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The original Virtual Classroom program was launched by AT&T in the fall of 1996. During the period of 1996 through 2000, over 19,000 students from dozens of countries around the world used it to collaborate, communicate and learn about themselves, and about the Internet.
In its first year, the AT&T Virtual Classroom on the Net Program, as it was then known, gave students from 30 countries the chance to build Websites while learning about each other and the Internet.
The AT&T VC Contest grew bigger and better each year, and in its last year of operation (1999-2000) included 300 primary and secondary schools from 38 countries. To promote diversity, we strive to maintain a geographic balance across regions and continents.
Over the years, participating teams have created some truly excellent Websites -- each one a perfect example of how the Internet can bring people together -- of which they and their communities can always be proud.
More importantly, GVC teams, regardless of the Contest outcome, benefit immensely from the learning process. "The AT&T Virtual Classroom project changed my entire life," said one VC Contest 98 student. "First of all, I learned never to give up." A Contest 97 teacher, when asked what was the best aspect of the VC program, answered, "Seeing kids develop. The kids I worked with matured in the 3 months of the program like you wouldn't believe!"
The success of the VC Contest encouraged AT&T to expand its on-line educational offerings in 1998 and 1999, culminating in four diverse programs under the old AT&T Virtual Classroom umbrella.
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