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Press Releases |
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ACTV's HyperTV Networks and the Dallas Independent School District announce three new professional development initiatives through eSchool® Online (NEW YORK, October 23, 2002) - ACTV's (Nasdaq: IATV) wholly owned subsidiary, HyperTV Networks, Inc., today announced three contracts with the Dallas Independent School District to develop and deploy online professional development initiatives in one of Texas’ largest school districts. Under the agreement, ACTV HyperTV Networks will consult with the district on important new initiatives in teacher induction, early childhood math/science and multi-lingual education. The company will work with DISD's professional development staff to create online professional development training content that uses multi-media formats available through ACTV’s eSchool® Online version 4.0. Deputy Superintendent Hector Montenegro said “this new online training approach will make a difference in the district’s efforts to strengthen its professional development program. We are delighted to be working with ACTV to develop online professional development content and functionality that will be beneficial in our efforts to better train our teachers. We hope and expect that these programs will have a positive impact on teacher retention and will provide teachers with the tools they need to be successful. These programs will also assist in our efforts to raise student achievement.” eSchool® Online uses ACTV's patented HyperTV software technology to combine video segments used to model “best practices in the classroom” with customized interactive web pages intended to extend and reinforce the training. In addition, collaborative and assessment features will be introduced into these initiatives. The deployment of this initiative through eSchool® Online will enable the district to collect relevant and timely data from teachers who use the materials. These programs will be accessed on-demand by teachers equipped with multimedia computers connected to the Internet. The new teacher induction initiative known as FOCUS provides a series of eSchool programs to introduce a new teacher to DISD. These teachers are able to access the programs prior to the beginning of the school year and throughout the year. The content is a required part of the existing New Teacher Academy and the delivery model provides flexibility for almost 1,000 new teachers with “just in time” access. The district recognizes the need to provide alternative methods of imparting professional development training to its teachers. As part of this initiative, experts from the early childhood program are collaborating with mathematics and science curriculum specialists to develop a series of programs modeling an integrated approach to teaching math and science in the K-3 classroom. In the multi-language enrichment initiative, district specialists will work with ACTV to create eSchool programs customized to the needs of teachers working with English language learners. These programs will focus on the stages of language development, with attention to the challenges presented to students working in a bi-lingual setting. The enhanced consistency, availability and relevance of this online training should improve teacher effectiveness, reduce the teacher turnover rate, and increase student achievement. Bruce J. Crowley, president of HyperTV Networks, Inc. said the company is excited about its relationship with the district, and is encouraged about the potential of the project. “Dallas has historically been a leader in creating a progressive learning environment while applying new techniques and technologies for the benefit of students and teachers alike.” DISD is one of the largest school districts in the nation with more than 164,000 students and more than 10,500 teachers. About HyperTV Networks, Inc. HyperTV products and services enable educational and entertainment networks, programmers and advertisers to automatically deliver compelling interactive Web content that can be synchronized to correspond with a live or pre-recorded video and/or audio program. eSchool® Online was created to extend convergent media applications for the benefit of the educational marketplace, with a specific focus on teacher training and classroom instruction. About ACTV, Inc. ACTV, Inc. (Nasdaq: IATV) is a digital media company providing proprietary technologies, tools, and technical and creative services for interactive TV, advertising, personalized programming applications and enhanced media. For more information, visit www.actv.com. Contact: Kim Holt Brainerd Communicators, Inc. 212-986-6667 holt@braincomm.com |
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