Cable in the Classroom
...ds of use. The cable company members have already obtained the necessary rights to tape and use their programming in classrooms before they are made available to teachers. In this respect, the Copyright Board of Canada’s tariff law does not apply to Cable in the Classroom. Schools do no incur any costs and since educational budgets are skimpy, Cable in the Classroom is even more coveted by schools all across Canada. Cable in the Classroom offers a myriad of services including Staff Room, the Teacher Network, Lesson Plans, Program Search, Updates, a Personal Planner, a Calendar, Getting Started, and Pick of the Week. Staff Room is an on-line area of the website where teachers can exchange ideas, links to other helpful websites, educational material, or advice. Another service offered by Cable in the Classroom is the Teacher Network. This group of educational professionals attends workshops and conferences to share their enthusiasm about using cable as part of their everyday school curriculum and to enlist others into the organization. Teachers and parents of home-schooled children can find Lesson Plans to aid them with some of the cable programs offered by Cable in the Classroom. These lesson plans have been designed to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of different age groups and learning needs. Educators can also refine the list of cable programs to choose from by using the website’s Program Search. Updates come from various program partners who provide busy educators with news about what is popular and new. A Personal Planner helps teachers devise a calendar of programs to use and follow. The Calendar provides an overview of upcoming programs and when they may be aired. Getting Started helps newcomers learn how to use the website and its free services. Finally, Pick of the Week lets teachers know what other teachers are using and recommending them to use too. The very credible and lengthy list of national, provincial and territorial educational organizations and institutions is proof that Cable in the Classroom is a legitimate organization. These organizations and institutions include the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, the Media Awareness Network, Canadian Association of Media Education, Canadian College of Teachers, Council of Ministers of Education of Canada, just to name a few. Susan Hemstreet, a teacher in Ottawa, Ontario says, “the teacher resources available at Cable in th...