Partnerships, technology and teaching: celebrating the link between universities and rural communities

In recognising the increasing pressure to contribute to the construction of a new paradigm of schooling appropriate for the new century, this paper discusses the impact of partnerships and technology on teaching and emphasises the value of relationships between universities and schools in enhancing the quality of educational services provided to learning communities and specifically, learners in rural communities. By referencing both current research and policy developments and presenting case studies related to innovations in organisational collaboration, technology use and the administration of programs, it is the intention of the authors to both raise awareness of existing examples of successful innovations which have led to excellence in education, and to provide a ready resource for those wishing to further their understanding of programs that have added value to the educational benefits derived by those learners involved. Celebrations of existing collections of successful innovations is referenced infrequently in the literature and it is the intention of this paper to overcome that deficit