Oracle Education Foundation Launches a New Educational Competition
A worldwide leader in computing, Oracle through its Education Foundation is attempting to help usher young people into the 21st Century through programs, initiatives, and intellectual competitions such as ThinkQuest.
ThinkQuest is a highly acclaimed online learning platform where 21st Century lessons and curriculum are generated and integrated by students and teachers into the classroom and utilized by K-12 students and schools around the world.
Most recently, the Oracle Education Foundation (OEF) is offering the ThinkQuest Narrative Competition for students from age 9-19. It’s a competition designed to hone important technology skills including communications, creativity and teamwork.
Schools are invited to create teams that can use OEF’s ThinkQuest Projects platform to discuss and publish their thoughts on issues of global importance such as world hunger, the environment and other items of broad discussion. Teams must include a coach (teacher) and from 3-6 students. Teams are divided into three categories based on ages 19 and under; 15 and under; and age 12 and under.
“We are delighted to provide an opportunity for students to voice their opinions on globally relevant topics and develop 21st century skills at the same time. We hope that the ThinkQuest Narrative Competition will be a powerful learning experience for them,” said Clare Dolan, Vice President, Oracle Corporate Citizenship.
The focal point of ThinkQuest is creating a learning environment where collaboration and learning together are of utmost importance. Through the Narrative Competition, teams have until May to create their entries, which are then judged by an international panel of educators.
For many educators, the idea of having access to a world class platform like ThinkQuest as a means to stimulate learning in the classroom remains something of high and critical value.
“The teachers in my school have found ThinkQuest Projects to be one of the most engaging and empowering platforms they have ever used with students,” said Jeanne Paulus, Learning Coordinator for Roosevelt Elementary School in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. “We look forward to participating in the ThinkQuest Narrative Competition.”
The eventual winners receive prizes such as digital cameras, laptops, grants to schools, and a trip to the awards event in San Francisco. All of the entries from qualifying teams will make their way into the ThinkQuest Library which represents the world’s largest repository of student-developed learning projects.
ThinkQuest supports 400,000 participants in 60 countries and is free for primary and secondary schools around the world.
For more information or to learn more about ThinkQuest visit: http://www.thinkquest.org/