Computer Curriculum Corporation Offers First Educational Online Tour of the Mediterranean; 10,000-Mile Bicycle Journey Uses the Internet to Teach Students Around the World.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 1997--Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC), the leading provider of software and services to the school market and a Simon & Schuster company, today announced Mediterranean Fieldtrip, the first educational project to take students on a nine-month virtual journey.

The free project, accessible both on Simon & Schuster's Edscape web site (www.edscape.com) and on CCC's CCCnet web site (www.cccnet.com), invites students to explore history, language and culture with an interactive Internet trip to the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean Fieldtrip, based on national education standards, offers lessons for grades 3-12 in the areas of mathematics, reading/language arts, social studies and science. The project was designed for easy integration into existing instructional materials -- making it ideal for teachers just starting to use the Internet in the classroom -- and is also accessible for home use. The course combines online curriculum with daily reports from "Internet Jockeys" (IJs) traveling throughout the region with project co-sponsor BikeAbout, a non-profit organization specializing in educational Internet adventures. BikeAbout's team of IJs includes educators, professional cyclists, a filmmaker and a photographer.

Wired with Internet access and laptops donated by Compaq Computer Corporation, IJs will broadcast daily reports to the Mediterranean Fieldtrip site, including information about the history, people, language, food and climate of each of 21 countries they plan to travel by bicycle. IJs will be visiting local schools to discuss environmental and cultural issues using the Internet. The trip begins today in Morocco and will end 10,000 miles later in Gibraltar next June.

Also announced today is the "Web Tech Showcase," a component of Mediterranean Fieldtrip that displays advanced Internet technologies such as 3-D graphics, animation, and streaming video.

Created by CCC and sponsored by Compaq, Learning Sites and Progressive Networks, this site provides educational experiences such as exploring an archeological site in Greece using a 3-D graphical environment. While the showcase provides material for the most technologically-advanced schools, the core curriculum of Mediterranean Fieldtrip can be used by any school or home with Internet access.

"Mediterranean Fieldtrip offers students a unique chance to experience people and places they may not communicate with or see otherwise," said Lori McBride, CCC vice president of new media markets. "Because IJs will be sending reports daily and the curriculum will be updated throughout the year, the project will maintain students' interest in learning about other cultures."

Instructional Areas

In addition to daily IJ reports and the technology showcase, the project offers three other instructional tools that students can use at any point in the virtual journey. These include "Country Quest," which directs students in researching topics related to individual countries; "Chat 'n Debate," a weekly threaded discussion forum for guided conversation with IJs and other students; and "Challenges & Collaborations," where students can choose a world problem such as endangered species or poverty and work with other students around the world to develop solutions.

Special Offers for Teachers

CCC is sponsoring several promotions in conjunction with Mediterranean Fieldtrip. At the end of the expedition, participating teachers will be eligible to win a new laptop computer donated by Compaq. In addition, CCC will be awarding monthly prizes for teachers and students who have actively participated in the project. All participating teachers can register for a free school-year subscription to CCCnet (www.cccnet.com), CCC's education web site.

About Edscape

Edscape is a premiere education web site for K-12 educators and students delivering interactive curriculum for all grade levels and disciplines, as well as professional development areas for teachers. The site, launched in May 1997, is based on the model created by CCCnet (www.cccnet.com), CCC's award-winning site that is now an Edscape member site.

About the Company

Computer Curriculum Corporation is the leading provider of educational software and services to the school market and a unit of Simon & Schuster. CCC's software is installed in more than 16,000 schools and has been used by more than 10 million students worldwide. CCC has been delivering education technology solutions for 30 years and is extending its reach to a community of learners by offering educational projects over the World Wide Web via CCCnet, adult education solutions through CCC's Invest Learning division and after school education programs through Score@Kaplan nationwide educational centers. -0-

Simon & Schuster, the world's largest educational publisher, is the publishing operation of Viacom Inc. Viacom is one of the world's largest entertainment and publishing companies and a leading force in nearly every segment of the international media marketplace.

CONTACT: Computer Curriculum Corp./Simon & Schuster

Lorraine Bolster, 408/541-3951

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The Weber Group

Dawn Mortensen, 415/325-8300

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