Students Look To The Future: Ideas For Ultra Fast Broadband

Students Look To The Future With Amazing Ideas For Ultra Fast Broadband

With fibre now passed the door of 76,311 premises across the country, the $1.5 billion upgrade of New Zealand’s broadband infrastructure is well under way and ahead of schedule [1]. Understandably all of this activity has many schools and parents asking how this new technology will impact teaching in the future with schools a key focus of the project.

To help answer this question, Telecom has launched an Amazing Ideas Search, inviting pupils across the country to consider what UFB will make possible in the future and what that future may look like.

The idea behind the competition is to encourage Kiwi kids to get their thinking caps on and investigate how UFB can benefit us all in the future as well as get parents and teachers thinking how UFB will impact the way we teach and learn in the future.

And already the entries have started rolling in with schools from Auckland to Invercargill submitting some great ideas involving UFB.

Jason Paris, Telecom’s Chief Marketing Officer Telecom’s Amazing Ideas Search manager has been impressed by the entries he’s seen so far, “ I’ve been really impressed by the creativity of kids around the country. Often the best ideas are the simplest ideas and that’s what we are seeing – smart, simple ideas relevant to New Zealanders.”

To enter the ‘Amazing Ideas Search’ competition, school-aged students simply need to develop innovative and creative ideas with new UFB technology at the core of their concept.

Ideas can be based on anything around how UFB will change our day-to-day lives including the way we learn, how our health services are delivered, the way we do business, how we entertain ourselves or even how we look after the environment.

There are 10 cash prizes of $2,000 for the schools that come up with the top 10 winning ideas Entries are open until 28th September 2012, the last day of term three.

For further information and details on the ‘Amazing Ideas Search’ please visit the competition website - www.telecom.co.nz/amazing.

strong>Editor’s Note:

To check out the All Blacks’ take on why Kiwi kids should enter, click on this video link: http://youtu.be/JLqckJ5ws

‘Amazing Ideas Search’ Competition Facts:

Individual students, groups, or whole classrooms can enter the competition and a teacher must submit any entry. There are 10 cash prizes of $2,000 for the schools that come up with the top 10 winning ideas. The $2,000 cash prizes will be divided into two categories: five winning ideas from primary/intermediate students (years 1--8) and five winning ideas from secondary level students (years 9--13).

The winning schools will be encouraged to spend the prize money on technology products and services for their school. There are also three spot prizes of a Samsung Galaxy tablet to be won and these winners will be picked from all those who enter the competition. The competition opens 16 July 2012, the first day of Term 3, and ends at 11.59pm on 28 September 2012, which is the last day of Term 3. Entries will be shortlisted by the Telecom team with the winners chosen by a judging panel and winners will be notified before 19 October 2012.

--------------------------------------------------
[1] Source: Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment, Broadband Deployment Update to 30 June 2012.

ENDS

© Scoop Media