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Press Release: BiblioCommons [June 29, 2004]

Toronto volunteer wins ITAC National Tech Award for online literacy project

June 29, 2004, Toronto, Ottawa: Beth Jefferson, a Toronto based independent management consultant who volunteered her time to research and develop an Internet literacy project at Rose Avenue Public School has been awarded the 2004 Canadian IT Hero award from ITAC (the Information Technology Association of Canada). The award, sponsored by Intel and Motorola, will be presented to Ms. Jefferson at ITACs annual meeting being held today in Toronto.

Recognizing that as students move through the grades, their expressed interest in voluntary reading typically wanes, Ms. Jefferson’s project, called "BookTalk" used the communications technology of popular culture: software, computers and the Internet, to creatively engage students at Rose Avenue Public school in the on-line selection and discussion of books.

The students used an online community system provided by Ramius Corporation of Ottawa to participate in peer-to-peer discussion groups and to personally contribute additional content to the BookTalk website such as artwork related to the books which they had chosen to read. In all, 125 students and seven teachers that were trained by Ms. Jefferson took part in BookTalk.

The project, which started earlier this year, proved so successful that it has attracted seed funding for a separate non-profit organization, now called The Perfink Project. Conducted in partnership with Toronto Public Library, the Perfink Project will implement a much larger version of the BookTalk project, this time targeted to teen audiences. "SummerSandbox.com" will launch July 5, 2004.

Commenting on receiving the award, Ms. Jefferson said it was a long time interest in education and her earlier work in Internet product design that led her to approach Rose Avenue School. "The idea was to use information technology in a way that would focus on literacy and motivate students in new ways to read and enjoy books. To reach children you must use the same communication tools that they are using. BookTalk has proven, initially on a small scale, that information technology can make a real difference in these children’s’ lives and in their education. It has been a rewarding experience for all of us."

Bernard Courtois, President of ITAC, said that the IT Volunteer Hero awards program attracted worthy nominations from across the country. "The number and quality of nominations was truly impressive. Canadians from coast to coast are doing valuable work with information technology and showing how technology can dramatically improve the education and communications abilities of Canadians."

About the ITAC IT Hero Award

This is the fourth year of ITAC's IT Hero Award program. Starting in 2001, in partnership with Industry Canada, ITAC developed the award to help celebrate and recognize the achievements of people across Canada who used technology in innovative ways helping others get connected. Since 2001 there have been over 100 award recipients. This year ITAC presents one Canadian IT Hero Award at the ITAC Chairman's Dinner held this year on June 29, 2004 in Toronto.


Summary: Beth Jefferson, a Toronto based independent management consultant who volunteered her time to research and develop an Internet literacy project at Rose Avenue Public School has been awarded the 2004 Canadian IT Hero award from the Information Technology Association of Canada. The award, sponsored by Intel and Motorola, will be presented to Ms. Jefferson at ITACs annual meeting being held today in Toronto.
Publication Year:2004
Type of Material:Press Release
LanguageEnglish
Date Issued:June 29, 2004
Publisher:BiblioCommons
Company: BiblioCommons
Permalink: https://librarytechnology.org/pr/14075/toronto-volunteer-wins-itac-national-tech-award-for-online-literacy-project

DocumentID: 14075 views: 75 Created: 2009-07-07 19:01:51 Last Modified: 2025-06-25 10:37:14.