What is Scholastic BookFlix™



[pic]

Frequently Asked Questions

January 2008

GENERAL INFORMATION

What is Scholastic BookFlix?

Scholastic BookFlix is a new online literacy resource for grades PreK-3 that pairs interactive fictional video storybooks from Weston Woods with related nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to build a love of reading and learning.

How is BookFlix sold?

Customers subscribe to BookFlix via an annual subscription. BookFlix is priced per building; the annual subscription includes unlimited access to BookFlix in the school building, as well as remote (home) access.

Why should a customer subscribe to BookFlix?

▪ Builds a love of reading and learning: BookFlix is an engaging and fun way for children to interact with both fiction and nonfiction books and to develop a curiosity about the world around them.

▪ Reinforces reading skills: BookFlix enables young readers to practice key reading skills including fluency, reading comprehension and vocabulary.

▪ Exposes students to fiction and nonfiction: BookFlix pairs classic fictional video storybooks with top-quality nonfiction to reinforce early reading skills with both types of text.

▪ Perfect for independent reading: Read-along option, definitions of key vocabulary words and narrated text make BookFlix the perfect independent reading resource in the classroom, computer lab, school library or at home.

▪ Helpful tools for teachers and librarians: Educator resources provide extensive lesson plans for each fiction-nonfiction pair, as well as extension activities to deepen learning.

▪ Perfect reading resource for ALL students: Read-along option, definitions of key vocabulary words, and narrated text provide support for English Language Learners, struggling readers and special education students.

What is included in BookFlix?

▪ 80 fiction and nonfiction pairs build background knowledge and introduce content-area learning

▪ Spanish language version of 20 pairs offer first language support

▪ Read-Along option for both fiction and nonfiction develop listening and reading comprehension

▪ Interactive educational games reinforce key reading skills

▪ Narrated definitions and text build vocabulary and support early readers

▪ Author biographies introduce children to favorite writers

▪ Safe, age-appropriate Web links extend learning on high-interest topics

▪ Educator resources, including lesson plans and activities, support teachers, librarians, and parents

▪ Remote (home) access offers an engaging family literacy resource

Where can BookFlix be used?

An annual subscription to BookFlix includes unlimited use in the school building (or district) PLUS remote (home) access. BookFlix can be used in the following settings:

▪ Classroom

o Small-group rotations/learning centers

o Independent reading resource

o Group reading activities (use a projector to show BookFlix on a screen or white board so the whole class can read along)

▪ School Library

o Story time activity

o Independent reading resource

▪ Computer Lab

o Independent reading resource

▪ At Home

o Family literacy resource

Which students benefit from BookFlix?

All students in grades PreK-3 will benefit from BookFlix! The program includes numerous supports – Read-Alongs, narrated text, definitions of key vocabulary words, and more – so early readers, reluctant readers, and English Language Learners can use BookFlix to build a love of reading and learning.

Is BookFlix research based?

Yes, BookFlix is based on best practices in reading instruction and has also been aligned to the Joint Position Statement of the International Reading Association.

TECHNOLOGY

How is BookFlix delivered?

BookFlix is a subscription based program that is completely web-based. The Weston Woods’ videos and nonfiction Scholastic eBooks are delivered via streaming video over the Internet.

Please note that the Weston Woods videos and the eBooks cannot be downloaded so if users cannot stream video, they will not be able to use BookFlix.

In addition, please set expectations with customers that streaming performance will vary based on factors such as connection speed, bandwidth available to the school, the number of concurrent users, the time of day the program is being used, and other network traffic.

What technical specifications are required to implement BookFlix in a school or district?

General Requirements:

▪ T1 connection or higher

▪ Macromedia Flash Player 8 or higher (this is a free download at )

▪ Speakers or headsets

For PC:

▪ Operating System: Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

▪ Processor: Pentium II or higher

▪ Memory: 128 MB of RAM

▪ Browser: IE 6.0 (7.0 for Windows XP) and Firefox 2.x.

▪ Display: 15-inch monitor with the resolution set at 1024 x 768 for best viewing (will operate fine at 800 x 600) with high 16-bit colors or higher selected

For Mac:

▪ Operating System: Macintosh OS X

▪ Processor: Power PC G3 500MHz or faster, or Intel Core Duo 1,83GHz or faster

▪ Memory: 128MB of RAM

▪ Browser: Safari 1.0 or higher and Firefox 2.x

▪ Display: 15-inch monitor with the resolution set at 1024 x 768 (will operate fine at 800 x 600) with "thousands of colors" selected

How can a school or district be certain they meet the technical requirements for BookFlix?

