Discourse Technologies Unveils Discourse WebTravel; Teachers Can Now Use the Net for Interactive, Whole-Class Instruction.DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1999-- Discourse Technologies, Inc., today announced the release of Discourse WebTravel(TM), which enables teachers to use the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the for interactive, whole-class instruction. The new product, which is aimed at schools with state-of-the-art computer labs, keeps every student on the same Web page at the same time, while also fostering 100 class participation and allowing for immediate and private two-way feedback between the teacher and the students. With Discourse WebTravel(TM), the teacher can display a Web site on all student computers simultaneously. Students can independently follow hyperlinks from those displayed pages, but the teacher can bring all of them to the next page in a planned sequence of Web pages at the press of a button. In addition, Discourse WebTravel(TM) enables the teacher to display related lesson questions within the students' browsers, and instantly see answers from every student, keystroke key·stroke n. A stroke of a key, as on a word processor. key  stroke by keystroke.
"The Internet has always been a wonderful resource for independent study," said Simmy Ziv-el, president of Discourse Technologies. "Now, with Discourse WebTravel(TM), it can also be a wonderful tool for whole-class instruction." The product was unveiled at the National School Boards Association's "Technology + Learning Conference" in Dallas Dallas, city (1990 pop. 1,006,877), seat of Dallas co., N Tex., on the Trinity River near the junction of its three forks; inc. 1871. The second largest Texas city, after Houston, and the eighth largest U.S. . Discourse WebTravel(TM) is a departure from most other classroom uses of technology and the Internet because it supports the teacher's role as facilitator for the whole class while also supporting teacher-guided Internet learning. The company said Discourse WebTravel(TM) will be particularly applicable in school computer labs where there are already Internet-ready, networked computers. "With Discourse WebTravel(TM), the computer lab can suddenly become a schoolwide Adj. 1. schoolwide - occurring or extending throughout a school; "schoolwide support for the team" comprehensive - including all or everything; "comprehensive coverage"; "a comprehensive history of the revolution"; "a comprehensive survey"; "a comprehensive education" resource for lessons, testing and independent study that can be used by any teacher, in any grade and in any subject," Mr. Ziv-el said. Discourse WebTravel(TM) can be used with a school's existing curriculum. The built-in authoring system makes it easy for teachers to use all their existing lesson material: lesson plans, discussion questions, graphics, CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). resources, worksheets and tests, and favorite Web sites. Discourse Technologies, of Milwaukee, is the leading developer of educational GroupWare Software that supports multiple users working on related tasks in local and remote networks. Also called "collaborative software," groupware is an evolving concept that is more than just multiuser software which allows access to the same data. applications. The company's major backers include Tribune Company The Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB) is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, responsible for the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Hartford Courant , Rockefeller & Company's Oddessey Fund, Clarion A family of application development systems for Windows from SoftVelocity, Inc., Pompano Beach, FL (www.softvelocity.com). Clarion provides a comprehensive set of tools for development, including a screen builder, 4GL and application generator. Capital and Alfred McDougal, founder of the McDougal Littell educational publishing house. |
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