Few issues are more important to our customers and to the communities we serve than education. That's why the cornerstone of our public service efforts has been to deliver the power of cable television technology and programming to schools at no charge.
Cable in the Classroom Overview
Cable in the Classroom (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.
Each year, Time Warner Cable South Carolina provides more than $160,000 in courtesy cable to schools in South Carolina through Cable In the Classroom. This initiative provides teachers an additional tool in the classroom and offers multi-sensory learning opportunities for students. Time Warner Cable also funds more than $10,00 in materials to assist teachers when using Cable in the Classroom. All of this material and support meets national and state standards established by the Department of Education.
Cable in the Classroom provides more than 540 hours per month of educational, commercial-free programming for classroom use. Programming covers all disciplines and issues. The program gives teachers fresh, lively tools to use how and when they choose. There are no viewing requirements, and most programs are copyright cleared for one year. Teachers, students, parents and others may tape the programs for classroom viewing. Programming schedules are provided each month.
CIC 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.
Cable in the Classroom 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 support of parents and other adults
- Teaching with cable and the Internet
In addition to Cable in the Classroom programming and online content, Time Warner Cable's commitment to education includes courtesy basic cable service provided to schools in our service area (media center must be within 200 feet of nearest cable drop).
In addition, Time Warner Cable provides consenting K-12 schools with a free cable modem and free Road Runner high-speed Internet service. Utilizing cable's high-capacity networks, digital technology and high-speed cable modems, Cable's High Speed Education Connection provides schools, students and teachers with access to new resources and services with capabilities and values unmatched by any other telecommunications provider or technology.
Training & Workshops
Professionals at Time Warner Cable can come to your school or district office to present workshops on How to Use Cable in the Classroom, Online Resources, Critical TV Viewing, or other specific topics. Please contact us if you are interested in hosting a training session for educators.
Online Resources
Good news! Cable in the Classroom has enhanced its web site with a deepened educational emphasis. It features a combination of technology and content, both video and online, that teachers, parents and other educators can use to engage students in learning, to enrich the professional lives of teachers and to reinforce learning at home. Check it out at www.ciconline.org.
During 2003, Cable in the Classroom introduced new resources that showcase the power of cable's technologies.
Project Cam uses web cameras and broadband to link students in different locations to create and share new learning experiences.
CLIC - Communicate, Learn, Interact and Create is an online workspace that brings learners together to collaborate on all kinds of projects.
Broadband Demonstrations show clearly the learning power of broadband. The first in this series is on Shakespeare, and combines video, audio, and great interactivity.
Education Demonstration Projects - CIC has launched three projects that will demonstrate the impact of broadband technology and content on education. These projects offer future partnership opportunities through replicable models and research.
Online Professional Development for educators that will be co-branded by your company, CIC and the higher education institutions providing content.
For more information on each of these programs, visit the Cable in the Classroom web site at www.ciconline.org.
CIC Publications
Time Warner Cable provides, free of charge, a number of publications to support Cable in the Classroom. Below is a description of the multimedia package of print and online publications and resources.
Cable in the Classroom Magazine: cable's guide to educational resources: This monthly publication is a practical guide that outlines how to use cable's resources for learning in schools, homes, libraries, and community centers. It is a 32-page, subject-specific guide to our network members' video and online resources with quick-scanning editorial content and several feature articles.
Threshold: exploring the future of education: This quarterly journal for education leaders is designed to reach a new, influential audience with the industry's message of educational credibility and technological sophistication. Threshold is mailed to national education opinion leaders, state and district administrators and technology directors, and key education association leaders. Most issues are published in partnership with leading education organizations.
Downloadable content: The articles in both publications and the subject-area listings from Class in the Classroom Magazine are available as PDF files, accessed through Cable in the Classroom's web site. These easy-to-download-and-print files can be redistributed via e-mail.
Monthly e-mail newsletter: The e-newsletter serves as a monthly programming guide for content and online resources. The newsletter provides direct links to online content. There is no charge for the e-newsletter. To subscribe, please submit your request to maryanne.jacobs@twcable.com.
Webcast: A series of free webcasts will be created throughout the year for education and industry audiences focusing on broadband content and technologyissues. They will be archived and also available on-demand.
Digital magazine: Threshold will also be available, by subscription, in an all-digital format, which reproduces the print publication environment and adds online functionality such as search capability and live links.
CIC History
Cable in the Classroom (CIC) is the brainchild of a group of cable industry leaders, who met in 1989 to explore the best way to give back to the communities that had contributed so much to their success. Convinced that cable technology and content had enormous educational potential, they created Cable in the Classroom as the non-profit consortium that would harness the power of cable to help teachers teach and children learn.
In the years since that meeting, the cable industry has changed dramatically and 97 percent of America's schools have been connected to the Internet. Teachers have more opportunities than ever to use a combination of excellent media, cutting-edge technologies and broadband connectivity to support teaching and learning.
The only industry-wide philanthropic initiative of its kind, Cable in the Classroom's unique contribution to schools has included, from the beginning, free cable service that provides access to commercial-free, copyright-cleared programming for taping, and now, high-speed Internet access through cable modems – a combined investment that tallies in the millions annually. Cable in the Classroom members provide rich video and online resources delivered via cable's broadband pipe. With 8,500 local cable company members and 39 national cable network members, Cable in the Classroom serves 81,000 public and private schools, reaching 78 percent of the K-12 students in the United States.
The Cable in the Classroom focus emphasizes 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. To translate those principles into action, Cable in the Classroom is working with prominent education advisors to find, support, and disseminate research that will guide program developers and teachers to the highest caliber content in multiple media. In addition, CIC partners with educators nationwide to create demonstration projects. These projects highlight the best uses of educational technology and foster collaboration and professional development for teachers through virtual communities and online learning.
By interacting with educationally rich content, now instantly available through new technologies, educators and students partner with Cable in the Classroom to enhance learning. Using cable modems, teachers can customize the teaching and learning experience to meet evolving standards and the ever-changing needs of individual students; support different learning styles and paces; and provide students with hands-on, interactive experiences to foster engagement.
Cable in the Classroom today, just as at its founding in 1989, continues to be driven by the absolute truth that good teaching and good learning are the most potent forces on earth. Without them, the best educational technology lies dormant.
