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Educate and Unite: Kids Use the Internet to Tell How Education Unites Communities

260 schools worldwide representing 300,000
students from 45 countries participated in Global SchoolNet’s International
Schools CyberFair competition this year, including 135 schools from the
Asia/Pacific region. Regional affiliate programs were run in New Jersey,
Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

The theme for CyberFair 2003 was ‘Educate and Unite!’ and aligned with
‘Friendship Through Education,’ a White House initiative. Students used the
Web to publish stories about how people or programs in their own local
communities use education to help make the world better, friendlier or
safer. The stories were inspirational and heartwarming, with five of the top
projects originating from Taiwan, two from Hawaii, and one Australia.

“The creative energy of these global student story tellers is truly
amazing,” said Yvonne Andres, co-founder and executive director of the
Global SchoolNet Foundation. "They are talented content producers – who
excel at communicating, collaborating and celebrating learning."

Taiwanese projects ranged from "trash to treasures," as students discussed
the importance of recycling, while others described the beauty of Mountain
Lera of Balon, the historical Tau Tung Academy, and the legacy of
traditional Chinese writing. And, at another school, students learned
compassion and wrote about St. Anne’s, a nursing home for seriously retarded
children. Students aged 6-10 in Warrandyte, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia
used the web to illustrate how their local leaders use education to make
their community a safe place. And, representing the USA, 350 elementary
students from Honolulu researched the Hamakua Marsh to demonstrate how
long-term protection of native wetlands is essential, while students from
Enchanted Lake celebrated Hawaii’s unique multicultural blend and spoke of
how diversity can bring about peace and harmony.

Clearly, collaboration and activism were the most important lessons learned,
however, as one student stated, "There’s nothing we cannot do, if we work
together." And, according to one parent, "CyberFair was by far the most
meaningful social studies activity of my daughter’s entire high school
career."

International Schools CyberFair, now in its eighth year, is an
award-winning, authentic learning program used by schools around the world.
Students conduct research about their local communities and publish their
findings on the World Wide Web. Recognition is given to schools for the best
projects in each of eight categories: local leaders, businesses, community
organizations, historical landmarks, environment, music, art, and local
specialties. Competition judging also takes place online. Students evaluate
the projects of other schools by using a Web-based assessment tool designed
by Global SchoolNet.

Top entries were reviewed by a panel of distinguished international judges
from countries such as Israel, Australia, Germany, and the USA, and included
People to People CEO, Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of former
President Dwight Eisenhower. This White House-endorsed competition
encourages students to become ambassadors for their own local communities by
working collaboratively with community members and using technology tools to
publish a Web site that displays what they have learned. The annual contest
has involved more than 750,000 students from 2,800 schools in 90 countries
and is the longest running international cyber event for schools. For more
information about CyberFair visit http://www.globalschoolhouse.org/cf

ABOUT GLOBAL SCHOOLNET FOUNDATION:
Global SchoolNet is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit education organization, who
partners with schools, universities, businesses and communities to
co-develop free or low cost programs to help students become literate and
responsible global citizens, and to prepare them for the workforce. Global
SchoolNet combines smart teaching ideas with web publishing, video
conferencing and other online tools that bridge geographic gaps, allowing
young people around the world to learn together. Global SchoolNet is a
growing international network of 70,000+ online educators, who engage in
online project-based learning activities and has reached more than a million
students from 25,000 schools across 100 countries. For more information
about the services and programs provided by Global SchoolNet, please visit
http://www.globalschoolnet.org

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