Apps Across the Sea
An ambitious online collaboration aimed at bringing together pupils from the New Zealand city of Canterbury and pupils in Israel has opened its electronic doors for business.
Principal Margaret Paiti, SHemi Tzur and Bob Parker on right
Ambassador Shemi Tzur watches the program get off to a start
The Digital Learning Centre, a joint initiative of Linwood College and the Embassy of Israel, was formally opened this week by Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker.
The centre is understood to be a first of its kind for the region.
The new initiative will allow for educational collaboration between Linwood and similar institutions of learning around the world, and in particular Ben-Gurion High School, in Nes-Ziona, near Tel Aviv.
More practically, it will also give the Christchurch pupils an opportunity to make use of an array of the latest learning apps.
The project has its origins amid the rubble of last year’s earthquake, which destroyed much of the school’s resources.
Online technology has come to assume an important role in the subsequent rebuild, with the Embassy of Israel gifting $80,000 for the new centre, which the school’s principal, Margaret Paiti hailed this week as “state of the art digital excellent”. The Embassy’s gift was spurred by the loss of three of its own young countrymen in last year’s tragedy.
The University of Canterbury has also said it will use the new centre as part of its own research into integrating better communication technologies into New Zealand’s educational system.
