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NEWS
RELEASE
For immediate release
March 13, 2000
WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED VIDEOCONFERENCE BRIDGING TECHNOLOGY CONNECTS NORTHERN ONTARIO'S COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
The Ontario Centre of Excellence in Videoconferencing positions Northern Ontario's at the forefront of the global digital age
Contact North/Contact Nord, Northern Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network, and ADCOM Videoconferencing, North America’s leader in videoconferencing, have recently partnered to launch the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Videoconferencing. The network’s acquisition of the new ACCORD MGC-100 Multipoint videoconference bridge, which is now in successful operation, demonstrates the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Videoconferencing’s vision to provide leadership in the application of new and emerging technologies.
The ACCORD MGC-100 dramatically increases access to education and training for residents in small and remote communities. This new technology from ADCOM Videoconferencing enhances real-time experiences for Northern Ontario learners, educators, trainers and the broader public sector. The ACCORD MGC-100 not only excels in sound and picture quality, it also enables Contact North/Contact Nord to connect Northern Ontario colleges, universities and school boards to emerging technologies.
"We are pleased to join Contact North/Contact Nord in meeting the distance education and training needs of Northern Ontario," says Peter McDonnell, President & CEO of ADCOM Videoconferencing. "This new bridge is part of an ongoing series of collaborative initiatives that we and Contact North/Contact Nord have undertaken as part of a private-public partnership and more recently through the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Videoconferencing."
Debby Sefton, Contact North/Contact Nord’s Director, Northwest Region, comments, "The network has been relentless in its efforts to help bring the most advanced, affordable and accessible education and training technology to the 145 Distance Education & Training Access Centres in over 100 Northern Ontario communities."
"The support of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, ADCOM Videconferencing and the collaboration with our longstanding partners, Northern Ontario’s colleges, universities and secondary schools, as well as other government ministries, training providers, community and other publicly funded organizations were critical in making the acquisition and successful installation of this bridge a reality", adds Debra Betty, Director, Northeast Region.
Wayne Sajna Hebert, Director, Information Technology, highlights the impact on Northern Ontario when he says, "This state-of-the-art technology enables the network to support and extend the telecommunications network in the North, including emerging forms of videoconferencing such as video over the Internet. This new technology improves the network’s well proven capability to act as a hub linking together videoconferencing access points as well as other bridges from our educational partners across Northern Ontario into a seamless and compatible network. This new bridge has transformed our network and more importantly places our educational partners and all of Northern Ontario at the forefront of the global digital age."
Through the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Videoconferencing, its well-established Centre of Distance Education for Secondary Schools and its Centre for Innovation in Learning, Contact North/Contact Nord provides ongoing training, in both English and French, to its educational partners’ instructors, teachers and faculty on how to effectively use videoconferencing for learning, training and other administrative requirements.
Contact North/Contact Nord’s mission is to increase and improve affordable and equitable access to quality education and training for Northern Ontario residents, supporting regional and community economic development and a culture of lifelong learning.
Since 1974, ADCOM Videoconferencing has taken a leadership role in bringing the best visual communication solutions to corporate, government and education markets. With over 4,500 videoconferencing systems and hundreds of automated boardrooms installed throughout North America, we have the experience to deal with any type of project from a simple desktop solution to the design and commissioning of a comprehensive distance learning and presentation theatre. For more information or to arrange your own personal demonstration, please call 1-800-652-3266.
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