(1,637 kb)
(1,637 kb)
SchoolNet is a unique Web site that offers Canadian students and teachers more than 5,000 educational resources through information and communication technology and partnerships.
The content for the site comes not only from experts in education, but also from experts in their own backyards—students at the Leo Ussak Elementary School in Canada's Arctic, for example. A member of SchoolNet since 1995, this northern school has created a Web page that welcomes visitors with the words "Ullakut!" or "Good day!" and "We may be cool but we guarantee a warm welcome."
The home page of the school in Rankin Inlet on the shores of Hudson Bay has become a source of information about Nunavut, with links to government sites, local businesses and class projects, as well as to Web pages created by other Canadian students.
SchoolNet was launched in 1993 to help Canadians, like the students at Leo Ussak School, access the information highway and find or create Canadian learning materials. It is part of the federal government's Connecting Canadians initiative to get Canadians online through such programs as the Community Access Program (CAP) and LibraryNet.
CAP, which started providing Canadians with public access to the Internet in 1994, complements SchoolNet by creating 'on-ramps' to the Internet in schools, libraries, community centres and other public places. The Leo Ussak school serves as Rankin Inlet's CAP site. That means anyone in the community can walk into the school to learn about the Internet, have some fun with it or put it to practical use. CAP's target is to establish 10,000 public access points across Canada by March 2001.
Through LibraryNet, public library users can access the Internet via online workstations.
The SchoolNet partnership links the Government of Canada, provincial and territorial departments of education, local library boards, school boards and education and library associations. SchoolNet also offers opportunities for partnerships with the private sector.
As an Internet site, SchoolNet provides worldwide access to made-in-Canada online learning resources, teaching modules, research tools and student projects and pages. It also links to such sites as a First Nations site of curriculum and education resources for Aboriginal students, and Canada's Digital Collections, a compilation of historic, cultural and educational resources. This latter site has provided employment opportunities for Canadians aged 15 to 30, hired to digitize material for online use. These young Canadians have gained valuable multimedia experience through the creation of hundreds of Web sites.
Children attending a secondary school in Victoria developed a new understanding and appreciation for seniors when they participated in Generations CanConnect, a SchoolNet project that uses information technology to link younger and older Canadians through storytelling. The program encourages 10- to-18-year-olds to discover interesting elements of seniors' lives and experiences and to share the information on the Net. Youths and seniors across Canada can develop technical skills while promoting intergenerational communication.
SchoolNet also links to the Global Learning Consortium (GLC), an example of Canada's commitment to distance learning. The GLC is a project involving educators and students in Canada, the United States and Singapore. Participants work together to develop new approaches to using interactive technology in learning situations.