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Sender: American Memory Fellows <AMFELLOWS@RS8.LOC.GOV>
Poster: Susan Veccia <svec@LOC.GOV>
Subject: Re: What gives? Classroom Connect
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Just so you all know, this product from Classroom Connect has been
developed under a long-standing cooperative agreement with the Library of
Congress. It does two things:
1. While you can find all the items on the Classroom Connect CD-ROMs in the
American Memory Web site, Classroom Connect has selected from this vast
site and created thematic views of our materials. The resulting four
CD-ROMs are on the topics of Identity, Power, Environment, Change, Culture.
They have selected items from across all the collections and assembled
them into these thematic CD-ROMs. They have taken the cataloging data that
comes with each item and simplified it into a "data card." For items for
which there is no cataloging, they have created brief identifying
information, which is also presented on a "data card." The items were
selected to support an inquiry-based curriculum. The CD-ROMs will have
links directly to our Web site where you can view the entire collections
and also the Learning Page.
The Library was not involved in the selection of the materials, but was
involved in the review of the data cards. The first 4 CDs will be
available this spring, I think. I am not sure when the 5th one will be
released. We have not yet seen the print materials, lesson plans, or the
Web site.
2. It will provide schools that do not have reliable Internet connections
to access our materials. This project was developed to provide more access
to our materials to more kinds of school populations.
Overall, I see this as a value-added product, not as something that is
identical to what is already on-line. We will probably be using this
product as a supplement to our on-line workshops and training sessions.
What we have heard from day one of this project is TIME...or lack of it.
Most educators tell us they do not have time to find all the neat stuff,
thus a thematic approach to our collections seemed like a good idea. In
all honesty, I must say that this price is dirt cheap. Developing a CD-ROM
is a very time-consuming process, and even developing good teaching
materials is very, very expensive. You don't want to know how expensive!
At 10:29 AM 3/25/1999 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi all -
>
>I just got a catalog from the Classroom Connect people ("Our passion at
>Classroom Connect is to support you in creating powerful learning
>experiences for your students by integrating the Internet into your
>classroom curriculum"). They are advertising a product ("New for Spring!")
>called "American Memory Primary Sources." There are four CD-ROMs, each
>with a unit on a different theme. Each unit comes with a 112-page
>curriculum guide, the CD "for speedy access," and a one-year membership to
>a companion web site that gets you a password to the "special Primary
>Sources Web site," which includes reproducible student pages, links to
>primary sources and history sites, and links to American Memory.
>
>I think it's interesting that people would pay ($69.95 for one unit,
>$225.00 for all four) for something that's essentially free. A question
>for the teachers out there: how much do you use these types of full-blown
>teacher guides that come with various classroom resources? I guess I've
>thought of the lessons we've developed as being conceptual templates rather
>than step-by-step handholding guides. I suppose that this Classroom
>Connect product line is just another venue for American Memory, another way
>to get the word out. I wonder if the "special Primary Sources Web site"
>links to the Learning Page and the lessons that are posted there. What do
>others think about this type of commercial phenomenon?
>
>Frances
Susan Veccia, Project Manager
Educational Services
National Digital Library Program
Library of Congress
email: svec@loc.gov voice: 202/707-6151 fax: 202/252-3173
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