Student journalists reporting on Halifax Summit events are using the SchoolNet system (Canada's educational site on the Internet) to communicate with other students around the world.
Four students from Auburn Drive High School in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, have been accredited as media representatives to cover the Halifax Summit. Along with accredited student observers from Cornwallis Junior Hi
gh School in Halifax, these students are posting their Summit interpretations to world-wide web sites,
accessible to students across Canada and overseas, and incorporating feedback
received via the Internet in subsequent reports.
Angela Forgeron, a senior in the applied broadcast journalism program at Auburn
Drive, is doing twice-daily reports for a Teen's G-7 Diary Report. Angela started
in April to prepare for the assignment, which includes coverage of the Acadia
Symposium (a mini-Summit involving adults and students), the People's Summit
and the Halifax Summit. "It's a tremendous amount of work," she says, "but it's
also an incredible experience."
Other students are demonstrating SchoolNet services and resources, including an
electronic atlas, Child Find, expert on-line, various forums for discussion and
language and geography modules.
SchoolNet is an initiative, led by Industry Canada and supported by provincial and
territorial governments, educators, universities, colleges and industry, to link all
of Canada's 16,000-plus schools to the information highway. SchoolNet aims to
enhance educational opportunities and achievements of students from
Kindergarten to Grade 12 by making national and international education
resources available to Canadian teachers and students no matter where they are
located.
SchoolNet users have the opportunity to participate in collaborative projects with
students across the country and around the world. Students from different
countries can work as a team to solve problems, conduct experiments, hold e-mail
debates, etc. The projects also provide a forum for students to work with
professional researchers to solve real-life problems.
Canada is using SchoolNet as the foundation for participation in a G-7 committee
discussing how to further cross-cultural education and training. Members of G-7
countries and observers from the European Union are considering creating a
network of country-specific initiatives, such as SchoolNet, around the world.
The SchoolNet site address is: http://schoolnet.carleton.ca
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