32 secondary schools across Canada chosen for 2002 Clarica Scholars Program
WATERLOO, ON, May 13, 2002 – Clarica Scholars Program, a
partnership with Acadia University and the University of Waterloo, aimed at enhancing the
integration of information technology in Canadian schools, has to-date selected 32
secondary schools from coast-to-coast to participate in two one-week sessions to be held this summer.
The Clarica Scholars Program seeks to identify, train and
support a core group of teachers and students from secondary schools to prepare and
encourage them to assume leadership roles in advancing technology integration and content
development within the classroom. The two one-week sessions to be held this summer,
involve ten teams of four — two teachers and two students. Now in its second year, the
Clarica Scholars Program seeks to help teachers and students to work in new ways by
bringing tools used in the workplace into the classroom. Teams were selected based on the
submission of a project idea.
Jennifer Bolt, Director, Acadia Institute for Teaching and
Technology (AITT), said “selecting the winning schools was a real challenge. We have
teams participating this year from coast-to-coast — from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
to Rigolet, Newfoundland and Labrador. The program will be a wonderful opportunity to
bring together some of our country’s most innovative schools.”
Dr. Tom Carey, Director of the Centre for Learning &
Teaching Through Technology (LT3) at the University of Waterloo, said “we are very
excited by the enthusiasm of the teachers and the students and the high level of skills
they will bring to the program. When combined with the expertise of our faculty and staff,
we are expecting some truly inspiring learning software to result which can be used by
others schools across the country.”
The goal of the Clarica Scholars Program is to help create
an advanced secondary school educational environment in Canada with teachers and students
capable of championing the use of technology in the classroom. The program compliments
Clarica’s leadership in integrating knowledge management and e- learning for individual
and organizational capability development — using technology to help staff learn, share
and interact with one another.
Clarica has committed total funding of $900,000 for the
three-year program that will provide teachers and students with recognition as Clarica
Scholars in Teaching and Technology. At Acadia, teams will focus on integration strategies
and multidisciplinary projects to foster technology use in the school, while Waterloo
participants will design, develop and evaluate interactive learning objects for their
classes. In addition to the training week, teams will receive continuing assistance to
share ideas, continue technical development, evaluate projects and to share the resulting
learning support systems with other Clarica scholars.
Acadia is a leader in innovation and excellence in the
classroom. The university provides students with world-class access to information and
technology through its Acadia Advantage program, which links students to a network of
resources using notebook computers. The Acadia Institute for Teaching & Technology was
created in 1996 and has trained over 900 teachers to effectively integrate technology into
classroom activities. The University of Waterloo is highly respected for its leadership
and innovation in many branches of research, including the new knowledge and information
technology areas. The Centre for Learning & Teaching Through Technology is the focal
point for UW’s strategic capability for innovation in learning technology, through
collaborative partnerships with leading Canadian and International organizations.
Clarica has provided insurance and investment solutions to
Canadians for 130 years. As well as individual and group insurance, Clarica provides a
full range of wealth management products. In Canada, Clarica serves nearly 3 million
customers through 8,000 staff, agents, financial planners and group representatives who
operate out of 90 offices across the country. In the United States, Clarica operates from
two mid-western locations to serve 250,000 policyholders.
