Global Virtual Classroom contest and clubhouse

The Global Virtual Classroomhttp://virutalclassroom.org(GVC) is a collection of free, online educational activities and resources. It aims to complement the efforts of governments and educators around the world to integrate technology into their classrooms and curricula and to link their schools to the Internet in educationally productive ways.

The GVC vision is to empower, enable and connect students around the world using Internet technology. It provides students with a stimulating, positive and enjoyable environment along with the opportunity to develop skills that are essential in the 21st century: cross-cultural communication, collaboration through teamwork, information technology and website design.

The major projects of the GVC are the annual contest and the Clubhouse Program. During the Contest, teams from schools from around the world compete in an effort to build websites that best meet contest objectives. Each team is made up of students from schools in different countries working together. The websites are judged on the quality of their content and presentation, effective collaboration, and a focus on helping others through knowledge or activities.

The contest runs from October through April, with winners announced and cash prizes awarded in May.

The Clubhouse is a non-competitive flexible program focused on collaborative learning. Projects can include any topics such as: language class exchanges, environmental research, collaborative science projects, and discussion groups. This program can begin at any time and last months or multiple years.