Before a school or district begins their subscription, the customer should visit the following link

to make sure every computer that will access BookFlix meets the necessary technical

requirements: .

My customer still has some questions about the technology even after they visited the diagnostic check. Who should they contact?

Customers can contact BookFlix Customer Service in Danbury at 888-326-6546.

How do schools or districts access BookFlix?

BookFlix is a subscription-based literacy resource for schools and libraries and may be licensed for both on-site and remote access. A variety of methods are used to authenticate these accounts. If the customer is unaware of their network or Web infrastructure, they should review this information with the head of their technology department before making a decision.

1. IP Address: On-site access is most easily provided by authenticating the public IP address or address range (whichever is appropriate) unique to the subscribing institution(s).

2. Secure Referring Web Page: If an institution maintains a Web site that includes a page accessible only to their students (using student ID numbers, passwords, etc. maintained by you), they can place a link to BookFlix on that page and allow subscribers to access our service via that link.

3. One-time Password: If an institution shares IP addresses with non-subscribing institutions and they do not have a secure referring Web page, we can connect them using the "one-time password" method. This method works well when one or more-but not all-schools behind a proxy server elect to subscribe.

I am expected to help the customer choose their authentication method and help activate their account?

No, BookFlix Customer Service in Danbury has extensive experience working with schools and libraries to activate accounts via the above authentication methods. After you have worked with the customer to approve the price quote and fill out the Online License Agreement, Danbury Customer Service will work directly with the customer to activate their account. If you or your customers have any questions, you can contact BookFlix Customer Service in Danbury at 888-326-6546.

What does remote access mean?

When a school subscribes to BookFlix, their subscription includes remote access. This means that students and their families can access BookFlix at home or anywhere there is an Internet connection. There are several ways to set-up remote access and the BookFlix Customer Service team in Danbury will work directly with the school or district to set-up this up.

Does BookFlix include any tracking or reporting system?

The first release of BookFlix does not include a tracking or reporting system for each individual student’s experience with the program (time on task, score in puzzlers area, etc.). However, administrators can gather general usage data at via a username and password provided by BookFlix Customer Service in Danbury.

PRODUCT AVAILABILITY

How many fiction-nonfiction pairs are currently available?

80 pairs (20 with Spanish translations).

Will you be adding additional pairs?

Yes, we have plans to add additional pairs each year. We have not yet determined how many new pairs we will add each year and what the pricing structure will be. As soon as we have finalized this information we will communicate it to you.

PRICING

How much does BookFlix cost?

The annual cost for one building with more than 100 PreK-3 students to subscribe to BookFlix is $999 a year. If a school has less than 100 PreK-3 students, then the entry price is $599 per year. This includes remote access and unlimited use in the school building. There is a discounted pricing structure in place when multiple school buildings in a district subscribe. Please see the pricing grid for additional information.

Are there any upsell opportunities with BookFlix?

Yes! BookFlix features 160 book titles in the program – these titles are published books. We are currently working out which titles have international rights. A list will be provided at a later date.

Will customers have to pay for services including implementation, tech support, and training?

BookFlix has a dedicated tech support staff located in Danbury. They offer tech support from 9am to 5pm EST each business day. They handle everything from questions about account activation to troubleshooting customers’ implementation and technology issues. Tech support is currently included in the price of BookFlix.

Training will be available for BookFlix users; please contact Zoe Schweitzer or Edie Perkins for more information.

Can customers customize which pairs they subscribe to?

No, currently customers must subscribe to the entire package all 80 fiction-nonfiction pairs.

Who are the key purchasers/decision makers?

▪ Superintendent

▪ Assistant Superintendent

▪ Reading/Curriculum Directors

▪ Technology Directors

▪ Kindergarten Readiness

▪ After-school Coordinators

▪ Principals

▪ Literacy Coaches

▪ Librarian/Media Specialists

FREE TRIALS

How can a customer receive a free trial?

▪ Customers can register for a 30-day free trial by visiting bookflix.

