EDCAR represents a shift to the digital

[Rob Lippincott]

PBS offers high-quality, educationally sound TV programming 4 in 3 (four times over a 3 year broadcast rights window). We should be offering 7 by 24 access to purpose-built digital objects, teacher-tested and easily sharable.

No?

[Steve Behrens]

Who could object but producers and other rights-holders? They may need more revenue to cover costs or to get an adequate surplus.

If the producers' work is good enough to distribute long-term, how often do they actually get the additional rights payments they're holding out for?

Or are they gambling on an unlikely sale of extended rights, but in the meantime undercutting the value of their work by limiting its use?

[Shar Jeffcoat]

I agree with the direction that you are envisioning EDCAR to go in, realistically 7 by 24 access would not be needed. After all how many educators are on line 7 by 24? Also the point about the producers getting paid by Steve is something to think about. So the question becomes where is the median to be able to accomodate educators and please producers and rights holders. After all the goal is to deliver quality content that can be shared and to maintain quality of the content at the same time increasing information submitted by producers/rights holders without loosing sn edge at either end.

[Gens Johnson]

Offering educators access to this content a la EDCAR -- where it might require password access -- is a long ways from simply opening up free access to the material, and an entirely worthy and noble goal. Go for it! I am so very, very excited about the possibilities! I was in Wyoming today pitching the EDCAR and UEN eMedia vision to the state supt of instruction, community college and higher ed administrators, and a school district super -- and everyone was enthusiastic and supportive. The time is right, the technology is finally ripe, and the educators are finally figuring out this multi-media approach to teaching...making it even more important to do this Now!