May 2004 — ConnectEd
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EtherneTV System Lets Schools Create Database of Video, Online Resources
VBrick Systems Inc. has manufactured the first complete system for delivering live and stored DVD-quality video to PCs, TVs or any other video-enabled networked device. The EtherneTV Media Distribution System (www.vbrick.com/products/ethernetv_ mds.asp) is based on open MPEG standards and provides the ability to stream live TV or stored video over a school's LAN using a single intuitive interface. The system also lets schools create a database of video and online resources, as well as schedule and record live video streams.
The Desert Sands Unified School District in California uses the EtherneTV system to create a database of resources for its teachers and students. Teachers use EtherneTV to access professional development videos and prerecorded lesson plans. The students use the system, rather than the Internet, to search for resources that have been preapproved as educationally appropriate. "We didn't want to create a monster like the Internet where [students] type one word and get thousands of results," says Dr. George Araya, director of educational technology and information services at Desert Sands USD. "That's why I prefer to call it 'resources online' rather than 'video online' - because video is too limiting."
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