HIT> MARKET STUDY OF INTERNET VIDEOS FOR TCHRS/SCHOOL BDS

[Debbie Abilock <debbie@NUEVA.PVT.K12.CA.US>]

Here's the result of my online and off-line study of videos providing an
overview of Internet services and structure.  Thanks to LM_Net members
for help....

1. Classroom Connect, a popular K-12 Internet magazine, has a 4-tape
series covering Internet basics, e-mail, searching the Internet and the
World Wide Web (with a 30 minute Introduction to getting and using
Netscape).  The series is marketed online (http://www.classroom.net) and
through their publication and can be purchased for $150, or for $40 each.

2. Videos.com has an Internet Video for $19.95 which takes the viewer
step-by-step through the Internet beginner's process of how to get
started, how to get a provider and software.  It explains e-mail, gopher,
WWW and other services in a humorous and non-threatening manner.  Their
address is 1725 W. Catalpa Avenue, Chicago 60640 and they have a
toll-free 800-670-9282.

3. A number of educational organizations produce videos for school
teachers and Boards.  A particularly noteworthy example is North Central
Regional Education Lab's (NCREL) "Merging Onto the Information
Superhighway."  On the video is the current president of the World
Internet Society, Larry Landweber of the UW-Madison Computer Science
Department, who has been called the "father" of the Internet.  NCREL is a
significant presence on the Internet, providing excellent summaries of
research topics related to education with video and audio.

http://www.ncrel.org/ncrel/sdrs/pathways.htm

4. Early on NASA put out the "Quest" video which was meant to provide
background on the Internet.  While it was panned by school librarians for
its unflattering portrait of them, local NASA Teacher Resource Centers
are still marketing them quite successfully at a nominal cost to K-12
teachers.


5. A number of commercial providers are in the process of producing
videos to tout the Internet and their own services and software.
Internet In a Box has already produced "Information Superhighway" with
Moonbeam Productions but more are on the way.


6. The Educational Reform Group, 527 Sheffield Plain, Sheffield, Mass
01257 (Phone 1-413-229-0022) has produced a series of seven tapes with two
different pricing structures ($89 for home viewing, $179 with public
performance rights for groups of more than 6).  The tapes include
"Restructuring Strategies for the 21st Century Classroom," narrated by
Dave Master, IBM Teacher of the Year, "Teaching and the World Wide Web:
Global Online Projects for Science, Math, Language, Literature, Arts and
Foreign Language Teachers," "Create Your Own Web Pages: A Guide to the
Basics," "Netscape---The Easiest Way to Surf the Internet: Your Guide to
Downloading, Searching, and Browsing," and "Internet: Your Lesson in
Navigating the Information Superhighway: A How-To Guide to Mining Its
Treasures."  These are being marked heavily through the mail, perhaps
using the ALA membership lists.

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Debbie Abilock              "It is important that students bring a certain
The Nueva School            ragamuffin barefoot irreverence to their studies;
6565 Skyline Blvd.          they are not here to worship what is known,
Hillsborough, CA 94010      but to question it."  (Jacob Bronowski)
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