October 27, 2008

CONTACT:
Sandy Fash
C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
(608) 839-9800
sandy@cblohm.com

ePals Inspires Student Collaboration and Brings Global Perspective to the U.S. Presidential Election

Election Central provides resources and forums for learning and discussing how elections affect the global marketplace

HERNDON, VA. (October 27, 2008) — How does a U.S. presidential election work? What are the major issues facing both U.S. voters and citizens of the world? Which candidate for President would lead to betterment of lives all over the world? Providing an online space for students and teachers to connect with peers worldwide to discuss the upcoming U.S. presidential election, ePals, Inc., announces the launch of 2008 Election Central. This issue-oriented group brings together a series of activities, projects and resources to create learning moments for students around a topic of global importance.

Available to all members of the ePals Global Learning Community™, Election Central frames the topic of the U.S. election around four main platforms: The Election Process, Meet the Candidates, Inside the Issues, and Media Influence. Designed to incite debate, each platform provides students opportunities for intelligent exchange, to access interactive resources and to voice their opinions on real-world election issues. In Election Central's blog and forums, students can weigh in on various election topics, answer daily thought-provoking questions, and compare and contrast different election processes around the world. Election Central also provides a teacher-led unit and a forum for teachers to connect with their colleagues around the world to discuss best practices and to gain additional perspectives on the election and its global effects.

"This issue-oriented group puts students in the driver's seat, allowing them to direct their own learning as they are guided by Election Central's built-in framework. Our global community is wrapped around the unit, giving students a unique view of the U.S. presidential election as an event of global interest and importance," said Edmund Fish, President and CEO of ePals, Inc. "These learning experiences have a real-time application, helping civics and social studies classes to gain a global perspective on one of the most important issues currently facing citizens of the United States."

Election Central expands beyond the many teacher-driven projects available at ePals.com. It provides students with an online environment that allows them to take charge of their own learning and to explore more deeply topics that interest them. Teachers can reinforce the learning by integrating the structured U.S. Presidential Election project into their curricula or by using the supplemental web links to access great outside resources. The range of teacher and student involvement is what makes this issue-oriented group so unique.

Election Central is sponsored by Disney through its education-focused brand, Schoolhouse Rock. "I, like students nationwide, grew up learning civics from the Schoolhouse Rock family of characters," continued Fish. "It's this combination of clever and catchy content applied to real-word topics and events that create authentic learning experiences for students."

For more information about Election Central, visit www.epals.com/elections or for the corporate web site, visit www.epalscorp.com.

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 ePals Global Learning Community™ (www.epals.com) is the largest 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. 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 — provider of In2Books, the company's flagship literacy e-mentoring program.