| Cable's Ongoing Commitment to Education and America's | |
| Children & Families |
The cable television industry has a long-standing, ongoing commitment to education. Through cable's education initiatives, quality programming and state-of-the-art technology, the industry provides a broad range of learning resources to America's families and children.
INITIATIVES
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Cable's High Speed Education Connection
On October 1, 1998, the cable industry announced a new commitment to provide free high speed Internet access via cable modem connections to consenting public libraries. This is the newest addition to Cable's High Speed Education Connection, which began in July 1996. Since that time, cable companies have been delivering on their pledge to America's students to equip at least one site in every consenting elementary and secondary school passed by cable with a cable modem providing basic high speed access to the Internet, free of charge.
National Critical Viewing Day (June 9, 1998)
During Tune In to Kids and Family Week II, the cable industry and the
National PTA showcased their commitment to media literacy with National
Critical Viewing Day -- a nationally-televised news conference from
Washington DC, with cable operators hosting parallel workshops and community
events around the country. The event featured the debut of TV Smarts for
Kids - a new media literacy video designed to help children and teens take
charge of their TV viewing. The video is available free of charge from
local cable companies or the National Cable Television Association.
Tools to Use to Help You Choose
The cable industry and leading children's advocacy groups from the fields
of education, health and child development collaborated on a public awareness
campaign to help parents better understand and use the TV ratings system.
Introduced in February 1998 with the support of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
and Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), the materials include a video hosted by the
original "Captain Kangaroo" (Bob Keeshan), a companion brochure and remote
control sticker. They are available free of charge from local cable companies
or the National Cable Television Association.
webTeacher
In September 1997, the cable industry extended Cable's High Speed Education
Connection to include webTeacher
(www.webteacher.org),
a free teacher-training program for the Internet. Created by two teachers,
webTeacher is a comprehensive, 80-hour program that can be used as an
instruction guide in group training or as a self-paced workbook for an
individual teacher. The award-winning site receives more than 40,000 page
views a day. The cable industry has partnered with
TECH CORPS® , a non-profit organization of technology volunteers dedicated
to bringing technology into America's classrooms, to train educators on the
use of webTeacher to ensure that teachers know how to use the Internet
and can effectively integrate education technology into their classroom
curriculum.
Taking Charge of Your TV: A Critical Viewing Video for Parents
In 1997, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) joined
cable industry leaders and the PTA for the launch of this short video hosted
by Rosie O'Donnell which explains four fundamental critical viewing techniques
families can use together to watch television more skillfully. Since that
time, over 125,000 videos have been distributed free of charge nationwide.
Family and Community Critical Viewing Project
In October 1994, the cable industry and the National PTA formed an education
partnership, the Family and Community Critical Viewing Project, which
empowers families nationwide with the information and tools to become better
television viewers. To date, more than 2,500 cable leaders and PTA members
have been trained and have presented several thousand Critical Viewing
Workshops across the country.
Cable in the Classroom
Cable in the Classroom is a non-profit public service organization created by
the cable industry almost a decade ago. Since 1989, over 8,400 cable
companies and 38-cable program networks have invested over $500 million in
Cable in the Classroom. Cable operators have provided cable connections and
educational programming to more than 78,000 schools and 41 million students
nationwide, and cable program networks provide schools with 540 hours of
commercial-free programming each month to complement current curriculum --
at no cost to schools or students.
Cable in the Classroom has expanded its offering of free professional development resources to include training on the integration of computer and video educational technologies into the curriculum. The Cable in the Classroom Institute consists of four Washington, DC-based training and R&D centers, a traveling training lab that uses lap-top computers linked to the Internet and a series of virtual workshops offered on the Internet to create on-line, professional development classrooms. An early emphasis of the training has been placed on mastering basic Internet navigational skills to locate teacher support material and Web-site destinations that complement the curriculum.
PROGRAMMING
Cable television provides more children's programming -- greater than
four times all other programming sources combined, including more than
80 percent of all television hours that are devoted to children. In addition,
over 75 percent of children's programming watched by children in cable
households are viewed on cable television.
Tune In to Kids and Family Week II (June 8-14, 1998)
For the second consecutive year, the cable industry celebrated a weeklong
showcase of prime-time family and children's programming, as well as the
industry's commitment to media literacy and critical viewing. More than 75
cable networks participated, and local cable operators around the country
marked the Week by holding events, televising special programming, giving
civic presentations and presenting free media literacy materials to customers
and schools. Tune In II kicked off on June 8 with a
nationally-televised entertainment special, Take A Moment, hosted by
Melissa Joan Hart and Donald Faison. Simulcast on 29 cable networks,
Take A Moment focused on family interaction and how television can
improve relationships through communication.
Cable in Focus
Cable operators and cable networks partner in communities around the country
to celebrate cable's diverse and high-quality educational programming during
Cable in Focus screening events. In the past two years alone, more
than 600 cable systems have hosted over 1,000 screenings. Through these
events, students are able to engage in interactive group discussions on
various issues, such as literacy (fourth quarter 1998), addressed by the
programming. During the first quarter of 1999, the cable industry is
highlighting cultural diversity, with special emphasis on Black History Month
(February) and Women's History Month (March).
TECHNOLOGY
Distance Learning
Cable's state-of-the-art technology provides additional learning
opportunities. Cable systems across the country deliver instructional
programming directly to the home from leading universities and other
continuing education providers. Cable program networks, too, are making
significant contributions. Knowledge TV, for example, produced over 600
original episodes of informational programming in 1997. Today, students are
afforded such opportunities as virtual "electronic field trips," interacting
in real-time via satellite and over the Internet with experts in a wide
variety of fields.
For more information, contact: National Cable Television Association
Public Affairs Department
1724 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-775-3629 (P); 202-775-3675 (F)
www.ncta.com