The Smithsonian Institution Honors Three CD-ROM Software
Titles Published by The Learning Company
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The Smithsonian Institution Honors Three CD-ROM Software
Titles Published by The Learning Company
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Learning Company, Inc. (NYSE: TLC - news) today
announced that three of its CD-ROM software titles have been nominated for a national Computerworld
Smithsonian Award. The ''Learn To Speak(TM)'' foreign language series, ''LEGO(R) Island'' interactive
CD-ROM and The Complete National Geographic will become part of the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent
Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation. The 1998 Computerworld Smithsonian Innovation
Collection is formally presented to the Institution at the National Museum of American History today at 9:30 a.m.
on the National Mall.
The ''Learn To Speak'' series, nominated for Most Innovative Use of Information Technology, is a
comprehensive language course based on real-life situations. With ''Learn To Speak,'' foreign language students
will learn to speak and understand the target language by studying vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing.
Cultural notes, audio recordings and more than one hour of QuickTime(R) movies deepen students' knowledge
and understanding of the history, geography and customs of the countries in which the language is spoken. The
''Learn To Speak'' series is available in Spanish, French, German and English.
''LEGO Island,'' nominated in the Media Arts and Entertainment category, introduces kids ages 6-12 to a LEGO
world complete with dangerous missions, white-knuckle races and more than 35 colorful characters. Currently
released worldwide in six languages, ''LEGO Island'' is available in software, toy and other retail stores.
''The Complete National Geographic,'' also nominated in the Media Arts and Entertainment category, includes all
of National Geographic magazine's award- winning photographs, stories, page maps and graphics, plus classic
period advertising from the past century. Featuring more than 9,000 articles from over 1,200 issues of National
Geographic magazine, plus a robust search engine and a direct link to an exclusive area on the National
Geographic Web site, this unprecedented collection of 30 CD-ROMs makes the world-class magazine more
accessible than ever before.
''The Learning Company is using information technology to make great strides toward remarkable social
achievement in education,'' said Dr. David Allison, chairman of the National Museum of American History's
Division of Information Technology and Society.
The Computerworld Smithsonian Awards program identifies and honors men and women whose visionary use of
information technology produces positive social, economic and educational change. Last year's winner, Susan
Abdulezer, received the award for her educational CD-ROM title, ''The Virtual Alphabet Book.'' The Learning
Company's work is part of a collection that includes over 442 of the year's most innovative applications of
technology from 40 states and 19 countries.
''These nominations, of which we are very proud, inspires us to work even harder to keep our entire product line
on the cutting edge of technology,'' said Kathy Quinby-Johnson, executive vice president of marketing for The
Learning Company, Inc. ''The world is becoming a smaller place, making the need for information technology
increasingly more important.''
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. According
to Dan Morrow, executive director of the Computerworld Smithsonian Awards Program, ''the materials
submitted on behalf of The Learning Company will enrich the Smithsonian's growing permanent collection on the
Information Age, and help the Institution build an accurate historic record of the truly outstanding achievements
being made in these remarkable times.''
Case Studies from the 1998 Collection will be made available to the public June 8, 1998, on the Innovation
Network Web site at innovate.si.edu. The Innovation Network Web site also offers visitors an opportunity
to record their impressions of the information technology revolution in the national record.
The National Geographic Society is the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational institution. Founded in
1888 for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge, the Society reflects the world through magazines,
books, maps, films, television and Interactive media. National Geographic magazine, the official journal of the
Society, is sent to nearly 9 million members each month and is read in every country in the world. The Society has
supported more than 6,000 explorations and research projects and funds an education program combating
geographic illiteracy.
The Learning Company, Inc. (NYSE: TLC - news) develops, publishes and markets a family of consumer
software brands that educate across every age, from young children to adults. The company's products are sold in
more than 23,000 retail stores in North America and through multiple distribution channels including school sales,
online, direct marketing and OEM. The company also develops, publishes and distributes products internationally
through subsidiaries in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Holland, Japan and Australia, and with distributors
throughout Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. The company's headquarters are located at One
Athenaeum Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02142; telephone (617) 494-1200; fax (617) 494-1219. For more
information about The Learning Company products, visit the corporate Web site at www.learningco.com.
Customer Service can be reached at (800) 227-5609. For information about school versions of The Learning
Company products, call (800) 685-6322, ext. 1788.
SOURCE: The Learning Company, Inc. |
