ResultAppendix G
Emerging Services
The Granada Media Group has signed an agreement with IBM to develop Result. This digital TV service is claimed to be the first fully interactive service in the world, using both digital TV and the Internet to deliver a wide range of material designed to teach GCSE and the National Curriculum (1). Result has being trialled in a pilot project, funded by the Department for Education and Employment, to assess how digital broadcasting can enhance the teaching and learning of GCSEs.
Anglia Multimedia
Anglia Multimedia is involved in GCSE digital television trials using digital terrestrial TV. Anglia Multimedia, part of the United News and Media group and sister company to Anglia Television, has been selected to conduct digital television trials for the GCSE syllabus in Britain's schools. It is one of three companies chosen by the Department for Education and Employment to participate in trials in the spring term to evaluate the potential of the emerging digital technologies. Anglia Multimedia produces CD-Roms and runs a curriculum website for UK schools. It is also an accredited provider of Professional Development in ICT for teachers.
BBC
The BBC was one of three companies chosen by the Department for Education and Employment to participate in trials in the spring term to evaluate the potential of the emerging digital technologies. The exact solution is unknown but it has separately developed its digital education channel – BBC Knowledge and has also made available an interactive web site for GCSE revision. BBC Knowledge has a 24-hour information service using digital text, which is accompanying all BBC Knowledge programmes broadcasting on the digital terrestrial platform. A children’s programme Voyager makes specific use of the interactivity available through this service.
NTL
NTL is offering an analogue knowledge service accessed through an extranet or walled garden using an existing telephone line with a modem. It may decide to turn it into a digital service in the future. Current content providers include Dorling Kingsley.
Wales Digital College
The Wales Digital College has been established as a joint venture with the aim of combining the services and skills of educationalists, trainers, business and industry, BBC Wales and S4C to provide a first class lifelong learning service for TV viewers in Wales. Digital television is seen as becoming a virtual "front door" to education reaching 1.2 million households. From November 2000 it will be broadcasting education programmes under its own brand name for three hours a day during the morning. This will be via digital terrestrial and via digital satellite where it will appear within Sky Digital’s electronic programme guide. It will be accessible to everyone in the UK via satellite. Simple interactivity will be available to begin with but there are plans to trial out a number of new interactive learning services on the different digital TV platforms in the near future.
It is estimated that 40% of Welsh households will have digital TV by November 2000 increasing to 45% by Christmas 2000 (2). For those that don’t have access to digital TV it is planned to establish a network of viewing centres not more than three miles from where people live across the whole of Wales.