Students and Teachers becoming more Net Savvy

July 20, 2001

News Release
For immediate release

Students and Teachers becoming more Net Savvy

Education authorities are pleased that a new schools initiative is helping get teachers and students more Internet-savvy.

Hundreds of New Zealand schools have entered into the NetGuide Schools Web Challenge, which involves students building a Web site about a school subject to teach other students, the theme being "Teach us about"....

The Education Ministry’s Carol Moffatt says the contest is proving to be a tremendous step toward making New Zealand schools Net-savvy. "It has been great to see so many teachers and students getting involved in this event already," says Ms Moffatt, who is the head of Information Communication Technology strategy for the Ministry. The aim of that section is to implement the best use of technology in NZ schools to support teaching and learning.

The monthly NetGuide magazine launched the Schools Web Challenge to get students and teachers using the Internet as an online educational resource. Web sites must be submitted by September 28 and the winning students win one of over $50,000 worth of prizes.

NetGuide’s business development manager Josh Borthwick says the initiative counters the sometimes-bad press the Internet gets, as it shows the amazing learning opportunities the Internet holds for education. Not only are students using the Net more as an educational resource, but they are also using it to express their ideas and present them in a way that reinforces their learning.

Mel Bohse, managing director of AltaVista one of the worlds leading global search engines and a foundation sponsor of the Web Challenge, is ecstatic with the results so far.We’re staggered by the hundreds of entries from around New Zealand and are looking forward to this event exceeding all expectations and benefiting as many New Zealand schools as possible, she says.

NetGuide magazine is New Zealand’s number one selling Internet magazine, and one of the fastest growing publications in the country. For more information about the NetGuide Schools Web Challenge visit www.netguide.co.nz.

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Further Comments: Josh Borthwick Business Development Manager NZ NetGuide Ltd DDI: 09 488 8086 MOB: 025 293 5628 FAX: 09 489 5090 EMAIL: josh@netguide.co.nz

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