June 14, 2007

JUNE 7TH, 2007 ST. THOMAS, ON – Rural residents of Perth and Huron counties and beyond now have education at their fingertips.  Leading edge internet technology and community partnerships have come together to create the "Online Learning in Rural Communities" project, which received the provincial Innovative Initiative Award last week at the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations (OACFDC) Conference in Honey Harbour.

The project aims to test how a community learning network, with different approaches to moderation and delivery and links to the local labour market, will contribute to increased levels of local employment in the rural counties of Perth and Huron in Southwestern Ontario.  Steering committee members include the Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) of Perth and Huron counties.

The technology behind www.myspokes.ca, "my online learning community" has been developed by an area couple – Mike and Deanna Pearce, who operate their business, Anytime English (www.anytimeenglish.ca) in St. Marys.  This innovative technology provides access to live, interactive training at home which offers simultaneous videoconferencing, whiteboarding and text-messaging in the virtual classroom.

“Online learning made it easier to be a stay at home mom,” says the online evaluation of a student named Jennifer.  “On-line learning also improved my self esteem because it was something that I accomplished and taught myself.”

The Online Learning project has surpassed many of its expectations.  Beyond developing an online learning network in the rural communities of Huron and Perth, the project has engaged local business and promoted online learning as a viable and affordable means of addressing training needs in rural and remote communities.  To date, the project has already involved and supported 210 students, and has increased the number of post-secondary learners by 75% in the first year.

Employers and educational institutions are very interested in the technology is growing because teachers and students can participate from any location in the world, without the usual restrictions of travel budgets, or classroom space.  Even Citizenship and Immigration Canada has taken notice because the platform enables new immigrants to have the support they need to learn English, and chat with classmates from any location without the isolation that they might otherwise experience in a small town.

“This project is a perfect merger of a business concept and a Community Economic Development project,” says Jaret Henhoeffer, General Manager of the Perth CFDC, one of the funding partners in the program.  “Our original objective was to test a new way to deliver e-learning in rural communities, and we are thrilled that we can offer something that is completely different from the usual text-based, correspondence model – the possibilities are endless.”

The Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations (OACFDC) presented the award at its 2007 Awards Banquet which took place on Monday, June 4th, during its Annual Conference, and also featured presentations for Entrepreneur of the Year, as well as Youth, and Community Economic Development Initiatives.  The conference, titled "From Broadaxe to Broadband – Hewing out the Future", was held at the Delawana Inn at Honey Harbour, and attracted a cross-section of nearly 300 participants including CFDC staff and volunteers, as well as municipal, provincial and federal government representatives.

As community-based, non-profit organizations, CFDCs are run by a board of local volunteers.  They are staffed by professionals who encourage entrepreneurship and the pursuit of economic opportunities by offering strategic community planning and socio-economic development, support for community-based projects, business services, and access to capital.  Through FedNor/Industry Canada, the Government of Canada provides funding, advice and support to 61 CFDCs located throughout rural and Northern Ontario.

The OACFDC is a provincial association which is a member driven leader for sustainable community development.  Information about the Community Futures Program and "From Broadaxe to Broadband – Hewing out the Future" can be found online on the OACFDC website.

Media Contact:  Jaret Henhoeffer, Executive Director
Perth Community Futures, Milverton
Phone:  519-595- 7570 x1
E-mail:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Media Contact:  Diana Jedig, Executive Director
Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations (OACFDC), St. Thomas
Telephone:  888-633-2326 x 123
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.