Decision '08 Enters the Classroom: NBC News and HotChalk Launch Revolutionary Digital Election Resource, Exclusively for Education

Decision '08 Enters the Classroom: NBC News and HotChalk Launch Revolutionary Digital Election Resource, Exclusively for Education

NEW YORK, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- As classroom teachers prepare their lesson plans around the upcoming presidential election, searching for ways to engage students in the fundamentals of our political process, NBC News in partnership with HotChalk is launching today the most comprehensive digital, curricular resource ever available on American presidential politics.

The pioneering Decision '08 resource, designed specifically for classroom instruction, offers the latest, up-to-the-minute presidential election news through a video-on-demand user interface, allowing teachers to effortlessly customize their lesson plans with compelling and relevant content to bring the election process and political issues to life.

This will be of particular value in enriching political understanding of 17 and 18 year old students, who are preparing to vote for the first time.

The Decision '08 resource will include current news reports from Telemundo, NBC's Spanish language television network. These Spanish-language clips will give teachers with limited-English students additional venues for keeping them involved with the electoral process.

The new Decision '08 resources are available exclusively within the HotChalk Learning Environment (www.HotChalk.com/nbc.html) a ground-breaking, k-12 learning management system transforming the teaching and learning experience.

Recently identified by comScore Media Metrix, a leading tracker of Internet data, as one of the fastest growing education web site of 2007, HotChalk streamlines millions of teachers' activities, allowing them to easily and quickly develop unique lesson plans, locate and integrate valuable curriculum materials, manage assignments and grading online, and share vital information and communication with students and parents, who also have access to this free, safe community.

The dynamic political features offered by NBC News through HotChalk, which can be incorporated into lessons for any grade level and subject, will be updated weekly through Election Day 2008 and include:

   -- The Daily Trail - Up-to-the-minute breaking news and political analysis      pulled daily from NBC News comprehensive political coverage,      interviews, campaign speeches, and debates.    -- Meet the Candidates - Full candidate profiles including candidacy      announcements, major speeches, campaign trail news, and candidates'      positions on major issues.  Never-before-seen full and unedited "Meet      the Press" interviews with the 2008 presidential candidates will also      be available.    -- Presidential Debates and Conventions - Clips and coverage from the      primary and presidential debates and the nominating conventions.    -- What's At Stake - In-depth look at the key issues of 2008, including      foreign policy, education, immigration, healthcare, the economy,      national security, and the environment.  These special features will      include sample lesson plans created by teachers for teachers.    -- Campaigns Past - Historical footage from past presidential campaigns      including archival speeches and interviews, debates, conventions,      election night coverage, and inaugural and concession speeches. This      section will also include historic campaign advertisements.   

"Generating student excitement and interest in national politics is often a challenge for teachers - young people don't always understand the relevance or feel a connection to what is happening, yet what they learn about politics has the potential to affect much of what they do on a daily basis, whether they know it or not," said Kevin M. Cline, a government and social studies teacher at Frankton Jr./Sr. High School in Frankton, Indiana.

"For many of my students, the 2008 election will be the first time they will be eligible to vote," continued Cline. "Having easy, online access to an incredibly rich compilation of Decision '08 resources will help me bring the issues and most up-to-date news from the campaign trail directly into the classroom in a way that will stimulate my students. And because HotChalk is so easy to use, I can save time when planning and researching my lessons. I am excited about possibilities of this content to motivate students and to encourage them to take an interest in the political process."

The Decision '08 content is part of the larger, innovative venture of NBC News and HotChalk to bring true "e-learning" to the classroom and set a new standard in how education is offered and consumed.

Exclusively on HotChalk, teachers and students have easy access to over 70 years of NBC News digitally archived content, bringing life-relevant learning to classrooms through a 21st century Web-based, visual platform consistent with the way students consume information today. Created in collaboration with historians, textbook authors, and other experts on a wide range of topics, thousands of video, film, and radio resources; mini-documentaries; text resources; primary sources; and images are designed to engage students in active learning and provide primary source materials that far exceed what is available in traditional instructional materials.

Access to all NBC Video Resources is free to all educators and students through January 31, 2008. To access this rich resource, go to www.HotChalk.com/nbc.html.

About NBC News

NBC News, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/, has been a leading source of global news and information for more than 70 years, first on radio, and today via broadcast and cable television, the Internet, radio and cell phones. Operating around the clock with bureaus in key cities in the United States and overseas, NBC News provides immediate coverage and in-depth reporting of major events to a worldwide audience.

About HotChalk

HotChalk, www.HotChalk.com, one of the fastest growing web sites in the world, is focused on improving the lives of teachers. Teachers save time using HotChalk so they can spend more time teaching by working together, sharing lesson plans, best practices and results. HotChalk, the market leading Web 2.0 learning community, serves millions of teachers, students and parents every month in more than 160 countries worldwide.

About Telemundo

Telemundo, a U.S. Spanish-language television network, is the essential entertainment, news, and sports source for Hispanics. Broadcasting unique national and local programming for the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, Telemundo reaches 93% of U.S. Hispanic viewers in 142 markets, 36 broadcast affiliates and nearly 684 cable affiliates.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: NBC News

CONTACT: Jodie Pozo-Olano, +1-540-349-2311, Jodie@sequoiapr.com, or
Jessica Schwartz Hahn, +1-703-478-0658, Jessica@peithocom.com, both for NBC
News

Web site: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
http://www.hotchalk.com/nbc.html
http://www.hotchalk.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment