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Oracle Education Foundation Honors ThinkQuest International 2006 Competition Winners
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Oracle Education Foundation Honors ThinkQuest International 2006 Competition Winners REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., 23-JUN-2006 The Oracle Education Foundation announced today the winners of the ThinkQuest International 2006 competition. The winners of this year's contest, which challenges students and teachers to create innovative and educational Web sites to share with their peers around the world, included members from 17 countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The winning teams created Web sites on topics ranging from ancient civilizations and avian influenza to poverty in developing nations, reflecting the competition's focus on global collaboration. "ThinkQuest motivates young people to explore new ideas and look beyond physical, social, and economic barriers," said Shakeeb Rahman, student member of a winning team. "In essence, the competition takes the principle that the world is flat to a whole new level by encouraging students to seek out teammates and resources across the globe. In the process of working collaboratively towards a common goal, students develop new skills and build enduring relationships with peers from different backgrounds." The competition, which opened in August 2005, allowed teams approximately eight months to complete their projects. Working collaboratively, students and teachers from all over the world submitted the 658 educational Web sites from which 12 winning entries were selected. An international panel of volunteer judges selected first, second, and third place and honorable mention winners within each of three age divisions and awarded special distinction to the team best exemplifying global perspectives. The ThinkQuest competition, now entering its 12th year of operation, has been embraced by educators worldwide as an effective way to engage students in online collaborative learning. Beyond developing expertise in Web publishing and the subject matter of their Web sites, students build fundamental skills in research, writing, teamwork, and project management. All qualifying Web sites will be published in the popular ThinkQuest Library, a rich online resource visited by millions monthly. "When students enter the ThinkQuest competition, they enter a new world of learning and skill development. Both individual effort and teamwork are keys to success, just as they will be in the advanced careers these students will pursue," said Jim Ballard, vice president, Oracle Education Foundation programs. "In addition, by publishing their completed Web sites in the ThinkQuest Library, they are contributing to a rich repository of student-created content, a place for everyone to learn how today's students perceive our changing world and be inspired by what they can accomplish." Winning teams are scheduled to travel to the annual ThinkQuest Live celebration held in San Francisco, California, where they will receive exciting prizes including laptop computers and digital cameras. The award-winning Web sites can be viewed at http://thinkquest.org/winners/. About ThinkQuest About the Oracle Education Foundation About Oracle |
