bigchalk, CBS News Announce Content Agreement
CBS News has agreed to supply its news content to bigchalk's online library and classroom products for five years. The content will come largely from "CBS Evening News" and include material from programs such as "Sunday Morning."
"[The agreement adds] about 2,000 hours of video footage to 
bigchalk's database and multimedia content," says Jack Lynch, bigchalk's CEO. "It is the most compelling news footage of the 20th and 21st centuries. It helps educators make learning more engaging for their students, which I think is particularly significant since this generation of kids has grown accustomed to the strong presence of digital media."
Scheduled to be available before summer, the content will offer thousands of stories ranging from news to profiles and features on music, pop culture and sports. It will be accessible through bigchalk's recently launched bigchalk Multimedia product, with portions of the content also available on bigchalk Library and bigchalk Integrated Classroom.
Updated daily, bigchalk Multimedia is the company's new reference database for middle and high school students that is devoted to multimedia content. It offers more than 435,000 audio and video clips, pictures, TV and radio transcripts, and maps that can be easily accessed and used in learning activities.
"In terms of what [content is] available, I look at it from two standpoints," says Lynch. "One is current information and current news, which we make available in our databases along with our other news content. The other is archival and historical footage, and in that particular case we're selecting out key moments in history that are tied to core curriculum standards."
Lynch adds that the new content is also a great way for teachers to engross their students in learning using text, audio and video. "The more senses that are involved in the learning experience the better the learning," he says. bigchalk.com inc., New York, NY, (800) 860-9228, www.bigchalk.com.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2002 issue of THE Journal.