▪ You can also share free trial access with your customers at ; each month BookFlix Customer Service assigns a new password set that you will receive by email.

How do I know a customer in my territory has signed up for a free trial at bookflix?

Each day BookFlix Customer Service in Danbury receives a list of customers who have requested a free trial. The team vets this list against our current customer base and then sends out free trial access information to all viable potential customers.

BookFlix Customer Service then forwards this list to Zoe Schweitzer, who will send each trial customer to the appropriate sales representative.

ACTIVATION PROCESS

My customer is ready to subscribe to BookFlix. How do I activate their account?

Your customer must fill out an Online License Agreement at . To fill out this form your customer will need the following information:

▪ PO number (depends on district)

▪ License fees

▪ License terms

▪ License site names, addresses, etc.

▪ IP address/other authentication information

Once the License Agreement has been submitted, BookFlix Customer Service in Danbury will work with the customer to activate their account. Please note that the License Agreement must be filled out and the customer must confirm onsite access in order for Scholastic to recognize revenue and you to receive credit for the sale. BookFlix Customer Service will assist you throughout every step of this process. Please see Activating BookFlix/Grolier Online work sheet for additional information.

COMPETITORS

Who are BookFlix’s competitors?

There is no other program on the market that is as comprehensive or incorporates as many recognizable video storybooks as BookFlix. There are some other programs you may hear about from your customers:

TumbleBooks

TumbleBook Library () is an online collection of animated, talking picture books. TumbleBooks’ collection includes licensed titles from children's book publishers (including Scholastic). The TumbleBookLibrary Deluxe Collection has 140 TumbleBooks, 21 TumbleReadable Children's Classics, 60 TumbleGames, 8 unabridged streaming audio books, plus TumbleQuizzes and Teacher Resources.

Strengths

▪ Cheaper price (begins at $399 a building/branch per year and is deeply discounted per additional buildings/branches)

▪ Selection of videobooks in Spanish and French

▪ Includes teacher resources and lesson plans

Weaknesses

▪ Does not have the trusted brand recognition of Weston Woods and Scholastic

▪ Does not pair fiction and nonfiction books

▪ Book titles are not as recognizable/popular

▪ Quizzes and games are not available for every title

▪ Does not include any information about the authors

▪ No web links

One More Story

One More Story () is an online library of the best of children's classic and contemporary literature (plan to have 108 books in total). Through a simple point and click process, children can choose a book, see the illustrations and have the book read to them whenever they want.

Strengths

▪ Audio prompts for non- or beginning readers

▪ Read along option highlights each word as it is read by the narrator

▪ I Can Read It mode mutes the sound, allowing the child to read the book

Weaknesess

▪ No video (visual is just a photo/scan of the actual book with the seam and all)

▪ Does not pair fiction and nonfiction

▪ Books in the library are not leveled, although the corresponding Accelerated Reader levels can be found in the parent and teacher section

▪ Program does not appear to offer web links, author info, games, etc.

▪ Program does not appear to offer lesson plans for educators

▪ Doesn’t have the brand recognition of Weston Woods and Scholastic

UnitedStreaming

Discovery Education unitedstreaming () provides access to a rich collection of more than 50,000 video segments from among 5,000 full-length educational videos from Discovery School and other award-winning producers (including Weston Woods) -- with more than 1,000 new titles added every year. (Librarians will be familiar with streaming video because of UnitedStreaming.)

UnitedStreaming offers three subscription models – internet subscription, local host subscription and network manager subscription – to meet the technical and instructional needs of K-12 schools and districts - as well as a program specifically designed to meet the needs of homeschoolers.

Strengths

▪ Huge collection of videos

▪ Video content is correlated with state and provincial standards - giving teachers the streamlined ability to select just the right content to satisfy local requirements

▪ Integrated lesson plans

Weaknesses

▪ Doesn’t have the brand recognition as a literacy/reading resource

▪ Not created specifically for young readers

▪ Does not pair videos with fiction or nonfiction books

▪ Recently raised prices because of usage (didn’t communicate this to customers upfront so there has been a lot of push back).

For additional information on Scholastic BookFlix please contact:

Zoe Schweitzer, 212.343.6388 or zschweitzer@

Edie Perkins, 212.389.3202 or eperkins@

International Customer Service Go.grolier@

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download