Silver Spring, Md. (June 3, 2009) – The U.S. Department of Education, Discovery Education and CaptionMax announce a partnership to expand the number of available resources with closed captions and audio description to ensure greater access to digital content for all students. This initiative will help educators to differentiate instruction for every learner through the use of Discovery Education streaming, the digital video-based learning resource scientifically shown to improve academic achievement.

CaptionMax, the recipient of two 5-year U.S. Department of Education grants to increase accessibility to educational media used in K-12 classrooms, and Discovery Education are working to increase access to video content and improve educational results for all learners, including those with sensory or auditory limitations.

Closed captions (CC) provide a video-synchronized on-screen transcription of the audio portion of a program, and allows deaf and hard of hearing students to fully understand the lessons. CC also can benefit ELL students, students with learning disabilities, and others who may appreciate seeing the narration and dialogue in a written form. The captions may be turned on or off by the teacher or student. The number of Discovery Education streaming videos with closed captioning will exceed 1,700 full-length programs and 13,000 core concept video clips by the fall of 2009.

In addition, many videos will be audio described (AD) to allow visually impaired students to access the program’s content through a voice-over that describes key visual elements. This description is mixed into the original program audio. AD also can benefit students that learn best aurally or through multi-sensory input. The teacher or student may choose to turn the AD on or off. Audio description is a newly added feature to Discovery Education streaming content.

“Visually impaired students often find themselves in a classroom where the teacher is showing a video to complement the lesson and are left with no access to the messages that are provided on the screen,” said Jill Soule, a high school teacher in San Diego, Calif. “The few times my students have experienced video description, they have been ecstatic. The insight these descriptions afforded them was unlike anything they had experienced before.”

“We are excited to partner with the educators in Colorado Springs to improve student achievement,” said Mike Botte, Director, Discovery Education. “We understand the importance of providing not only the right content to engage students in learning, but also the consistent professional development that will help maximize the district’s investment in those tools.”

Available in more than half of all U.S. schools, Discovery Education streaming offers teachers and students a library of up to 9,000 videos and 70,000 video clips aligned to state academic and testing standards. Searchable by keyword, content area and grade level, the rich video content and other digital assets from Discovery Education enhance curriculum and engage today's students in learning.

More Information

For more information on Discovery Education streaming, Discovery Education’s professional development services, or any other products and services from Discovery Education, please visit Discovery Education, or call 800-323-9084.

About CaptionMax

CaptionMax is dedicated to making all media accessible to all people. Specializing in captioning, subtitling, audio description, and encoding, CaptionMax is the leading expert in providing media solutions for the largest broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, Disney, Nickelodeon – and producers of educational content including HIT Entertainment, McGraw Hill, Films Media Group, and PBS. The company’s services support educational programs, live news broadcasts, sports and popular home entertainment, such as “Barney,” “American Idol,” “The Office,” “Nightline,” “ESPN News,” and “Dr. Phil.” Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., since 1993, CaptionMax also has offices in New York, Virginia, and California. For more information, visit www.captionmax.com.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISAD, DISBD, DISCK) revolutionized television with the Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one non-fiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts

Discovery Communications
Stephen Wakefield
240-662-2893
stephen_wakefield at discovery dot com
www.discoverycommunications.com

C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Sandy Fash
608-839-9800
sandy at cblohm dot com
www.cblohm.com

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