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Largest K-12 Internet Project Ever Puts All 106,000 Schools on the Web
Business Wire - September 24, 1997 08:04
AMERICAN-SCHOOL-DIRECTORY %TENNESSEE %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %COMED %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA %INTERNET %EDUCATION V%BW P%BW
NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 1997--The American School Directory (ASD), the Internet home for all K-12 schools, located at asd.com on the World Wide Web, is now online providing information and communication for educators, students, parents, local communities and families planning a move.
With over 106,000 individual school Web sites, this revolutionary Internet resource provides every K-12 school in America, public and private, a free Internet presence and identity.
The National Sponsors of the American School Directory include Computers for Education, Vanderbilt University, IBM, Apple Computer and Innisbrook Wraps. Loaded with pictures, maps, art, information, calendars, and more, the American School Directory contains over 2 million page views of useful content and has received the endorsement of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
"In speaking with educators, I've found that virtually all of them are excited about the possibilities of what the Internet can provide, but are struggling with the issues of how to get started and how to use it in a meaningful way," said William E. Rodrigues, general manager, IBM Education North America who worked with CFE to host the site. "As the largest K-12 Internet project ever, the American School Directory makes it easier for educators to integrate use of the Internet into their schools, providing a natural link between teachers and parents, the community and the school, and to the students themselves."
Every school in America has an equal opportunity to further develop and utilize the many features of their ASD Web Site, even if they have no Internet connection. Each school's Web page provides accurate and relevant school information on a living and working site. From a home computer or at a public library, information may be updated by the school at any time using the Online Update form.
Through an alliance with GeoSystem's MapQuest, ASD School Web Sites provide an interactive map with each school as the focal point. MapQuest can be used to pinpoint the exact location of any school, or to locate the 10 closest schools around a family's new address. These maps have zoom-in and zoom-out features giving users the exact view of any needed area.
Student and teachers now have available a free lifetime e-mail account through their school's ASD site. Through an agreement with WhoWhere?, Inc. ASD offers N2mail which totally eliminates the need for computer ownership or e-mail software. By using this private, password protected e-mail, one Internet connected computer can serve dozens of N2mail users. Designed for student safety, N2mail also has a filter which blocks unsolicited e-mail.
The American Alumni Directory (AAD), the sister directory of ASD, can be reached through each school's ASD Web Site. The American Alumni Directory is the only Internet resource providing free registration and information for the 200 million K-12 alumni in America. As a fully interactive site, AAD allows alumni to register current information about themselves, such as an address, a place of employment or family information. Alumni can also use the Search section to look up information about other alumni from that school, or post a message on the interactive Message Board.
Visitors to both the ASD and the AAD can visit the School Store which offers online catalogs of quality family products including books, magazines, videos, software and computers. A portion of each purchase in the School Store is returned to the school through the National Education Technology Fund (NETFund). Displayed on each school's ASD Web Site, proceeds from purchases are earmarked for new technology and student learning.
Anyone visiting an ASD Web Site can view that school's Wish List, which presents specific needs of the school to parents, community, businesses and alumni. A phone number is provided to contact the school directly in order to meet any of those specific needs.
"Equity is an important issue for us. We wanted to make the rich resources of the Internet available to all schools...Not just a chosen few," said Tom Crook, CEO of the American School Directory. "Now, the best information and communication tools are available to every student and every teacher."
For more information about the American School Directory, call Elijah Collard of ASD at (615) 896-3800 or e-mail him at eli@cfe.com.
CONTACT: American School Directory, Murfreesboro
Tom Wiley, 615/896-3800
twiley@asd.com
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