"MEDIAPAK" MULTIMEDIA SOLUTIONS FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES

Three new MultiMedia solutions for schools and personal development
announced and demonstrated at PC EXPO on June 29 - July 1

(Poughkeepsie, NY, June 29) - The Micro Computer Club of Poughkeepsie
announces three new MultiMedia solutions for Schools and Personal
Development. These include the "DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY FOR
TRANSPORTATION", the "HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA and "A TRIP TO WASHINGTON
DC."

Many children consider school boring, especially Social Studies. The
objective is to help improve the school environment with a new set of
personal computer and video based solutions, called "MediaPak." Because
the information is more engaging it shortens the time for learning, and
improves the student's comprehension and retention.

Introduction to the MediaPak Concept

MediaPak is a series of videos and multimedia computer programs that are
developed from primary source material. MediaPak relies heavily on prints,
newspapers, magazines and books that were published during the period when
the events actually occurred. Great care is taken to search out
information provided by participants in the event, who are often quoted
directly. The MediaPak philosophy is to act as a reporter of the event,
rather than purport to "assert truth" eg. act as the only authoritative
interpreter of the events of the period.

The MediaPak subjects are a transformation of this illustrated material and
text source material, into a modern package; a kind of Video and Computer
Magazine. The emphasis is on the social aspects of History and Social
Science and the integration of cross educational disciplines such as
Geography and it's affect on the development of industry and history.

The children in schools have been raised in an environment dominated by
television. It is estimated that the average child has been exposed to
about 6,000 hours of television before entering kindergarten. It is
therefore, a media that the average student can understand and cope with.

The promise of multimedia, which is yet in its infancy, is that it is a
technology that works, it can result in significant times saving for the
student and teacher. It can improve test results and help the student
master skills. It is estimated that learning retention is very high.
Vendors such as IBM, report 20% retention of information that is obtained
only by listening, 40% from seeing and hearing and 75% from doing, seeing
and hearing. To obtain these results it is important to provide simple
teacher aids and student/system inter-activity through a variety of media,
and a user friendly interface. This is one of the principal objectives of
the MediaPak approach. Another major consideration is to minimize the cost
to the school of adopting the MediaPak concept. This is accomplished by
designing multimedia programs that run on existing technology; the most
widely used personal computers available in schools today.

MediaPak is designed to do the following:

* Assist the teacher in covering the curriculum, by providing a package
that contains a video that can be shared with the class, and computer
based; test questions, text and programming aids that can be tailored to
meet the special needs of the district, school or class.

* Help the student improve their reading skills and vocabulary by
establishing a close linkage between computer images and text captions in
the computer program.

* Help the student generate a portfolio of writing by simplifying the
process of incorporating primary source material into their reports. Use
of the "full text" provided with the programs gets them started faster,
and eliminates the need to transcribe the information from paper.

* Encourage the student to use computer technology by providing a simple
editor, that is widely available, which they can use to modify supplied
text and/or create new computer based reports.

MediaPak encourages critical thinking by offering suggestions to the
teacher how to challenge and initiate debate. MediaPak mirrors the "real
world." No single answer is assumed for complex and sometimes confusing
problems. MediaPak products present several viewpoints when feasible,
challenges the students to evaluate the material and the biases of the
period, and to relate them to their own experiences.

DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY OF TRANSPORTATION

The MediaPak solution for the "DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY OF TRANSPORTATION"
is composed of three programs the "AUTOMOBILE," the "STEAMBOAT" and
"AERIAL NAVIGATION."

AUTOMOBILE

The "Automobile" program shows and describes the advantages and limitations
of the earliest competing automotive power technologies; gasoline,
electricity and steam using images of actual vehicles that were in
experimental stages and in operation. It also describes the differences in
the development of the automobile in Europe and the United States,
including Henry's Ford's philosophy of mass manufacturing. Comparisons are
also made to the use of horsepower, which preceded the adoption of the
more advanced technologies.

STEAMBOAT

The "Steamboat" program demonstrates the concept behind the use of steam,
and the importance of the propeller that evolved from experiments begun in
1543; the development of the technology, its strengths and limitations,
and contemporary reactions to the use of steam and its applications.
Contemporary images include a selection of images ranging from the
earliest steamers, and include Robert Fulton's Hudson River steamboats, as
well as the modern ocean liners of the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries.

AERIAL NAVIGATION

The "Aerial Navigation" program differentiates between lighter than air and
heavier than air aircraft, and describes and shows the difficulties
experimenters faced in developing practical flying machines over the
centuries. Included are the experiments, successes and failures in the use
of differing power sources, and wing arrangements, all illustrated with
contemporary images. Prof Langley, formerly Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institute, and an early pioneer in aviation, explains the concept of
flight in simple terms, and one of the Wright Brothers describes their
objectives and early experiments with gliders and their successes with the
first practical gasoline powered airplane.

HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA

The MediaPak solution for the HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA is composed of three
programs the "EARLY HISTORY", "GOLD FEVER" AND "PIONEER SAN FRANCISCO."

