http://www.fcc.gov/parents/
WEB SITE CONNECTS TO CABLE IN THE CLASSROOM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, MEDIA LITERACY TOOLS
Washington, DC – Cable in the Classroom is featured on a newly launched Federal Communications Commission webpage http://www.fcc.gov/parents/ created to help parents better understand and creatively use the media that their children consume daily.
The “Parents’ Place” page directs parents to a wide variety of helpful information and features links to Cable in the Classroom resources such as access to free video and online content for pre-school through high school, and suggestions for helping children decipher media’s messages. The Cable in the Classroom link includes information for educators and other adults about how technology combined with rich content can be used to support teaching and learning in school and at home. In addition, a series of featured links on the Cable in the Classroom website provide access to dozens of educational and cultural organizations that offer ideas, strategies, materials and other information about enhancing education through technology.
The “Parents’ Place” page also includes information about Amber Alerts, rules governing advertising and children’s programming, and 900-telephone numbers. With such an enormous volume and variety of communications coming into homes via television, telephone, radio, and the Internet, parents can use some help tracking and monitoring the information their children are watching and hearing, says the FCC.
“Cable in the Classroom provides valuable resources for parents to find age-appropriate programming for their children and to help them understand the messages they receive from television. Today, when so many families subscribe to cable, I am pleased that we were able to offer this useful tool as part of the FCC’s Parents’ Place,” said FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy.
“We are honored to be part of this invaluable resource for parents,” said Peggy O’Brien, Ph.D., executive director of Cable in the Classroom. “The cable industry has a longstanding, deep commitment to ensuring that high-quality content – and the tools to make the best use of it – is available to schools and to families. With this new FCC resource, parents now have a new way of accessing the critical materials they need.”
CIC represents the cable telecommunications industry's commitment to education - to improve teaching and learning for children in schools, at home, and in their communities. This is the only industry-wide philanthropic initiative of its kind; since 1989, 8,500 cable companies and 39 cable networks have provided free access to commercial-free, educational cable content and new technologies to 81,000 public and private schools, reaching 78 percent of K-12 students. CIC focuses on five essential elements to ensure quality education in the 21st century: visionary and sensible use of technologies, engagement with rich content, community with other learners, excellent teaching, and the support of parents and other adults.
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