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STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE SPIN A WEB OF CREATIVITY IN CYBERSPACE

- AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest 1999/2000 launched together with the first CUHK and AT&T Virtual Classroom Global Water Study

For immediate release: Thursday, October 7th, 1999




HONG KONG - The environment and cultural exchange are common themes marking the official start of the AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest 1999/2000 and the new AT&T Virtual Classroom Global Water Study. Under the umbrella of the AT&T Virtual Classroom Program, each of these activities offers an innovative approach to creativity and learning on the Net.

Now in its fourth year, the AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest is a web design competition with a truly international focus. An estimated 8,000 students from over 40 countries will rise to the challenge of creating this year's winning website. From now until March 2000, these primary and secondary students from all over the world will meet in cyberspace to explore, create and innovate.

100 teams have joined this year's contest. Each team, made up of three schools from three different countries, will communicate in a "virtual" classroom while crossing boundaries of time and culture. By the end of the program, they will have acquired some of the key leadership and communication skills as well as some of the key technology skills that will shape their generation.

Jean Liu, head of AT&T's corporate philanthropy initiatives in Asia Pacific, said, "Interactive media plays an increasingly important role in all of our lives and children illustrate this better than anyone. The AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest invites students and educators to go beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom and explore new ways of communicating. Each year the students' creativity and teamwork have been astounding and we are looking forward to what this year's contest will bring."

118 schools participating in this year's AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest are from 13 Asia/Pacific countries. Representing one of Hong Kong's competing teams, Mr Chan Cho-kui, IT Project Leader and Education Officer for King's College, said: "Each year we are looking for ways to add new elements of creativity into the curriculum. The AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest is the ideal avenue for my students to communicate with diverse cultures, address relevant issues and learn about internet technology."

AT&T provides all the teams with "virtual" facilities, such as private chat forums and web servers, to host their web sites and collaborate electronically across time zones. Students will use the discussion forums to decide on themes for their project; plan, design and create web pages using HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) and publish their competing Web sites using FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

Various sponsors have made valuable contributions to the program, including more prizes than ever before. Hewlett Packard digital cameras, laptop computers and scanners will be awarded to winning teams. To enhance online collaboration, White Pine has provided 250 sets of video chat software and a videoconferencing reflector. Outblaze is providing free web-based e-mail accounts, web calendars and web bulletin boards. Times Information Systems is also providing 300 educational CD-ROMs on maths, science or English and over 100 half-year subscriptions to Times Information Systems educational website.

The website entries will be judged on content, presentation and level of collaboration by a panel of judges. Judging will be separate for the primary and secondary school categories. The Grand Prize will be awarded in May 2000.

Addressing the Environment - the AT&T Virtual Classroom Global Water Study

The launch of the AT&T Virtual Classroom Global Water Study has been met with an overwhelming response, with 120 schools participating. A joint collaboration between the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the AT&T Virtual Classroom Program, secondary students from as far away as Norway and Peru will participate in the AT&T Virtual Classroom's first science project.

Over the course of the year, these students will test water samples from different sources and compile and analyze the data through an online database. In September 2000, the results will be published in an Annual Report reflecting the state of the world's water supply and offering interpretation from CUHK experts.

Professor Steve Au-Yeung, Department of Chemistry, CUHK, said, "It was clear from last year's AT&T Virtual Classroom Program that the environment was on the top of the minds of students. The addition of this study to the program means that we are able to offer secondary students a unique opportunity to take an active role in scientific research and engage in an on-line dialogue about their findings."

The Complete AT&T Virtual Classroom Program

The AT&T Virtual Classroom Program also offers two year-round programs the AT&T VC Clubhouse and the AT&T VC Race Across Time which schools can join at any time.

AT&T VC Clubhouse offers schools the same virtual facilities as in the web design contest, but in a more flexible and non-competitive environment. Students of this "virtual" club have the freedom to create any kind of internet project that they choose with partners from anywhere in the world and work at their own pace.

AT&T VC Race Across Time is a free educational online game developed by the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia that offers students a fun way to learn about Australian history and culture while exercising their internet skills.

Sponsors of the AT&T Virtual Classroom 1999/2000 are Hewlett Packard, Newsweek International, Outblaze and White Pine. Other sponsors include Times Information Systems and the program's official hotel, the JW Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong.

The AT&T Virtual Classroom is organized by AT&T Asia/Pacific in partnership with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and with the support of the AT&T Foundation. Additional support is provided by AT&T Online Services Hong Kong and JENS Corporation, Japan.

For more information about the AT&T Virtual Classroom program please visit the website at http://www.att.virtualclassroom.org.

About AT&T

AT&T Asia/Pacific (www.ap.att.com) has a significant presence in the region, with headquarters in Hong Kong and key offices in 11 countries. The company offers advanced communication services to governments, businesses and consumers, which include voice, data, online and wireless. Together with local companies, AT&T has joint ventures in India, the Philippines and Taiwan.



For further information contact:

Darcy Hausselman
AT&T Public Relations, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2972 5263
Fax: (852) 2506 4475
darcy.hausselman@ap.att .com