The educational contest is open to students between the ages of 9 and 19 and their teacher-coaches from anywhere in the world. The program promotes collaboration and cross-cultural learning by encouraging students to team with peers in other regions to develop Web sites on educational topics. In the process of creating their site, students learn and practice their skills in research, writing, technology, and teamwork. Additionally, the competing teams have the opportunity to create Web sites that can be used as educational resources by students worldwide, as part of the popular ThinkQuest Library, available online at http://www.thinkquest.org/library.

"Apart from the experience of working with people from diverse socio-geographic backgrounds, ThinkQuest showed me how technology can be put to good use," said Kishore NC, member of the award winning AI: Manufactured Minds team. "I acquired valuable knowledge about our project topic-artificialintelligence-and also experienced the joy of sharing what I learned with the world. I believe that one is knowledgeable only after that knowledge has been passed on for the betterment of others, and this is what ThinkQuest has been helping students all around the world do year after year."

Teachers find that ThinkQuest fits in well with learning standards, particularly by providing ways for students to research and present their findings to an authentic audience. "We participate in ThinkQuest each year because it's the only competition that allows students from one school to collaborate with students from around the world in designing and producing a product, through their own devices, that has global impact," said Coach Jim Poirier, AI: Manufactured Minds. "To be successful, this generation of students must be able to deal with an economy that crosses time zones and boundaries. ThinkQuest recognizes this and challenges students in a way no other competition does."

"ThinkQuest, and its sister OEF program, Think.com, are truly unique educational programs, designed to bring together students and technology in ways that positively impact their lives and the communities in which they live," said Jim Ballard, Vice President, Oracle Education Foundation Programs. "To date, more than 686,241 students have benefited from the Foundation's Think programs, building vital 21st century technology and collaboration skills, skills that transcend geographies and cultures."

All submitted Web sites for ThinkQuest International 2007 will be judged by professional educators. Entries are due in April 2007, allowing teams up to eight months to build their Web sites. Qualifying entries will be published in the popular ThinkQuest Library, created by students for students, available online at http://www.thinkquest.org/library. Winners will receive prizes from the Oracle Education Foundation, including laptops and $1,000 USD school grants for the top 10 teams in each age division, travel to the annual ThinkQuest Live event for the top 3 teams in each division, and digital cameras for the team that receives the Global Perspectives Award.

Students and educators interested in participating can find out more details at: http://www.thinkquest.org.

ThinkQuest Open to Think.com Members
To coincide with the kick off of the latest ThinkQuest competition, the Oracle Education Foundation has added project management functionality to its Think.com online environment, offering members vital tools to create and lead project teams, including ThinkQuest teams.

Highlights of Think.com Projects, currently part of a beta release which is expected to be fully available in Fall 2006, include:
* The ability for students to use the same tools currently available on their personal Think.com Web sites to co-author web pages, exchange ideas, and share information on a specific topic;
* New features to control membership and locate teammates around the world;
* The ability for teachers to assign students from their school to a project team;
* More pages for content posting, allowing team members plenty of space to think and create together; and
* Content alignment with the Think.com Library, making it easier for students and teachers to research and find relevant content.
For more information on Think.com, visit http://www.think.com.

About the Oracle Education Foundation
The Oracle Education Foundation sponsors ThinkQuest and Think.com, free online programs for the primary and secondary education community. It also makes grants to select schools and nonprofits to bridge the digital divide and promote global collaborative learning with technology. For more information please visit http://www.oraclefoundation.org.

About Oracle
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