Symposium Shows Educators How to Bring Internet into the Classroom

September 26, 1996

Symposium Shows Educators How to Bring Internet into the
Classroom

Charleston Conference to Feature Nationally Known Speakers,
Hands-On Workshops

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Educators and others interested in
discovering how
to harness interactive technologies for use in the classroom should
plan to spend Columbus Day exploring the new world of cyberspace at a
symposium in Charleston. The conference, which will be held Oct.
10-12 at the University of Charleston, will feature nationally known
speakers and a number of interactive, hands-on workshops.

Bell Atlantic-West Virginia is hosting the event, Bringing the
Internet into Your Classroom: A Bell Atlantic® WORLD SCHOOL^sm
Technical and Educational Symposium, in cooperation with the West
Virginia Computer Using Educators and the West Virginia Department of
Education. There is no charge to attend the symposium.

The opening session on Oct. 10 will feature West Virginia Gov. Gaston
Caperton, who's nationally recognized for his leadership in placing
technology in the state's schools; and Linda Roberts, director of
technology for the U.S. Department of Education and a leading expert
in applying technology to improve and reform education, and Dennis
Bone, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic-West Virginia. Other
speakers during the symposium will include: Margaret Riel, who has
developed and researched models of network learning in areas such as
cross-classroom collaboration and electronic travel; Dan Buettner, who
as part of the MayaQuest interactive learning program travels the
world by bicycle and communicates with classes using a laptop computer
and satellite he totes on his bike; David Warlick, who's involved with
ThinkQuest®, an annual contest in which students and teachers can
share new ways to learn and earn awards totaling more than $1 million;
State School Superintendent Hank Marockie, and State Sen. Lloyd
Jackson, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

The workshops will cover such topics as creating collaborative
classrooms; using multi-media and Internet in the classroom; creating
school technology teams; computer viruses, and programming in HTML
[computer programming language for the World Wide Web].

For more information on the WORLD SCHOOL symposium, visit the Bell
Atlantic WORLD SCHOOL site on the World Wide Web at
http://www.bell-atl.com/wschool.
Interested educators also can call
the Bell Atlantic-West Virginia public relations office toll-free at
1-800-642-8206. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 4.

The Bell Atlantic WORLD SCHOOL program, which is designed to provide
direct, high-speed digital Internet access to 700 kindergarten through
twelfth-grade public schools in Bell Atlantic-West Virginia's service
area, is halfway there, with 350 schools connected. Another 270 schools
have completed the required self-nomination form to become a WORLD
SCHOOL.
Self-nomination forms are available from the West Virginia Department of
Education, Building 6, Room 346, 1900 Kanawha Blvd., Charleston, W.Va.
25305-0330. The telephone number is 304-558-0304.

Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:
BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local
telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the
largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication
marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in
Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing
high-growth national and international business opportunities in all
phases of the industry.

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Media contact:

Harry Mitchell, 304-344-7562
harry.j.mitchell@bell-atl.com