Internet Initiative In NZ Schools By NetGuide

News Release - Major Internet Initiative In New Zealand Schools By Netguide

A major Internet initiative for schools was launched today by the monthly NetGuide magazine. The first annual NetGuide Schools Web Challenge is designed to encourage tens of thousands of students to use the Net in a fun and productive way.

Students have to build a Web site based around a subject they are already learning in school effectively using the Web as a learning and presentation tool. The students and schools behind the winning sites get to share in over $50,000 dollars of Internet and computer equipment as provided by the foundation sponsors.

NetGuide’s managing director Phil Ryan, said it’s vital for our country that our youth are up to date with technology, and this Web Challenge is effectively an investment in our students’ future.

Mr Ryan said there was often negative publicity about young people and the Net and this was an excellent way for schools and students to discover the worthwhile ways they could use the Net for learning purposes. Any of the country’s 770,000 school students can enter by simply designing a Web site based on part of their curriculum.

NetGuide, the country’s number one Internet magazine, had been working on the idea for two years in co-operation with people in the education field, including the Ministry of Education, and Mr Ryan says he was stunned by the enthusiastic response from teachers so far.

The event has attracted major sponsorship from leading technology companies, Alta Vista, Compaq, Microsoft, and Adobe, which have provided the $50,000 of technology prizes for teachers, students and schools.

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