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Distance Learning between Waterford and Canada --:
Newfoundland and neighbouring Labrador are leaders in
distance learning and information technologies. The Stellar Schools Project in
Newfoundland has fostered a sophisticated link-up between many of the 400 schools on the
island, and every Newfoundland school has at least one computer connected to the
Internet. To date seven schools both Primary and Secondary in Waterford city and
county are involved in the link-up with equivalent schools in the region of St John's, the
capital of Newfoundland. They will be using the new information technologies to share
ideas and experience, communicate with "key-pals", the keyboard equivalent of
pen-pals, and work together on projects in poetry, English literature and their respective
cultural traditions. It is hoped many friendships will be made through this link up and
hopefully some day student's and teachers will visit each other in reality and not
virtually."
So went the press release at the launch of the Stellar Schools Ireland project in Newtown
School on May 20th,1998. Local teachers did not have long to wait to have a trip of
a lifetime realised, as a group from Waterford visited Newfoundland to attend a conference
on Information Technology entitled "Hook, Line and Net" in August of
1998. A group of teachers and students from Booth Memorial High School, visited
Tramore in the Spring of 1999. Long may these trips continue. As a result of these visits
many friendships have been struck up on both sides of the Atlantic between young and not
so young.
The Stellar Ireland Project is basically an Internet
project,linking schools in Ireland with schools in Canada. The project is supported in
Newfoundland by Stemnet,
an educational project based in Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, and by Cable Atlantic, a cable
service provider.The schools in Canada are linked together in ten regions and to the
Internet by high speed cable modems.
Here is a list of the schools who are involved --:
Newtown Secondary School
Waterford |
Twinned
with |
Mount Pearl Junior |
Ursuline Secondary
School
Waterford |
Twinned
with |
St. Thomas Villanova |
Edmund Rice Primary School
Tramore |
Twinned
with |
Topsail Elementary
Conception Bay South |
CBS Secondary School
Tramore |
Twinned
with |
Booth
Memorial |
Ballyduff National School
County Waterford |
Twinned
with |
Mary Queen
of Peace |
Ballygunner
N.S.
County Waterford |
Twinned
with |
Newtown
Elementary |
CBS Dungarvan
County Waterford |
Twinned
with |
Holy Heart
of Mary |
It is hoped that this list will continue to grow over the
years.If you are interested in becoming part of this exciting project why not send me an e-mail
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