About E-learning Software Cooperation
Remarks by Geoff Best, Ottawa-Carleton Education Network (OCENET)
Looking to the future, we see tremendous potential in the use of software in education. Although the computer is being used prevalently today, the potential of computer software as an effective and efficient learning tool for students and teaching tool for teachers is only beginning to be exploited. The reason is the lack of good learning software for use by students and teachers in the classroom and at home. We are setting out to change that.
We recognize the huge demand for learning English around the world as we continue toward globalization. We also recognize that China has made it a national policy to include English language as a subject for every child beginning in grade 1. In doing so, China is projected to become the world’s largest English speaking country within the next fifteen or twenty years. And, even in English speaking countries like Canada and the USA, there is a growing new immigrant population that needs to learn English as a second language. Based on this, our two school boards in Ottawa, Canada’s national capital, and SVT Education Services in Toronto, have come together to cooperate in the development of ESL eLearning software for use in North America and around the world.
Our two school boards have many students who are new immigrants and visa students from countries around world. We have many highly experienced ESL teachers. Ottawa Catholic School Board, through its subsidiary organization the NECTAR Foundation as represented by Mr. Rheal Dumont here, has been a leader in eLearning software development for many years. SVT Education and its parent company Synrevoice Technologies also have vast experience in software development. Our three organizations will leverage on the strengths of each other to develop the ESL eLearning software. The participation of Qingdao Software Park with the highly capable software companies and professional workers within the park will help us greatly accelerate the pace of development.
