Immediate Release November 12, 2010 Contact: Joe Aponick (717) 657-4804 x210 www.hbgdiocese.org
Bishop to Launch Educational Tool WAN to connect 37 Schools to Untold Resources Imagine a classroom where students can perform science experiments with their counterparts in Australia or immerse themselves in virtual images of the Serengeti. Imagine a classroom where teachers can upload books from a virtual library, and where high school seniors can participate in remote learning to earn college credits. Those dreams will start to become reality on Monday, November 22 at 10 a.m. when Bishop Joseph P. McFadden will formally launch a wide area computer network (WAN) for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg with a videoconference that will connect 37 school sites. Bishop McFadden will host the event from the Cardinal Keeler Center, 4800 Union Deposit Rd, Harrisburg. Students for 10 schools have been chosen to ask questions of the Bishop during the event. Those schools are Lancaster Catholic H.S.; Lebanon Catholic School; St. Joseph Hanover; St. Vincent, Hanover; St. Patrick , York; Sacred Heart, Hanover; St. Joseph, Mechanicsburg; St. Margaret Mary, Harrisburg; St. Patrick, Carlisle and Holy Name of Jesus, Harrisburg. “This is a very exciting opportunity for our schools,” remarked Livia Riley, Diocesan Superintendent of Schools. “We are the first non-public entity in Pennsylvania to connect through a wide area network. Our students will be able to interact with students throughout the world, and I think this will change the style of teaching,” she said. She also noted that the technology will allow educators to take part in virtual meetings and share resources with one another in real time. Christian Charity Sister Geralyn Schmidt, School WAN Coordinator, pointed out that the WAN connection will give diocesan schools an even greater boost in the technology they offer students. “There’s a feeling among some people who don’t know the quality of Catholic education, who say that it’s antiquated. But this new development proves that we are delivering a
quality education with a Catholic focus and preparing students who are well equipped to meet the challenges of any future career,” she said. A wide area network is a computer network that covers a broad area, such as a geographic region. In the Diocese of Harrisburg, 37 schools will be connected through a WAN that promises distance learning and videoconferencing capabilities.
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