April 4, 2004 (download pdf) (download doc)

SIX TEAMS OF KIDS FROM 12 COUNTRIES WIN GLOBAL VIRTUAL CLASSROOM CONTEST

Unique Website Design Contest Fosters Online Collaboration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2004

SARASOTA, Fla. – Give Something Back International (GSBI), a nonprofit educational foundation headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., today announced the winners of its first annual Global Virtual Classroom (GVC) contest. The GVC contest is a unique competition among virtual teams of students around the world who collaborate to create websites. The winning teams, which share cash awards, included primary and secondary school students from 12 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa and the Middle East.

“GVC is a fantastic learning experience for students and teachers,” said teacher Cindy DePoy of the American School of Valencia, Spain, which was part of the winning primary school team. “The communication between the schools is enriching and fun. And, by the end, students are extremely proud of themselves for having begun and completed such an incredible project.”

It is estimated that some 2,940 students, ages seven to 18 and from 33 countries, participated in this year’s Global Virtual Classroom competition. Seventy-seven schools on 26 teams submitted websites, which were evaluated by a distinguished panel of seven judges with backgrounds in technology, education, and business. The topics of this year’s website entries, which were judged on content, presentation and collaboration, ranged from endangered species to the exploration of cultural contrasts.

Dr. Ram Matta, a judge referring to his scoring of a primary school website, commented, “This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. There was a lot of content, diversity and creativity. I am amazed at the capability demonstrated at such a young age.”

The winning website in the primary school category, “The Science Wow Factory,” is a witty series of scripted science experiments to be shared with and downloaded by other primary schools. Nearly 70 children, from three schools on three continents, collaborated online to create the site. The winning team, which will split a US$3,000 cash prize, hails from Byron Community School in New South Wales, Australia; The American School of Valencia, Spain; and Bayou View Elementary School in Gulfport, Miss.

The winning secondary school team, from Canada, Israel and the United States, crafted a site that uses a creative story line to guide the visitor through an exploration of the history of technology. “Progression Through Time: The Digital Age of Technology” was developed by the Emmanuel Christian School in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Canada; Nevah Channah Torah High School for Girls, Etzion Bloc, Israel; and Waterford Mott High School, Waterford, Mich. These three schools will also share a US$3,000 grand prize.

“This project encourages collaboration, cooperation and communication among students of different cultures,” said Sharon Peters, a teacher from the Emmanuel Christian School, which participated on the winning secondary school team. “Students desperately need to be provided with opportunities to participate in activities like the GVC contest where they can think and act outside themselves and their own environment.”

The second-place primary school team is from St. Elizabeth Catholic School in Ottawa, Canada; Owairoa Primary School, Auckland, New Zealand; and Topa Topa Elementary School, Ojai, Calif. The second-place secondary school team is from Colegio America, Callao, Peru; Colégio Vasco de Gama, Belas, Portugal; and Renaissance Magnet Middle School, Flagstaff, Ariz. Each team will share a prize of US$1,500.

Third among the primary schools was the team from Yarra Valley Grammar School, Ringwood, Australia; Zhi Kai Elementary School, Tainan City, Taiwan; and Island Village Montessori School, Sarasota, Fla. The secondary school third-prize winner was the team from Middle School “L. Coletti,” Treviso, Italy; Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico; and Lyceum NSTU, Novosibirsk, Russia. These two teams each share a prize of US$750.

In addition, five other teams were recognized for special merit. The Global Virtual Classroom websites and information about all participating schools can be viewed at www.virtualclassroom.org.

“Give Something Back International is dedicated to empowering, enabling and connecting students around the world using Internet technologies,” said Andrew Ezzell, President, GSBI. “It is enormously gratifying to watch kids learn to use technology to reach out to each other across great distances, and we’re delighted to see the Global Virtual Classroom contest facilitate that kind of cross-cultural collaboration.”

The Global Virtual Classroom (GVC) is a program of Give Something Back International (GSBI). The GVC contest (www.virtualclassroom.org) operated from 1996 through 2000 as the AT&T Virtual Classroom. Last year, AT&T transferred program ownership to GSBI.

GSBI (www.gsbi.org) is a two-year-old international 501(C)(3) nonprofit educational foundation headquartered in Sarasota, Fla. GSBI’s goal is to provide life-changing, quality educational opportunities to children, young adults, and teachers around the world.

Registration for the 2004/05 Global Virtual Classroom Contest will begin in July 2004. For more information, program guidelines, or to register for the Global Virtual Classroom, please visit www.virtualclassroom.org.

FACT SHEET

GLOBAL VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

What is GVC?

The Global Virtual Classroom (GVC) project is a collection of free, on-line educational activities and resources. It aims to complement the efforts of governments and education departments around the world to integrate technology into their classrooms and curricula and to link their schools to the information superhighway.

What is GVC’s goal?

The GVC vision is to empower, enable and connect students around the world using Internet technology. It aims to teach students three essential skills they will need in the 21st century:

Cross-cultural communication: Overcoming language and cultural differences is a skill that must be learned in today's international environment. GVC offers a learning experience that we hope will put students on the road to being good global communicators.

Collaboration: GVC projects offer the chance to learn how to work and succeed as a team. These are valuable skills that are often hard to learn in school, yet are absolutely required in the working world. Students are rewarded by seeing their work as part of a greater effort, and by having the results posted on the World Wide Web for their communities to appreciate.

Computers: A fundamental understanding of technology is necessary for today's students -- tomorrow's leaders. GVC students learn not only how to navigate the Web, they learn how to use it to interact and communicate, to research and create. More importantly they learn to be confident and comfortable with technology.

To achieve these goals, Global Virtual Classroom provides a variety of free on-line activities suitable for a wide range of schools' technical capabilities and student abilities. One of these activities is right for your students. Sign up today and make the world your classroom!

Who is eligible to participate?

Any group that meets a few basic criteria:

• The group may be a classroom, extracurricular activity group, club or other teacher-led, school-sponsored student group. The group need not be all members of the same class, but it must be led by a teacher or a responsible adult who will supervise throughout GVC Contest 2004/05.
• It must have access to the Internet, and the teacher must have the basic skills needed to create and post simple Web pages.
• Groups must have 15-40 students between the ages of seven and 18.

When does the 2004/05 GVC Contest start and end?

July 2004 - Online registration for Contest begins
September 2004 - Deadline for schools to register
September 2004 - Teams formed and announced
October 2004 - GVC Contest 2004/05 begins
March 2005 - Contest 2004/05 ends; website submission deadline
April 2005 - Judging results announced
April 2005 - Awards

How do I contact GVC?

You can contact the program at gvc@gsbi.org. You can apply to participate in the Global Virtual Classroom program at www.virtualclassroom.org.