Current News
Coming in September - the PBS Digital Learning Library
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has announced the launch of the PBS Digital Learning Library, a PBS system-wide online repository of digital education assets from public broadcasting programs and services nationwide. The PBS Digital Learning Library will be a comprehensive source of "learning objects," including video, audio, images, games, and interactive simulations designed specifically for classroom use, delivered to teachers exclusively through local PBS stations. Services to deliver these resources to teachers and learners will be available in fall 2009.
As part of an ongoing, multi-year research initiative to identify and provide effective digital media in the classroom, PBS is aggregating its educational content to make it more accessible and practical for classroom use. With the support of content development grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the PBS Digital Learning Library will contain high-quality multimedia resources from PBS member stations and award-winning PBS broadcast programs, all aligned to national and local education standards and tagged for easy searching. The video resources will be provided in short segments that are more classroom-friendly than 30- and 60-minute television programs, and adapted to meet the needs of teachers and students in a 21st-century teaching and learning environment.
"PBS local stations and producers across the country have been developing high-quality digital media for the classroom for many years," said Kimberly Smith, vice president of education for PBS. "Until now, there has been no way to share these rich resources across the system. For the last two years, we have been working in partnership with our local stations on the planning and implementation of a repository focused on cataloging purpose-built, teacher-tested digital content. The PBS Digital Learning Library will aggregate a growing set of learning objects that teachers and students will be able to interact with, assemble, share, and modify to create truly engaging and transformative educational experiences. And the best part, access to these rich resources will be offered through customized digital services provided by local PBS stations."
As the main point of service to teachers, PBS member stations will adapt the resources in the Digital Learning Library to meet the needs of educators in their community and to offer new educational services and content. A number of PBS stations, including Thirteen/WNET, New York City, and WXXI, Rochester, in New York state, have contributed to the Digital Learning Library.
With the launch of the PBS Digital Learning Library, many more stations will have access to this wide range of digital content, beginning with the 2009-10 school year.
For more information or updates on the PBS Digital Learning Library, go to www.pbsteachers.org/dll.