March 23, 2009

CONTACT:
Sandy Fash
C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
(608) 839-9804
sandy@cblohm.com

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and ePals Launch Wisconsin Connects

Initiative encourages Wisconsin students and educators to safely connect with classrooms globally

HERNDON, VA. (March 23, 2009) — During the 2009 Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) conference, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton expressed the importance of using technology in the classroom to engage students in the world around them. Supporting her goal of facilitating correspondence between Wisconsin students and students in China, Lt. Gov. Lawton and ePals, Inc., announced the launch of Wisconsin Connects (www.wisconsinconnects.net), an initiative to provide Wisconsin classrooms with access to safe and collaborative online learning tools for connecting with classrooms around the world.

"Wisconsin Connects gives students access to high-tech tools that will provide entry to other cultures, build relationships that strengthen America's stature in the world, improve global understanding, and position Wisconsin students to develop their global competencies at a young age," said Lt. Governor Lawton. "Participating students will improve their communication and internet technology skills and become better prepared to compete in a 21st century global economy."

The ePals Global Community™ is the largest and fastest growing online community of K-12 learners, enabling more than half a million educators and millions of students across 200 countries and territories to safely connect, exchange ideas and work together. ePals allows teachers to access a variety of safe social networking tools and content — including the ePals Classroom Match feature, email, blogging tools, focus areas, and forums — that help students build critical skills.

ePals Classroom Match is an important first step for educators interested in creating authentic learning experiences for students. When combined with a safe environment, powerful communication tools, engaging learning opportunities, and embedded professional development as with the Wisconsin Connects initiative, ePals Classroom Match allows teachers to use the Internet to meaningfully and cost-effectively build 21st century skills in students.

"The opportunity for young students to connect and collaborate with global communities empowers them to reach out creatively in a 21st century environment," said Kathy Sanders, Library Media Specialist for Taylor Prairie Elementary School in Cottage Grove, Wis. "I have seen the excitement build as our students share information about their school and their community. Learning is about engagement, and ePals gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their own learning and learn about other cultures in the process."

"At ePals, educators can find classrooms from all over the world — including Asia, South America and Europe — with which to safely connect, exchange ideas, and work together," said Edmund Fish, President and CEO of ePals, Inc. "Creating opportunities for students to collaborate and experience real life purposes for their work has consistently been shown to motivate students and enhance performance. We look forward to the success of Wisconsin Connects with Lt. Gov. Lawton and WEMTA, as they continue to promote the effective use of technology in the classroom to improve student achievement across Wisconsin."

For more information about the ePals Global Community, visit www.epals.com.
For more information about Wisconsin Connects, visit www.wisconsinconnects.net.

About ePals, Inc.

Founded in 1996 and merged with In2Books in 2006, ePals offers K-12 students and teachers around the world a safe environment for building and exchanging knowledge based on protected connectivity tools, evidence-based curricula and authentic, collaborative learning experiences. The company's mission is to support lifelong learning through collaborative experiences that empower and inspire. ePals is especially committed to enabling academically rigorous educational opportunities in economically disadvantaged environments worldwide through the ePals Foundation. For more information, visit www.epals.com.