EARLY HISTORY

How did the people of the nineteenth century see the periods of
PreColumbian America, Spanish "discovery", the Missions, and the role the
Franciscan fathers and their relationship to the Native Californians? From
evidence that was gathered at first hand, why did the Indians give up
their freedom to be "converted", and live in missions under the arbitrary
rule of the priests that dominated their lives? How and why did the
Spanish and Mexican governments become jealous of these pious fathers, and
how did the success of the mission eventually lead to their downfall? The
Early History of California provides some clues, and suggests that the
Spanish heritage that remains, can help us better understand and
appreciate California, and our nation, as it is today.

GOLD FEVER

Describes at first hand, the events that enflamed imagination and greed in
much of the world; the period known in California's history as the "Gold
Rush." Included are: Scenes of Sutter's farm where gold was first
discovered, the reaction of the Native Americans; the story of the new
immigrants; the people that faced great danger crossing the oceans and
mountains hoping to "strike it rich," the Chinese immigrants' role as
early miners, the techniques used by the miners to separate gold from the
earth, and the life and hardships of the miners. All use contemporary text
and images. James Marshall, the man credited with discovering gold, gives
his own account of the discovery, and a miner of '49 describes his return
to the site of his original explorations.

PIONEER SAN FRANCISCO

Uses original source material to describe the early days of San Francisco,
the period between 1846 and 1854. This was a time of transition from
Spanish and Mexican rule, to a wide open town, where making money was
everyone's business. The focus is on the diverse culture of San Francisco,
it's people; how they lived and survived the misery of life in tents when
the streets were a quagmire of mud, and gambling and crime ran rampant
through the community. The discovery of gold had a profound effect on this
town, temporarily leaving San Francisco, "like a place where the plague
reigns" and great fires laid waste to the most populous parts. This was a
city that despite its calamities, was reborn, and was continually renewed
as it struggled towards respectability.

A TRIP TO WASHINGTON

The MediaPak solution for A TRIP TO WASHINGTON is composed of three
programs the "HISTORY OF WASHINGTON", "A TOUR OF THE CITY" AND "ARLINGTON
AND MOUNT VERNON."

These multimedia programs help to prepare students for a Trip to our
Nation's Capitol. The programs help the teacher organize a contest that
should add significantly to the interest and value of the trip. Each
program contains suggestions for the students of things to look for on the
outing, and challenges them to discover what things have changed and what
have remained the same. "Teacher's text" is also provided. The teachers
and parents planning the trip are encouraged to modify this text in order
to meet their own itinerary and special needs of their students. Provision
is also made for the students on their return to school to edit and
prepare their own reports using the program's text material, combined with
photographs and information that they gathered on the trip. Included with
the series is a Teachers' Guide which addresses the use of the program
material, and suggestions for team reports. A video tape covering the trip
is also included that the teacher may use to introduce the subject matter
to the class.

HISTORY OF WASHINGTON

The History of Washington is the History of our country. From the first
debates about its location, we see how Washington emerged from a swamp to
become one of the most beautiful and respected Capitols in the World. We
follow the Capitol from its design and conception through its burning by
the British during the War of 1812, its rebirth in 1814, and growth during
the middle of the nineteenth century. We see how it was effected by the
challenge of Secession. We note after President Lincoln's death, how the
city continued to grow as the Industrial Revolution helped the United
States evolve into a world wide power.

WASHINGTON, TOUR OF THE CITY

The Tour of the city of Washington, is the story of how the city appeared
to the traveler at the of turn of the nineteenth century. We see our
Federal Government exercising its responsibilities and authority. We note
the tourists and travelers examining the art and architecture of the great
city. We explore the Capitol Grounds with its fountains, and it's shady
walks and drives. We visit the Library of Congress and enter the White
House, and are invited into rooms that are off limits to the casual
visitor. We explore the State, War and Navy Department. We learn about the
history of the Treasury, the background of its workers and how our
country's money is made, stored and destroyed. The next leg of our journey
is to the Smithsonian Institute where the study and display of Science is
encouraged. We end our tour of the city with a visit to the Washington and
Lincoln Memorials, "satisfied that we have seen the city as it really
was."

TRIP TO ARLINGTON AND MOUNT VERNON

After completing our tour of Washington we cross the Potomac and enter
Arlington, the "Silent City of the Nation's Dead." Here stands the old
Virginian mansion, "Arlington," of great historic interest. On the brow of
the bluff near the old mansion are buried many officers of distinction.
Near the Temple of Fame, stands the massive granite monument sacred to the
memory of the unknown dead of the Civil War. We see the Memorial
Amphitheater that seats thousands of people and the statues to the heroes
and heroines of our nation's wars. The last leg of our journey is to Mount
Vernon, home of George and Martha Washington, where we learn about their
lives and home from personal recollections.

MicroComputer Club
14 Sherwood Place, Hyde Park, NY 12538-1517

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