussion of my own new role as the AECT International Envoy in
2013 to our Affiliated Organizations.
Real-world Collaboration – Visits to Asian Affiliates
Following appointment as the AECT International Envoy by AECT President Marcus Childress in
March of 2013 and knowing I would be going to Beijing in May, I quickly sent letters to the
Presidents of our AECT Affiliated Organizations in Asia. In the letters I outlined a proposed agenda
for each affiliate providing information I would like to obtain and other information I would be
providing. The international affiliates, in the order in which I would visit them were:
KAECT: Korean Association for Educational Communications and Technology, June Lee, P.hD,
President
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7. IPTPI: Indonesian Professional Association of Educational Technology, Professor Dr. Aytekin Isman,
President
HKAECT: Hong Kong Association for Educational Technology, Alan Yuen, Ph. D, President
SICET: Society of International Chinese in Educational Technology, Wu Junqi, Ph.D, President
TAECT: Taiwan Association of Educational Communications and Technology, Professor George
Sheau-Ting Chang, Honorary President
CAECT: China Association for Educational Technology, Professor Liu Yonqian, Secretary General
In developing a collaborative agenda that would bring all of the international affiliated organizations
into the AECT family, each organization was asked to consider completing six different tasks with a
completion date of October 30, 2013 where appropriate. The tasks were:
1. Access the link between your organization and AECT so that all members may access your
website. It was proposed (and subsequently agreed, that the first few pages of the website be
in English with the rest being in the choice of languages of the organization.
2. Develop a mutually-acceptable timeline during which member dues can be remitted to AECT,
preferably via a bank draft or international money order. It was suggested that such
remissions could be sent twice each year if needed.
3. Provide AECT with information about the affiliate’s national conferences to which members
of AECT and the other affiliated organizations might be invited.
4. Taking advantage of the reduced registration fees, send delegates to the national AECT
convention. Each Affiliate President receives complimentary conference registration and the
affiliate is provided one hour during conference in which they may make presentations.
5. AECT will provide a welcome reception for each organization during one of the general
sessions and will each have the opportunity to greet the AECT President, AECT Executive
Director, and the AECT Webmaster.
6. AECT will, upon request, provide official letters of invitation to attend the annual AECT
conference to be used when applying for a visitor’s visa at the nearest Embassy or Consulate
of the United States.
Results
The easy part of meeting with each of the above-mentioned affiliates was obtaining agreement to
meet with the newly-appointed AECT International Envoy. Never having been an Envoy before, I
was somewhat apprehensive as to what might be expected of me. (I had read of what had happened
in ancient China when the Envoy, bringing the news to the Emperor, lost his head, presumably
following the axiom that bad news travels fast!)
Without exception, each of the affiliates responded with words of warm welcome so a travel plan
was made that would, within the confines of sixty days or less, include face-to-face meetings with
each of the affiliate boards. I had already paid for my air ticket to and from Beijing given that I was
also teaching a class for the University of Texas at Brownsville, eLearning International Issues, so
the live Blackboard class sessions held twice each week had to be woven into the fabric of the trip
timeline. As it happened, I did meet with my students when in Beijing, Hong Kong, Wuhan, and
Taipei.
I must pause here and express my thanks to AECT for providing me $1,000 to help defray the travel
expenses involved with meeting each of our affiliate boards. My guess is that, in the future,
especially if AECT wishes to continue sending out its Envoys, that a separate budget item be
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8. established to help with such travel. The current 2013 Strategic Plan calls for the appointment of
AECT “Ambassadors” in the coming years. (The change in title may well protect those who might
enter into a given area where formerly Envoys lost their lives!)
Never having been to either Korea or Indonesia, I was looking forward to meeting my friends in each
of the locales and I was not disappointed. At these two venues as well as at the others, I was
fortunate enough to have met with colleagues who had been previously known to me.
I cannot say enough about how welcoming each of our International Affiliates was! It was through
these collaborations that each affiliate shared their own goals and ambitions and it was a true
affirmation that out there beyond our American shores, we have some incredible people who are
devoting their entire lives to those concepts in which we collectively believe.
In truth, I did not really know what to expect as I made my way from one venue to the next. Upon
arriving in Beijing, I was surrounded by group of dear friends who went above and beyond to assist
me during those two months of travel in and out of the city. I will admit it now, having returned to
my Florida home, that when I arrived in Asia I was ecstatic, to finally be away from the continued
negativity that seemed to surround me at every turn in America.
I can say, without reservation, that for two entire months, I had not one negative thought, not one
incident that disturbed me while I was in Asia! For that, I thank my caring collaborators who helped
me along the many roads to mission success. Now the work that lies ahead is being accomplished, in
both small and large steps and when each of these international affiliates gathers together in one
room just an hour before the opening of the First General Session, we will be cheering loudly as each
affiliate shares with the others, the progress they have made!
You there in Singapore! Come join us in Anaheim, come as one of our newest AECT International
Affiliates!
Conclusions
A summation of activities covering the past fifty years will conclude by visually depicting the successes gained
in extending collaborative hands around the world.
References:
Baughman, M.D.(1988). Teacher’s treasury of stories for every occasion. Prentice –Hall, Inc.,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Molenda, M. (2005). Association for Educational Communications and Technology in the 20th
Century: A brief history.
Author Affiliation and Address
Dr. Richard A. Cornell
Emeritus Professor, Instructional Technology
University of Central Florida
610 Forest Drive
Casselberry, FL 32707 USA
Email: richard.cornell@ucf.edu
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9. Dr. Robert Doyle
Associate Dean
Harvard University 26 Church Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Email: rdoyle@fas.harvard.edu
Dr. Marina S. McIsaac
Emeritus Professor
Arizona State University
2625 E. Southern Ave. # C-94
Tempe, AZ 85282 USA
Email: mmcisaac@asu.edu
Dr. Cheng-Chang Pan
Associate Professor
Educational Technology
80 Fort Brown, EDBC 1.306
Brownsville, TX 78520 USA
Email: sam.pan@utb.edu
Dr. Chih-Hsiung Tu
Professor
Northern Arizona State University
School of Education
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Email: Chih-Hsiung.Tu@nau.edu
Goutama Bachtiar
VP – Head of Information Technology
Roligio Group
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10. DKI Jakarta, 11440, Jakarta, Indonesia
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