THEMED PAVILIONS
h t t p : / / p a r k . o r g / Pa v i l i o n s
THE GLOBAL SCHOOLHOUSE PAVILION
The Global Schoolhouse allows children
around the world to learn from each other,
to solve problems, and to communicate
with world leaders. Born in 1993, the
Global Schoolhouse started with a series
of Internet videoconferences on the envi-
ronment between children in England,
Virginia, Tennessee, and California. The
children did original research on the envi-
ronment in their community, then briefed
senior U.S. and U.K. government officials
and each other on their findings.
“A crusade to
transform the Internet
computer network into a
combination of a global
Main Street and digital
Library of Alexandria”
— New York Times, December 25, 1995 —
This year, children around the globe are
competing in CyberFair 96. Schools in
many countries are putting their own
community on the web. The best entries
will win prizes, be showcased in the
World Exposition, and participate in
an on-line awards ceremony.
One of the highlights of the Global
Schoolhouse Pavilion will be the active
16
The central theme pavilions
are just the jumping-off point.
The Internet 1996 World
Exposition is a decentralized
activity and the central
pavilions provide the entrance
into a distributed fair.
participation by the Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts. They will kick
off the 1996 program with a week-long
International Showcase for the Perform-
ing Arts. Following that, a weekly Young
Artists Showcase will highlight the activ-
ities of international young performing
artists. Finally, at the end of the year the
ArtsEdge Awards will recognize out-
standing teachers and programs.
A feature of the Global Schoolhouse
Pavilion will be NetDay 96: an effort
to wire all the schools in California.
Started by President Clinton and John
Gage of Sun Microsystems, this ambi-
tious effort has attracted hundreds of
volunteers and millions of dollars in cor-
porate contributions to make California
a truly digital state. How about your
community? Care to join in by adopt-
ing a local school?
THE REINVENTING GOVERNMENT PAVILION
What is the role of government in an
information age? The Reinventing
Government Pavilion shows inno-
vative ways to make government
more responsive and more efficient.
Visit the Congressional Memory
Project and use advanced speech
recognition technology to hear what
you think was important in the U.S.
Congress. You can issue searches like:
“I want to hear all Democrats from
Minnesota who spoke about the bud-
get.” Other features of this pavilion
include on-line government hearings,
a Government Information Locator
Service (GILS), and other examples
of government on-line.
THE INTERNET TOWN HALL PAVILION
The Internet Town Hall is a forum
where world leaders and citizens can
discuss important issues. In some cases,
the Internet Town Hall will be a live
event, such as the one being held at the
50th Anniversary of the Computer.
In other cases, the Internet Town Hall
will be web-only, with discussion
groups, interviews with world leaders,
and other materials.