EDUCAST OFFERS FREE E-MAIL AND INTERNET HOME PAGES TO EVERY EDUCATOR IN
AMERICA
Educators can communicate with parents, students and their peers the
'90s way by registering for free Educast Mail accounts designed
exclusively for them
TORRANCE, Calif., March 17, 1998 - EducastTM Mail, a new service that
provides free e-mail and personal Internet home pages specifically for
educators, was launched on the Internet today. Educast Mail, an
extension of the Educast 2.0 news and information service, is designed
to connect educators with a growing number of Internet savvy parents,
students, colleagues and administrators.
"The communications demands placed on educators, especially by parents,
can be tremendous," said Martha Connellan, vice president of school
products at Cendant Software (the parent company to Davidson &
Associates, the developer of Educast). "Educast Mail is a tool to help
educators meet those demands, enabling them to communicate with a
variety of audiences in a way that is fast and convenient. This service
also saves schools the extra time and expense of setting up e-mail
accounts for their teachers."
Educators, often restricted by class schedules and phone access, will
benefit from the flexibility that electronic communication offers.
E-mail offers educators another dimension of communication power. They
can respond to parent inquiries at their convenience by e-mail or they
can use it to help parents keep up on their children's school activities
with quick notes about project deadlines or special events.
The free Internet home pages offer educators even more flexibility in
their communication. On their own home page, educators can build
homework hotlines for students and parents, create a classroom
newsletter, post a school calendar of events, and post notices and
information about upcoming class projects.
Educast Mail is powered by CommTouch Software, Inc. Both Educast Mail
and Educast 2.0 are sponsored by AT&T WorldNet Service, Compaq Computer
Corporation and Epson America, Inc. Educators can register for their
free e-mail account or download Educast 2.0 at http://www.educast.com.
"Internet e-mail is the foremost communication tool of the 21st
century," explained CommTouch President Isabel Maxwell. "CommTouch is
thrilled to be part of this effort to foster better dialogue between
parents, teachers, and students."
Educast Mail Features
Educast Mail offers educators a variety of useful features to help them
communicate with their audiences as professionally and efficiently as
possible:
Home Page - Provides educators with a free personal home page and
step-by-step instructions on how to set it up. With this tool,
educators can post information for parents, students, administrators and
their colleagues to access at their convenience on the Internet.
In Box and Compose - Educators can check their incoming messages and
write and
send new messages.
Help - Lists many frequently asked Educast Mail questions and answers.
Educators can review the complete list of questions or go directly to a
specific subject by selecting it from a "How To" list.
Safety - Offers educators three options to filter their incoming
messages. In
the first option, educators can create a specific list of senders who
they will accept messages from. With this option, only messages from the
educator's list will be delivered to their In-Box. The second option
lets educators specify senders who they do not want to receive messages
from. All incoming messages will be delivered to the educator's In-Box
except those from senders who they specified. The third option is for
educators to choose not to filter their messages with the "Receive Mail
From Anyone" option.
Other features include a tool for writing new messages, folders to
manage messages, an address book to compile Internet mailing lists of
parents or students, and the ability to receive mail from other e-mail
accounts.
System requirements for Educast Mail are as follows:
Macintosh: 68040 processor or better Macintosh or Power PC running
System 7.5.3 or higher; 5 MB of RAM; 8 MB of free hard disk space;
minimum 13" display of 256 colors; 14.4 or better modem; and an Internet
service provider connection and browser.
Windows: 486/66 processor or better; Windows 95; 5 MB of RAM; 8 MB of
free hard disk space; a minimum display of 256 colors, VGA or better
video; 14.4 or better modem; and an Internet service provider connection
and browser.
Educast 2.0 Delivers Customized Information
In fall 1997, Davidson & Associates, Inc. became a new leader in
educational Internet resources with its launch of Educast 2.0, the first
and only push technology news and information service customized for
educators. Educast was developed exclusively for the education
community and it's free.
Installation is quick and easy and the content is drawn from
reputable sources such as PBS Online, USA TODAY, Education Week and the
U.S. Department of Education. For more information about Educast, call
Davidson School Sales at (800) 545-7677.
Davidson & Associates, Inc. is a leading publisher and distributor of
multimedia educational and entertainment software for both the home and
school markets.
The company is internationally renowned for its award-winning Blaster
Learning System, which has sold 5 million copies. Founded in 1982,
Davidson is one of the companies in Cendant Software, a business unit of
Cendant Corporation, Inc.
CommTouch (http://www.commtouch.com) is the leading provider of branded
affinity e-mail software and services, offered exclusively in
partnership with major online consumer brand marketers and media
outlets. The CommTouch e-mail interface is totally customized to
enhance brand awareness and customer relationships for consumer-driven
organizations. With more than six years of delivering intuitive
award-winning e-mail software, and over 4 million satisfied users,
CommTouch offers an unparalleled turnkey e-mail service for the 21st
century.
Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ), a Fortune
Global 200 company, is a worldwide information technology company.
Compaq is the fifth largest computer company in the world and the
largest global supplier of personal computers. Offering a full array of
desktops, notebooks, servers and networking products, Compaq delivers
to K-12 schools, colleges and universities complete solutions for
outfitting entire classrooms, school districts and campuses.
AT&T WorldNet Service is the largest direct Internet service provider in
the United States, serving more than 1.1 million subscribers. AT&T
WorldNet Service software for Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11 for
Workgroups and Macintosh is available by download free of charge from
the public AT&T WorldNet Web site (http://www.att.net) and from the AT&T
Corporate Web site (http://www.att.com) or by calling 1-800-WORLDNET.
*Compaq and Presario are registered trademarks of Compaq Computer
Corporation. Compaq, Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
* AT&T WorldNet is a registered service mark of AT&T
Editors Note: Davidson product and corporate press releases and other
information are available on the company's web site: http:
//www.education.com.
