Oracle Thinkquest
Encyclopedia
Oracle ThinkQuest is an online learning platform that helps students develop important 21st-century skills, including communication, critical thinking
, and technology skills.
Delivered to K-12 schools globally, ThinkQuest includes a project environment that supports collaborative learning, technology competitions that challenge students to solve real-world problems, the award-winning ThinkQuest Library, a learning resource visited by millions, and professional development for educators.
. The service was acquired by the Oracle Education Foundation
in 2002, which has operated the competition ever since. The Oracle Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization funded by Oracle Corporation
.
, English, French, German
, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Turkish.
, communication, and technology skills. Participants may enroll in the following competition events: ThinkQuest Projects, Digital Media, and Application Development.
In the ThinkQuest Projects event, participants have used ThinkQuest Projects – a hosted environment where students produce web-based learning projects – to create their entry. Teams define the problem they intend to solve and create a ThinkQuest Project that presents their solution and the process they followed to develop their solution. Prior experience with ThinkQuest Projects is not required.
In the Digital Media event, participants have used digital-media
tools to produce a blog
/journal, website
, animation, public service announcement
, photo essay, video, or some combination of these items. Teams define the problem they intend to solve and produce an entry that presents their solution and the process they followed to develop their solution. Prior experience with digital media development is not required.
In the Application Development event, participants have developed a web-based application using their choice of programming language(s), software, and development environment. Teams define the problem they intend to solve, produce an application that elegantly solves that problem for users, and present the process they followed to develop their solution. Although helpful, prior experience with application development is not required.
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
, and technology skills.
Delivered to K-12 schools globally, ThinkQuest includes a project environment that supports collaborative learning, technology competitions that challenge students to solve real-world problems, the award-winning ThinkQuest Library, a learning resource visited by millions, and professional development for educators.
History
ThinkQuest was created in 1996 by Allan H. Weis under his nonprofit Advanced Network and ServicesAdvanced Network and Services
Advanced Network and Services was a United States non-profit organization formed in September 1990 by the NSFNET partners to run the network infrastructure for the soon to be upgraded NSFNET Backbone Service.-ANSNet:...
. The service was acquired by the Oracle Education Foundation
Oracle Education Foundation
The Oracle Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization funded by Oracle Corporation. Its mission is to "inspire students globally to think, connect, create and share -- using technology to help them dissolve boundaries, fulfill their potential, and create a better society."The Foundation...
in 2002, which has operated the competition ever since. The Oracle Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization funded by Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
.
ThinkQuest Projects
ThinkQuest Projects is a protected learning environment where students and teachers create web-based projects and engage in collaboration with peers globally. It is available in 11 languages, including Chinese, DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, English, French, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Turkish.
ThinkQuest International Competition
The ThinkQuest International Competition challenges students to solve a real-world problem by applying their critical thinkingCritical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
, communication, and technology skills. Participants may enroll in the following competition events: ThinkQuest Projects, Digital Media, and Application Development.
In the ThinkQuest Projects event, participants have used ThinkQuest Projects – a hosted environment where students produce web-based learning projects – to create their entry. Teams define the problem they intend to solve and create a ThinkQuest Project that presents their solution and the process they followed to develop their solution. Prior experience with ThinkQuest Projects is not required.
In the Digital Media event, participants have used digital-media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
tools to produce a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
/journal, website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, animation, public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
, photo essay, video, or some combination of these items. Teams define the problem they intend to solve and produce an entry that presents their solution and the process they followed to develop their solution. Prior experience with digital media development is not required.
In the Application Development event, participants have developed a web-based application using their choice of programming language(s), software, and development environment. Teams define the problem they intend to solve, produce an application that elegantly solves that problem for users, and present the process they followed to develop their solution. Although helpful, prior experience with application development is not required.