By DANIEL PERRY
Staff Writer, Morning News
FLORENCE - Two Pee Dee schools are participating in a worldwide distance learning program designed to bring students closer together in the global community
Britton's Neck High School in Marion County and the Governor's School For Science and Mathematics in Hartsville are taking part in Project OPEN with high schools in Manhattan, N.Y., Bronx, N.Y., Brooklyn, N.Y., Fjerritslev, Denmark; Amman, Jordan, and Athens, Greece. Project OPEN stands for One Planet education Network, project founder George Newman said.
The project has been funded by Technology Application Research, the company Newman owns, for four years. The project's goal is to study how technology can help benefit education and even work to improve international business, government, etc.
"We are also pushing the boundaries of educational theory and assessment," Newman said. "What we are doing is teaching different, multidisciplinary subjects."
Students presently are studying a unit entitled the "Mariners of Greece." The study involves learning about underwater archaeology, mythology, literature, art, social; studies and history from the; Minoan Period of 1600 B.C. to 300 B.C. Archaeologists and historians familiar with the period will join students from Greece via two-way audio and video for lectures and discussions. Each class must present a group project at the end of April on an aspect of the unit.
Britton's Neck and the Governor's School became involved in the project when they, like other schools in the state, found out about the project from the South Carolina Department of Education in early March.
"The state Department (of Education) sent out memos to the schools and listed guidelines for sending in the proposal," Britton's Neck Project Coordinator Jed Duvall said. "We sent in a proposal, and they accepted us."
Britton's Neck's 12-student gifted and talented class is participating in the program with eight specially chosen students from the Governor's School.
"I think it is a good opportunity to reach out to the rest of the world and look at different cultures," said Bob Trowell, Governor's School vice president for Outreach and Research. "It is a great opportunity for both Britton's Neck and Governor's School"
The project will continue in the fall, hopefully with more schools participating, Newman said.
Schools in Switzerland, Canada and Germany are among those waiting to participate in the project
For more information, computer users can enter the project's web site at http://www.oneplaneteducation.com.
Daniel Perry covers government and other issues in Marion, Dillon and Marlboro counties. He can be
Monday through Friday at (843) 317-7267.