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AT&T Supports Global Virtual Classroom Program

Posted on: Monday, 14 September 2009, 06:35 CDT

DALLAS, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today announced a $49,500 contribution to support the Global Virtual Classroom (GVC). GVC is a free online collaborative learning project that fosters teamwork, creativity, cross cultural understanding and teaches IT and website design skills among students working together from around the world. The support of AT&T helps facilitate the GVC's website design competition and brings groups of schools from around the world together to work on online projects.

GVC, which is sponsored by the Give Something Back International Foundation (GSBI) and is in its seventh year, is a free online Internet educational program for primary and secondary school students from around the world. It provides an opportunity for students to work with and learn from their contemporaries in other countries, as they collaboratively design a website on a topic of their choosing. The program is supported by an exciting, new website that includes blogs and numerous powerful online resources to assist students with research on a variety of topics. The website, www.virtualclassroom.org, also provides technology tools which, among other things, enable students to prepare podcasts, incorporate animation into their sites and creatively develop original art.

Commenting on the 2009/10 program, JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell, Chairman and one of the co-founders of the GSBI Foundation, said: "We thank AT&T and the AT&T Foundation for their support of GVC and their enduring commitment to youth education. Over the years 31,500 students and 1,350 teachers from over 550 schools in 52 countries have participated in the GVC program. As a global company helping to connect millions of people every day, AT&T is an ideal partner to sponsor this program which through the use of blogs, an interactive website and a variety of online research tools, helps teachers and students to harness the power and benefits of technology to strengthen cross-cultural collaboration."

Each GVC team consists of three primary or three secondary schools from different countries. Once the teams have completed their planning work and designed their websites, a panel of international judges evaluates the final work products and determines the winners. Plaques and cash awards are presented to the schools of the winning teams and each student receives a certificate of participation. The Grand Prize award is $3,000 for the winning primary school team and $3,000 for the winning secondary school team. The second place award is $1,500 for each winning team and the third place award is $750 to each team.

More details of the GVC program, the schedule, and the due dates as well as a copy of the online application can be found at www.VirtualClassroom.org.

Online applications will be accepted through September 25th, at which time teams of three schools from different countries will be formed and start to work together on their websites. Beyond the accomplishment of the website projects, these teams will learn how to collaborate across cultures and form new, first-hand understandings and friendships with those from different lands.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

For 25 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have been committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. As the AT&T Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2009, more than $160 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs in 2008 alone.

(C) 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verseSM and AT&T |DIRECTVSM brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE(R) magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

(C) 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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