Pokemon Learning League Press Release

[FabuVinny]

Press Release

Pokemon Learning League Leverages Online Format to Provide Students With Current Content
Wednesday December 13, 5:20 am ET
Schools Increasingly See Benefit of Digital Learning Materials; Content Can Be Quickly and Easily Updated As Needed


NEW YORK, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Online educational resources provide students with the most up-to-date content, alleviating the concern educators have with the timeliness of print-based materials. This benefit and many others are the reasons schools are increasingly turning to online learning resources. According to the America's Digital Schools 2006 survey, district curriculum directors anticipate expenditures for digital supplemental materials to triple over the next five years. Pokemon USA, Inc., the provider of the online educational product Pokemon Learning League, is able to promptly incorporate current events into the lessons, make revisions per the academic community, and address issues that arise for students. The flexibility of online learning resources, such as Pokemon Learning League, essentially eliminates obsolete data.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061010/NYFNSC18 )


Pokemon Learning League, http://www.PokemonLearningLeague.com , is a web-based educational suite of animated, interactive lessons in language arts, math, science, and life skills for ages 8-12. It can be used at school or at home.

This fall, when the International Astronomical Union redefined the term "planet" and reclassified Pluto as a minor planet, Pokemon USA immediately modified its online lesson on the solar system to reflect the change.

Another example of the timely and relevant information provided in Pokemon Learning League is its lesson on the food pyramid. A major health problem plaguing America is childhood obesity. This issue has come to the forefront of education discourse. Schools are now searching for new ways to teach students about healthy eating habits and exercise. With Pokemon Learning League, students learn about the new Food Guide Pyramid in a way that is relatable to them, using familiar characters and storylines that appeal to their age group.

Because of the nature of the Internet, online educational providers can quickly respond to current events to update the content on their sites and make it immediately available to students. Print materials often have a long lag time between the time they are written to the time they reach students' hands. The widespread access to the Internet from virtually any location is also an advantage over print-based materials, which must be purchased in retail stores, or which school districts must warehouse and distribute among its schools and then to its teachers and students.

"My students enjoy using Pokemon Learning League in the computer classroom," said Margaret Slutz, master technologist for the Horn Academy in the Houston Independent School District. "One of the greatest assets of the program is its ease-of-use. It can be used on any computer with an Internet connection, no matter what operating system is being used. The creators can add more features without teachers having to download upgrades, and the program doesn't require a lot of instruction beforehand for the students to be able to use it."

Pokemon uses the feedback they receive from educators to revise and update lessons to ensure the topics are the most relevant in the classroom and strike the right tone with students and teachers.

Today's students are accustomed to reading and writing in an online environment that instantly responds to their actions. With Pokemon Learning League, students receive immediate feedback on their progress, and they can proceed through the program at their own pace. To further customize instruction to students' needs, teachers can assign lessons that meet the students' skill levels.

"The use of digital supplemental materials, such as Pokemon Learning League, in schools continues to grow," said Yves Saada, vice president of interactive media for Pokemon USA. "The future of education lies in a web-based learning environment that provides real-time information, flexibility in use, and quick adaptability to the changing needs of students and teachers."

Pokemon Learning League is available to educators and students, as well as families, to preview for free. Beginning in early 2007, a paid yearly subscription will be required for full access to the site. Subscriptions start at $95 per household and $145 per classroom.

To preview the lessons, visit http://www.PokemonLearningLeague.com .

About Pokemon USA, Inc.
Pokemon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokemon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and the Pokemon Trading Card Game outside of Japan. This includes licensing, marketing, an animated TV series, home entertainment, the official Pokemon website, and online retail center http://www.pokemoncenter.com . Celebrating its 10th worldwide anniversary in 2006, Pokemon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo's Game Boy® and has since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokemon was introduced in North America in September 1998 and today is one of the most popular toy and entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit pokemon.com.

So is anyone here going to pay the $95 per household? Or are we all just going to ignore it from January?