Global+Day+of+Service

Project for the Implementation of Educational Technology at Escola de Porto Alegre and Escola de Neves The project is a collaborative project created for Walden University’s Global Day of Service 2011. The goal of the project is to provide two public schools- the Porto Alegre and the Neves High Schools, located in Porto Alegre and Neves on the Island of São Tomé with 50 computers and education technology support that can help improve students' chances of completing their high school education. These students live in difficult conditions and are isolated.

In addition to the donated computers, t eachers have been participating in education technology training and in the use of web based tools for collaborative work in the classrooms. There will also be a distance education portal to support the teachers and students who work with the web tools in the classroom.

Teachers, students and parents are also donating their time to fix up the schools. Neves school has 55 volunteers and Porto Alegre school has 30 volunteers to collaborate on making improvements to the school by painting and fixing furniture. Neves is a small town at approximately 27Km from the main town São Tomé, in the northeastern (0º21’N and 6º30’E) District of Lembá. Neves has a population of 7.392 and is an industrial town with one of the country’s main fishing centers and a brewery. The local population speaks Portuguese and Creole. The unemployment rate affects approximately 30% of the population.
 * About Neves**

The Neves High and Basic school has a student population of 1095 and functions throughout the day and at night, lecturing classes from grade 5 through to grade 9. There are 301 students in the 5th grade; 289 students in the 6th grade; 247 students in the 7th grade; 166 students in the 8th grade and 155 students in the 9th grade. Porto Alegre has a population of 334 mainly fishermen and farmers. The area is a protected area for sea turtles. The town is approximately 80km from the main town of São Tomé.
 * About Porto Alegre**

The school in Porto Alegre is located in two different buildings, one catering for 5th grade and 6th grade and the other catering for students between the 7th grade and the 8th grade. The student population comes from Porto Alegre, Vila Malanza, Ponta Baleia and Ilhéu das Rolas. The school has a reception room, principal’s office, classrooms and two toilets. The school has 12 teachers and 197 students. 127 students are in the 5th and 6th grades 70 students are in the 7th and 8th grades.