SECAUCUS, NJ — (Marketwire) — 08/02/11 — It was a serendipitous call when Brighter Choice Charter Middle School for Girls (BCMS) of Albany, New York approached the Berlitz organization in 2010 looking for alternative ways to expand language offerings for fifth graders. As it turned out, Berlitz had been having great success with a distance-learning language program it created for Panasonic employees and was eager to explore other educational opportunities that would expand the utility of its Panasonic (HDVC).
A series of discussions ultimately led to the creation of Brighter Choice-s first distance-learning program, which school officials describe as a “very cost-effective” solution for delivering Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese language instruction to its students. The program has been so successful that it is being expanded to include sixth graders for the 2011-2012 school year, according to Vanessa Threatte, Founding Principal of BCMS. “We went into this with the very specific expectation of being able to connect our students with a broader pool of teachers and we-ve been able to do that,” she said.
“This real time collaboration between Berlitz and Brighter Choice Charter Schools is a perfect example of how the Panasonic HDVC system can be used to create exciting new educational opportunities and reduce costs at a time when school budgets across the country are under enormous pressure,” said Bill Taylor, President of Panasonic System Networks Company of America. “And it-s particularly gratifying that BCMS has chosen to expand the Berlitz program in the coming school year. I look forward to seeing what other creative uses they come up with for our system.”
The cutting-edge Panasonic HDVC system is easy to set up and operate and includes an array of features that facilitate outstanding visual and voice communication. The system combines H.264 video compression with Panasonic-s proprietary codec technology, enabling 1080i video to be delivered over a standard broadband connection. Key user features include on-screen guidance and one-touch memory keys for frequently called conference locations. An array of component options, configurations and packages are available, which all include both on-site and remote technical support from Panasonic.
For additional information on the HDVC system, please visit
Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic System Networks Company of America is a unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC). A comprehensive business-to-business solutions provider, the company develops and delivers reliable, affordable, and flexible solutions for communication, collaboration, security and productivity. The complete suite of solutions addresses home and business communications, security and surveillance systems, retail information systems, medical imaging, office productivity and high definition visual conferencing, keeping Panasonic customers connected, informed, accessible and secure. Information is available at . Additional company information for journalists is available at .
Martha Whiteley
Panasonic
201-348-7781
Kasia McManamon
GLA Communications
908-889-8300 Ext. 106
MeeJin Annan-Brady
Panasonic
201-392-6124
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