Cybernautics Tapped for Simon & Schuster Virtual Expedition

Posted on August 26, 1997

Cybernautics, Inc., an Internet audience development and Web-content creation company, has been selected by Simon & Schuster, an educational publisher, to design and develop a web-based project that will take students on a "virtual field trip" to the Mediterranean. The interactive project will be launched in September on Edscape, Simon & Schuster's education website.

The Edscape Global Fieldtrip project, which is designed for classroom use for grades 3-12, is a joint effort with BikeAbout, a non-profit organization specializing in cycling educational Internet adventures. Coinciding with back-to-school, the team of five cyclists - known on Edscape as "IJs" or Internet Jockeys -- will set out on September 25, eastward along the Moroccan coast. They will eventually conclude their 10,000 mile journey through 19 countries in Gibraltar in June at the end of the school year.

The IJs will communicate with students about historical points of interest and contemporary cultural issues, and they will incorporate the thoughts and opinions of local students and experts. Cybernautics' design work will support this educational area with graphics and interactive elements that engage students while also supporting teachers' educational goals. The design will incorporate student research, collaboration, communication and online publishing.

Keith Schaefer, Cybernautics CEO, says in the announcement "Utilizing our expertise and experience we will create compelling and attractive design elements which will appeal to students and involve them in this interdisciplinary curriculum. Bringing education alive by making it interactive reinforces our belief in the 'any time, any place' learning opportunity that both the Web and the Internet provide. Cybernautics is committed to developing Internet-appealing approaches that benefit children and education. Our work on behalf of Stand For Children, or the broader scope of work required to be undertaken in conjunction with others in our industry to make Vice President Gore's goal of 'connecting' all of our schools to the Internet a reality, is a high Cybernautics priority."