Review of CCCnet
(overall rating: A+)
Look out, "Sesame Street", make way for the Internet and CCCnet. While CCCnet may not sport the likes of our yellow feathered friend, it's got just as much educational and entertainment value, and it's interactive! A leading publisher of multimedia education titles, Computer Curriculum Corporation wins the honor of being a Web site to providing original, interactive curriculum online. And it's accomplished this task with exceptional grace.
For starters, it looks great. CCN teamed up with the outstanding crew at vivid studios in San Francisco to create a high-resolution, creative, and astonishingly quick site. It's powered by a monster SGI server to add to the speed factor, so even those with slower connections can reap the benefits of nice graphics.
CCCnet offers lesson plans to teachers on a subscription basis - though no fees have been set yet. It also supports these teachers with a message board to interact with other teachers and post questions. The super bonus: For two hours everyday, there's a tech person live, online, to answer questions immediately. CCCnet also encourages parents to get involved with a "school-home" section. This way, parents get to participate in what their kids are learning and offer help and encouragement. My favorite part: It strives to teach children not only about the subjects at hand -- math, science, the environment, art, etc. -- but also how to use the Internet and maximize the Web. Many of the assignments involve children using the Web actively to complete projects. Students are also encouraged to network and communicate with students at other schools involved in the program. Very cool.
The online project at press time, Energy Flow In Amazonia, teaches kids about life forms in the rainforest. The final assignment is to pick an organism (of the millions living in the Amazon, from protozoa to tiger), learn about it, and post its biography online, in a templated Web form. Kids from all across the country will be adding to the real-time food chain. Outstanding! This site is one of the most innovative Web accomplishments I've seen so far, and I can only hope it's positive precedence will be replicated many times over. Teachers, pay attention to these kats. - BG
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