It was the beginning of a five-month project in which the two classes would pool their resources to study space through cyberspace, demonstrating how new learning tools can extend the horizons of students in isolated rural schools. The technology brought the world to our doorstep, but at the same time showed the kids that their world is important. It was an opportunity for them to share. Unlike distance-education programs that beam lessons to remote classrooms, Knowledge Forum gives students a chance to create their own database from what they learn or find out for themselves, then to use outside resources such as Internet links to add to their store of knowledge. This makes it a valuable tool for rural schools, as it provides students with a way of drawing upon the strengths of their own local or indigenous culture, while keeping in touch with the outside world, according to Sandy McAuley, a teacher with 17 years experience in the North and now a researcher with the Knowledge Forum team.
Rural schools are valuable because they enable the survival of a whole culture.
So there are strong reasons for keeping education as close to home as possible. At the same time, you don't want that to develop into some kind of parochialism or isolationism. Telelearning is a way of building on what a small community does well and allowing students to reach out beyond that. Ms. Tumblin says the difference in English-language skills proved to be irrelevant as students from each class had a lot to teach one another. And the children from Iqaluit honed their skills and knowledge of the subject matter by working on their own database before the collaboration, entering information in their native language as well as in English.