Sony Products Aid Distance Learning
Capitalizing on its long-established experience in the broadcast and video communications industries, Sony Electronics offers an array of products and services for creating complete distance learning networks. Some examples of current applications include: Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., lets distant K-12 students "attend" arts productions and talk with actors, directors and other personnel. Equipment includes a Sony 53" monitor, two smaller Sony monitors, two video cameras and a Sony VID-P100 video presentation stand. Sony worked with the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf in Wilson, N.C., to develop and install a specific distance learning facility on campus to accommodate the needs of hearing-impaired students. A three-level room with tiered seating provides students with an unobstructed view of the Sony monitors. Through interactive audio and video, 6th-grade students at Galva-Holstein Middle School in Iowa conversed with NASA engineers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Students used the information they learned to build model Mars space bases, which they later shared with engineers and students at other schools. In related news, Sony has committed $25,000 to fund the Stepping Stone Scholarship Program, through which Indiana high school students can earn college credits via a two-way network. Sony Business and Professional Products Group, Park Ridge, NJ, (800) 635-SONY, www.sony.com.