Brazilians Visit Wired for Learning Effort
Brazilian school, business and government leaders visited Durham Monday, May 15, to learn about an education technology partnership that includes Durham Public Schools, IBM and Duke.
Five delegates from Rio de Janeiro came to see Durham's Wired for Learning program, which uses the Internet to increase communication among middle school students, their parents and teachers. The program is supported by an $875,000 grant from IBM. Duke administrators helped the school system get the grant and are responsible for helping train parents without access to computers at three community centers.
The software program allows teachers to post homework assignments, general information about the school and student work on the Internet. They also can stay in t
ouch with parents by e-mail and let them know about coming school events such as field trips. IBM recently gave the Rio de Janeiro system, which has 2,000 schools, a similar grant of $3 million. The money pays for computers, software, technical support and training.
Four high school science classes in Rio de Janeiro have just begun to use the program. The Brazilians came to Durham to learn from students and teachers how to get the most out of it.
At a lunch hosted on campus by Duke, locals and visitors discovered they had similar educational challenges: teachers with low pay; students with special needs; parents who need encouragement to involve themselves in their children's education. In Brazil, the state is considering building swimming pools at the high schools to lure parents and families to spend time at the school, said Marco Candelot, an IBM Brazil executive. "It's not easy to get them to come," Candelot said. "We don't have that kind of culture."
John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations at Duke, reassured him that he was not alone. "We're trying to find the equivalent of the swimming pool," Burness laughed.
The visit wasn't the end of the international communication. After lunch, the Brazilian officials met with Gov. Jim Hunt in Raleigh to sign an agreement linking North Carolina schools with Brazilian schools to improve education through technology.