From: BBracey@aol.com (by way of Jan Wee <jwee@mail.arc.nasa.gov>)
Subject: "Mystery on Mars" at http://derby.headbone.com
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 11:38:36 -0600
Dear discuss-lfm members, Looks interesting... (BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 1997--Headbone Interactive's Internet learning adventure, The Headbone Derby, launched its third installment today with a focus on planetary science. As NASA's Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor mission make their way toward Mars, fourth through eighth graders will be given the opportunity to learn all about the Red Planet by playing "Mystery on Mars" at http://derby.headbone.com . In this Spring edition of the ongoing Derby (available free of charge), kids will read a Web-based, comic strip mystery that motivates them to do on-line research on the astronomy, geology and history of Mars in order to resolve cliff-hanger endings and move onto subsequent episodes in the story. "Our broad objective with the school Derby program is to provide a tool for teachers and students to actively learn about the changing ways knowledge can be accessed in this information age," said Sara Snyder, educational marketing manager. "'Information Literacy' is a key skill for 21st century kids -- and adults as well." The storyline for Headbone's third Derby dovetails with NASA's "Live from Mars" curricular Web Site, which delivers interactive on-line resources for teachers and classrooms (http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars). "Headbone's 'Mystery on Mars' Derby is fun and educational and engages youngsters directly. Thus, our two sites complement one another perfectly. Together they excite and inform students about the wonders of Mars," said Marc Siegel, Sharing NASA project manager. The Mars Derby will run from March 16 through National Science and Technology Week (April 20-26), culminating on May 21. Prizes such as Laptop computers, color printers, and photo scanners donated by sponsors including Epson, Yahooligans and Storm Technology, will be awarded to winning teachers and classroom teams. Yahoo will be the featured search engine, giving teachers customized searching capabilities. "You would not believe how excited my students are about this game. They really enjoy playing," said Renee Kervin of Evansdale Elementary School in Doraville, Ga. "They come to class early, beg me to stay late, and occasionally meet after school to search for the answers to episodes we read earlier in the day." Evansdale is one of thousands of schools that have participated in the Derby to date. Headbone has already assembled some data from its most recent Derby and is showing that on average, players are spending over 12 minutes and viewing over 20 pages each time they go up on the site. The Derby has recorded an average of 60,000 page views per day. All of this is important as the company seeks out additional sponsors for its ongoing Derbies. "We believe we've created a top-knotch Internet program for schools, and by making it free, schools and students across the nation can easily access and use it. We believe advertisers will support this kind of program because of its broad reach and value, and its intrinsic value to our communities and schools," said Headbone President Susan Lammers. The Headbone Derby is a key feature of the Headbone Zone (http://www.headbone.com), the company's newly branded kids' site on the World Wide Web. In addition to the Derby -- designed primarily for school use -- the Headbone Zone contains a broad array of games, puzzles and activities designed for kids 8 through 14.