NewsWave Canada Spring 1996
Call for Participation

You are invited to participate in our international, multidisciplinary, student telecommunications project! JOIN US on the Internet at St. Elizabeth School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as we celebrate Earth Day, April 22, 1996 with schools in every province and territory, through our very own, student-run national news service!

PROJECT:

NewsWave Canada (Spring 1996): a forum for students of all ages across Canada and the world

through online dialogue and the publishing of student-created news letters and news magazines both in print and on the World Wide Web.

THEME (Spring 1996):

Greening the 90's: Environmental Issues and You

Anytime two or more people disagree, you have an issue. If everyone agreed on how to treat our earth, we would not have any environmental issues. However, different people have different uses, dependencies, and needs for the earth. These needs and values are often a source of disagreement.

What is the biggest environmental problem facing your community, country, world? What are the environmental issues people are most concerned about?

What are we as individuals doing about it? How are schools contributing? What environmental actions are youth around the world undertaking to make a difference for the future of the planet? How are governments trying to face these issues especially in these lean times?

Research an issue either locally or globally. Make an action plan. Make a pledge. Share your findings through news articles, poetry, pictures, word games or puzzles. Be creative!

DATES:

March 15, 1996 - June 5, 1996
(Registration deadline: Monday, March 15, 1996)

Modes of Participation

E-MAIL:

All classes participating in this project MUST have access to e-mail. E-mail will be the main means of communication among the participants.

WWW and GOPHER :

Schools having access to Gopher and WWW will have more resources available to them to use the Internet as a research tool. Our home page will provide many links to environmental sites.

LANGUAGES:

The administration of NewsWave Canada will initially be in English, but French-language participation and articles are welcomed.

SUBJECTS:

Writing, Language, Research Skills, Science, Geography, Media Literacy, Social Sciences, Environmental Studies, the Arts

GRADE LEVELS:

Grades 4 to 12. Inter-grade participation is encouraged as material will appeal to all age levels.

NUMBER of PARTICIPANTS:

10-30 classes ( minimum 10)

PURPOSE:

To develop and apply students' skills in information technology, research and writing, through the medium of Internet communications and publishing on contemporary, real-world topics.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  1. use a variety of technologies to develop skills in information
    retrieval and analysis, word processing and desktop publishing
  2. develop skills in research, problem solving, planning, time management,
    interviewing, writing, editing, revising, proofreading and publishing
  3. work cooperatively and effectively with others
  4. use telecommunications: e-mail, terminal software commands, uploading,
    downloading, Gopher, netiquette and WWW
  5. learn how geography and cultural forces lead to diverse perspectives

REGISTRATION AGREEMENT:

In order to participate you must agree to do the following:
  1. Register by completing the form below and e-mailing it to the coordinator (an229@freenet.carleton.ca) by the registration deadline.
  2. Keep to the time line in sending HELLO LETTER and 5 NEWS ARTICLES (other classes are counting on you)
  3. Participate in online discussions (YOUTHSPEAK)
  4. Send a hard copy of your newspaper/newsletter to each participating class and to the Coordinator by snail mail.

HOW TO REGISTER:

Send a separate registration for each class participating. This information will be forwarded to all participants at the start of the project.
E-mail address -- an229@freenet.carleton.ca
with Subject: Register- NewsWave
 Name of contact:_____________________
e-mail address:________________________ School:
____________________________ School address:_________________________
School phone:_______________________
Latitude:___________________________
Longitude:______________________________ Grade(s) :_____________________
Subject(s): _________________________ Access to gopher:  YES_____  
NO____ Access to WWW:  YES_____   NO___ URL of homepage if applicable
Description of type of school/community (in 5 lines or less)

TIME LINE:

FEBRUARY 15 - MARCH 15

Register for the project by filling out provided form and mailing it to: an229@freenet.carleton.ca

(DEADLINE for registration is FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1996)

The students compose a HELLO LETTER introducing themselves to the other participants.
Do not send the HELLO LETTER before MARCH 25th.
The HELLO LETTER should include:
Teachers introduce the newspaper unit, plan and organize curricular topics to be covered.

MARCH 25

Official list of participants is sent out. Locate NewsWave participants by using latitude and longitude provided
E-mail your HELLO LETTER to the list.

MARCH 25 - APRIL 26

Research and write your articles.
Choose the 5 BEST articles that will be uploaded to the NewsWave list by MAY 3 AT THE LASTEST
Use the WWW (if available) to access resources.
Plan your newspaper, organize work teams, collect graphics.

APRIL 22-26 EARTH DAY in the Schools

During this week participants will celebrate "EARTH DAY" by participating in online dialogue (YOUTHSPEAK) via the NewsWave listserver. A series of discussion topics for students, covering environmental issues, will be posted to focus participants' thinking and analysis. Actual topics to be decided as the project unfolds.

MAY 3 NEWSWAVE

DEADLINE for uploading newspaper articles to the list.
Send each article in a separate message with the NAME of the school and ARTICLE NUMBER in the subject line, eg. ST. ELIZABETH #1. Make sure that each article is identified with:
Name of author, age, school, city, province and teacher.

APRIL 26 - MAY 31

Create your newspaper by incorporating articles written by your class and those from participating schools. Try to include at least one article from each participating school. Publish your newspaper.
The students at St. Elizabeth's School will use the uploaded articles to create NewsWave Canada on the WWW.

JUNE 5

Last day to mail (snail) a copy of your printed newspaper to each participating class as well as the coordinator.
Celebrate World Environment Day

SUMMARY

In NewsWave Canada students across the country write news articles and upload them to the NewsWave listserver mounted on Canada's SchoolNet to create their own electronic "wire service". Each participating class then chooses what materials to download in order to publish its own news magazine or newsletter. Hard copies of publications are shared among the participating classes by snail mail.

World Wide Web

The students at St. Elizabeth School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada use the uploaded articles to create, manage and publish NewsWave Canada electronically on the WWW for the whole world to see.

YOUTHSPEAK: Online Student Discussions

In all Special Editions of NewsWave, registered participants engage in online discussions via the NewsWave listserver (provided through Canada's SchoolNet). During the week of April 22-26, 1996, classes will celebrate "Earth Day" by participating in online dialogue via the NewsWave listserver. A series of discussion topics for students, dealing with environmental issues, will be posted to focus participants' thinking and analysis. (We call this discussion area YOUTHSPEAK).
Students participating in this multidimensional project not only become researchers and analysts, but also writers and publishers. Students develop skills needed in the information age. Through the use of technology they gather, analyze, process and communicate information dealing with contemporary issues in the real world.

Project Coordinator:

Dalia Naujokaitis
St. Elizabeth Catholic School
893 Admiral Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario CANADA K1Z 6L6
Telephone: (613) 728-4744
E-mail (personal): an229@freenet.carleton.ca
Class e-mail: pugglers@ottawa.net

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