NDM NEWS
NDM Brings Unique Content to Educators Through Social Media Channels
New Dimension Media (NDM) is giving social media users special access to its library of over 4,000 educational titles. Using Facebook and Twitter, NDM is providing subscribers, followers, and "friends" with daily access to topical media clips that educators can use to augment their lessons. These clipsupdated every weekdayare drawn from NDM's substantial library of content providers, including Disney Educational Productions, BBC Motion Gallery, Bill Nye the Science Guy, National Geographic, and more.
Education Veteran Returns to NDM After Field Research
New Dimension Media (NDM) has welcomed Jo-Ann Kratz back as its new Senior Vice President upon her completion of a term of nearly two years as Director of Curriculum at Bellwood School District 88 in Bellwood, IL.
"NDM is committed to researching the impact of technology in the classroom in a very hands-on way," said Melissa Moreland, Vice President of Acquisitions and Program Development for New Dimension Media. "We are delighted that Jo-Ann is returning to us, but her work in Bellwood School District 88 will be invaluable to us as we connect NDM's products and services with schools across the country."
As Director of Curriculum at Bellwood School District 88, Ms. Kratz oversaw all instruction and technology implementation in the district, and managed the introduction of interactive whiteboard technology into Bellwood classrooms.
"At Bellwood, I was able to experience firsthand the financial and human-capital challenges that schools face when adopting technology in the classroom," said Ms. Kratz. "Bellwood had all the struggles we associate with under-resourced schools in lower-income, ethnically diverse neighborhoods. However, we also saw that it had all the potential to benefit from technology in the classroomfrom interactive whiteboards to streaming media and more. There was tremendous untapped potential that we could access with new classroom technology."
As Director of Curriculum, Ms. Kratz also experienced the challenges of training educators to adopt new media.
"We had to make sure the instruction was as high-quality as the technology," explains Ms. Kratz. "Training teachers was one of the most rewarding parts of my job, but I had to coach them on using the technology in an engaging way. A worksheet projected on a whiteboard is still just a worksheet."
A lifelong education professional, Ms. Kratz has over 25 years of experience as an educator and administrator in both public and parochial schools. Prior to her work at Bellwood, Ms. Kratz was a Vice President at New Dimension Media. She is a graduate of Concordia University and Loyola University.
For more information about Ms. Kratz, contact NDM's Melissa Moreland at 312.397.2151 or mmoreland@ndmquestar.com.
Questar Founder Provides Expert Insight on Video Copyright for Inside Higher Education
In an article last year for Inside Higher Ed, the well-respected website posed the question as to whether or not it is illegal for professors to stream copyrighted films on private course websites. While The Association of Information and Media Equipment (AIME) claims that yes, this practice is illegal, not everyone agrees.
According to the article, while AIME feels the practice is illegal and plans to sue the University of California Los Angeles and potentially other colleges, UCLA doesnt agree, but has suspended the practice nonetheless. The disagreement between the two parties has left experts to question as to whether or not this practice is indeed illegal, and infringing on copyright laws.
The article reports that Timothy Burke, a history professor at Swarthmore College, commented that educational films rely heavily on the contributions of academics, and therefore academics should not be required to pay for them.
Albert Nader, the president and founder of Questar, Inc., disagrees. One of the 16 companies that are a member of AIME, Nader told Inside Higher Ed that a very small amount of Questars educational division were produced by academics. Though academics contribute information to educational films, most are made by filmmakers who depend on royalties to support themselves. If a college or university professor wants to use a film for his class, well charge a fee of $149 for use in perpetuity, Nader told Inside Higher Ed. $149 for a program is going to break a university? Thats absurd!
To view the rest of the article and weigh-in on the debate, click here.
Questar Founder Provides Expert Insight on Video Copyright for Inside Higher Education
Questar Founder Provides Expert Insight on Video Copyright for Inside Higher Education
In an article last year for Inside Higher Ed, the well-respected website posed the question as to whether or not it is illegal for professors to stream copyrighted films on private course websites. While The Association of Information and Media Equipment (AIME) claims that "yes," this practice is illegal, not everyone agrees.
According to the article, while AIME feels the practice is illegal and plans to sue the University of California Los Angeles and potentially other colleges, UCLA doesn't agree, but has suspended the practice nonetheless. The disagreement between the two parties has left experts to question as to whether or not this practice is indeed illegal, and infringing on copyright laws.
The article reports that Timothy Burke, a history professor at Swarthmore College, commented that educational films rely heavily on the contributions of academics, and therefore academics should not be required to pay for them.
Albert Nader, the president and founder of Questar, Inc., disagrees. One of the 16 companies that are a member of AIME, Nader told Inside Higher Ed that a very small amount of Questar's educational division were produced by academics. Though academics contribute information to educational films, most are made by filmmakers who depend on royalties to support themselves. "If a college or university professor wants to use a film for his class, we'll charge a fee of $149 for use in perpetuity," Nader told Inside Higher Ed. "$149 for a program is going to break a university? That's absurd!"
UIC names Questar founder Albert Nader to Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame
For founding and growing a successful business that has helped establish Chicago as a central player in the entertainment and media industries, Questar president Albert Nader, 77, has been named to the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony on February 25 at the Grand Ballroom of the Chicago Hilton and Towers. Established in 1985, the award recognizes innovative business leaders in Chicago's six-county area who have demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and business talent by founding or growing their respective business.A lifelong Chicagoan and graduate of DePaul University, Mr. Nader began his career as a writer, working in advertising and marketing. His early clients included Chicago's CBS, ABC, and Fox affiliates, as well as the Chicago White Sox.
In 1985, Mr. Nader founded Questar Entertainment, which he has steadily grown into one of the home entertainment industry's largest content holders and producers of quality Travel, Nature, and Inspirational programming for television, home entertainment, education, web and digital.
Today, with over 4,000 titles in its library, Questar products are distributed through YouTube, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Costco, Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Netflix, iTunes, Blockbuster, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Columbia House, and Reader's Digest. Questar has produced more than 100 original programs for PBS, The Discovery Channel, TLC, The Travel Channel, The History Channel (A&E Networks), and PAX-TV Network. Mr. Nader has personally produced and written scripts for Joe Mantegna, Martin Sheen, Jeff Daniels, Peter Coyote, Richard Thomas, James Whitmore, Shari Belafonte, and Richard Kiley. Throughout 2010, Questar will celebrate its 25 anniversary with a variety of new releases and events for clients, customers, and employees.