DISCOVERY EDUCATION CONTINUES REVOLUTIONIZING EDUCATION BY LAUNCHING NEW INTERFACE AND OPTIMIZING AWARD-WINNING CONTENT FOR IPAD
– Top provider of digital media continues leading the integration of digital resources into curricula nationwide with launch of new student-friendly mobile site
Silver Spring, Md. (Oct. 7, 2010) – Discovery Education revolutionized education almost ten years ago by being the first company to introduce streaming educational media into America’s classrooms. Now, Discovery is revolutionizing education again by launching a new iPad-optimized version of the popular platform at http://mobile.discoveryeducation.com, the only educational streaming service scientifically shown to improve academic achievement. This new offering for iPad, provided at no additional cost to existing subscribers, immediately provides iPad-friendly content and interface to the more than half of U.S. schools accessing Discovery Education services.
Discovery Education is the leading provider of high-quality, curriculum-based digital content and professional development resources whose services are available in more than half of U.S. schools. Today’s launch supports these educators in their efforts to integrate cutting-edge hardware and dynamic digital content into curricula.
In the initial version of the Discovery Education’s mobile optimized platform, more than 33,000 video assets from the award-winning streaming, Discovery Education Science and Discovery Education Health services can be viewed through a web-standard HTML5 video player, which maximizes embedded video support and provides the best viewing experience for students. In addition, the dynamic navigation and elegant layout of the site are driven by CSS3 and JavaScript, allowing seamless browsing in landscape or portrait orientations.
Focused on student use and interaction, Discovery Education has structured the first iteration of its iPad-optimized web app around its best in class search and browse functions. Users can find content using a targeted keyword search, or explore content via the visual subject browse.
“This marriage of cutting-edge technology and dynamic content holds tremendous promise for progressive educators seeking to engage today’s students in the 21st century world they inhabit,” said Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. “As Miami-Dade continues to evolve instruction beyond the textbook, this new resource will serve as a valuable classroom tool.”
Over the next few months, Discovery will add images, audio clips, PDFs, encyclopedia articles, reading passages, as well as additional videos and clips.
“Discovery Education’s digital content and the iPad’s amazing display have the unparalleled ability to immerse students in curricula and transport them beyond the four walls of their classroom,” said Chicago Public Schools’ science director John Loehr. “The iPad brings academic lessons to life for students and we at CPS look forward to implementing this unique combination of content and hardware in our classrooms.”
Additional features of the Discovery Education web app include:
- A new browse function allowing users to search two level deep on a given subject from the home page
- Touch navigation for scrolling through search results and player pages
- A refined design providing students access to the best content in a manner that is native to the tablet form factor and touch interface
- The ability to filter search results by subject, which helps users view content by criteria including most popular, recently added or best match
“Revolutionary hardware like the iPad helps educators integrate digital content ever deeper into existing curriculum, further accelerating the transition from static textbooks to dynamic digital content as a core instructional tool,” said Craig Halper, Discovery Education vice president of customer operations and platform strategy. “In the future, Discovery Education will continue to listen to feedback from the nation’s teachers and adopt and evolve its services to ensure they engage students wherever they are learning, transform the educational process to meet 21st century needs, and ultimately, improve student academic achievement.”
For more information on Discovery Education services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com or call 800-323-9084.