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Contact: Paul Moniz
Widmeyer Communications
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Paul.Moniz@widmeyer.com

Films Media Group Launches FMG ON DEMAND
Proprietary Digital Delivery System To Offer Maximum Flexibility, Superior Compression Technology, Rich Content and Array of Delivery Options for Colleges

Lawrenceville, NJ - September 15, 2005 - Films Media Group, North America’s leader in educational video, announced today that it is launching FMG ON DEMAND, a proprietary digital video system offering the newest way for middle school and high school teachers to access the superior content offerings of FMG. This quality collection of programs includes programming from PBS, BBC, and ABC News.

FMG ON DEMAND currently has 2,000 titles from leading producers and broadcasters available through digital delivery, adding about 200 new titles each month. While FMG offers content in all subject areas, no one offers the breadth and depth of content in the areas of career and tech ed, family and consumer science, and health and guidance.

To maximize efficiency of FMG ON DEMAND, teachers have the option of choosing individual titles, subject-specific “libraries” or every title offered by FMG. The titles can either be leased for a period of one to three years or purchased outright, an option that only FMG offers. By providing the option of selecting specific titles, FMG allows educators and media librarians the ability to customize their content rather than buy a “content package” that includes videos never to be watched.

“We designed FMG ON DEMAND to meet the needs of teachers,” said Wendy Collins, FMG’s director of digital strategies. “We wanted to make sure that educators know they have complete control over their choice of content and how they receive it. While some schools may want access to all of our titles, we understand that there are other schools that may have specific needs for which our entire catalog isn’t necessary. Regardless of the package they choose, ON DEMAND offers the most state-of-the art, high resolution streaming capabilities for any educator who needs immediate access to any title in our catalog.”

Often-cited research by Wiman and Mierhenry has shown people generally retain only about 10 percent of what they read, but 50 percent of what they see and hear. Research shows video enhances student comprehension and discussion of content, better accommodating diverse learning styles and increasing student motivation for learning.

The evidence that video can facilitate learning is overwhelming and, encouragingly, digital technology is improving access. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2003 more than 93 percent of public school instructional rooms had Internet access, compared with 3 percent in 1994. An analysis by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting shows that teachers have found that using video in the classroom stimulates class discussion, reinforces lectures and reading and helps teachers instruct more effectively. More than half of teachers polled found video “very effective” with students who do not respond well to traditional teaching methods.

With increased national focus on education standards and compliance with No Child Left Behind legislation, FMG ON DEMAND makes lesson planning easier and more interesting.

All FMG ON DEMAND videos are correlated to appropriate national and state standards, allowing teachers to use the search function to select videos that match state education standards. This innovative feature eliminates guesswork and ensures the appropriateness of learning material. FMG has contracted with EdGate, a well-known provider of technology-based products and services to the K-12 community to correlate the FMG collection to all of its products. EdGate is also working with FMG to develop educational resources including teacher’s manuals, written materials and Web links to supplement popular titles.

All FMG ON DEMAND titles contain predefined learning objects. Learning objects are individual segments from videos that can be integrated into lectures and presentations to demonstrate or reinforce a concept, avoiding the hassle of “queuing” up that is necessary with videos and DVDs. Educators can create their own learning objects using tools within FMG ON DEMAND to designate start and stop points, allowing them to customize the segment to their teaching needs.

Faculty members can also create personal playlists, incorporating learning objects from various titles to suit their lesson plans. During a typical class, this makes efficient use of time. With FMG ON DEMAND, teachers don’t waste an entire class watching a single video when they can isolate the most relevant portions in seconds or minutes. Another big selling point is that FMG ON DEMAND allows teachers to give their students access to teacher playlists using a code, so students can view programming at home, a study hall or any location that supplies internet access. This allows maximum flexibility and saves valuable classroom time.

"FMG ON DEMAND gives me fast and easy access to thousands of video clips, just at the click of my mouse," says Mary Ciccone, Instructor and AP English Curriculum Coordinator at Virtual High School. “Whether I'm planning an entire unit or a single lesson plan, ON DEMAND allows me to quickly research, view, and save clips for whatever I'm teaching. And every clip is correlated with all fifty state standards. This makes it easy for me to find clips that enhance my lessons and help my students meet state standards."

FMG ON DEMAND offers three options for delivery, giving schools the freedom to choose the delivery system that works best with their existing technology. Content can be:

• Streamed over the Internet for real-time playback on demand on both Apple’s Quick Time and Microsoft’s Windows Media Player to an individual classroom’s computer
• Downloaded from the Internet to be stored on a server for playback over a local area network
• Pre-loaded to a hard drive and delivered to the school where it can be connected to the local area network for playback.

Video streamed over the Internet can be accessed at 300 Kbps. If accessed from a local area network, DVD quality 1.2 Mbps files are available.

Sign up for a free trial: http://www.fmgondemand.com/PortalFreeTrial.aspx/c_LCY
View interactive Flash tutorials: http://www.fmgondemand.com/PortalTrainingCenter.aspx/c_LCY
Read the User's Guide: http://www.fmgondemand.com/PortalTechCenter.aspx/c_LCY

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About Films Media Group: A PRIMEDIA company based in Lawrenceville, NJ, Films Media Group (FMG) is North America’s leading source of high-quality educational media products to schools, colleges, libraries, and other institutions. The FMG brand family includes Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.

FMG’s collection of programs—more than 12,000 titles from many of the world’s best-known producers and broadcasters—provides educators with an unparalleled choice of topics and a multifaceted content delivery approach that includes DVD, VHS, MPEG, and FMG ON DEMAND.