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The Government of Prince Edward Island has entered into a partnership agreement with Eastlink that will see all 65 school sites upgraded to equivalent standards, ensuring all students have equal access to modern technology now and into the future.

“Our government is committed to strengthening our Island education system and we continue to invest in our youth to better prepare them for emerging career opportunities,” said Premier Ghiz. “This investment will increase student engagement and prepare students for success in a technology-based knowledge economy.”

The new infrastructure will provide teachers with the flexibility to adapt to changing needs in learning and teaching. Teachers will be able to better communicate from school to school and, with the increased capacity of the Education network, they will have greater access to online digital teaching resources and tools. There will be improved access to applications, such as Students Achieve. High speed internet access will also allow for job embedded professional learning development for teachers and the use of collaborative web conferencing learning tools.

“Our world is changing and education systems around the world are shifting,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Alan McIsaac. “We need to ensure our students have access to technology that will meet their needs and help them compete in the global workforce and the competitive economy.”

Interactive technology has an important impact on learning, including raising the level of student engagement in the classroom, motivating students and promoting enthusiasm. Technology also supports many different learning styles, including students with hearing and visual impairments.

“We are privileged to partner with the province on this important initiative,” said Lee Bragg, CEO, Eastlink. “The ability to leverage our fibre technology to enrich the Island’s academic environment with ubiquitous access to technology, is one that gets us excited.”

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is developing a plan to equip all classrooms in the province with LCD projectors. In 2010-11, government invested $1 million in SmartBoards for all high schools. This year’s Capital Budget includes $500,000 for school technology, and this amount will double next year.

“The work completed by the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Technology was a key component to moving this investment forward and we would like to thank members of the committee for their commitment to Island students,” said McIsaac.

Work will begin over the coming months in Island classrooms.