How is the Jasper series different from other “educational” videos?
Many educational videos are simply lectures transferred to a video format in an attempt to provide information to students or to show them examples of situations that students cannot view directly in their lives. The Jasper laserdisc adventures are unique in that they present a believable story that has interesting characters, a complex and important challenge, and extensions to a variety of curricular areas. To solve the challenge, the students use problem-solving skills, mathematics concepts and skills, and the laserdisc to find information that was presented as part of the story. The laserdisc provides instant access to any part of the story and perfect image clarity when an image is frozen on the screen. Why is it different? The developers of the Jasper series have observed, as have other researchers in education and psychology, that classroom learning is very different from “natural” learning environments. Natural learning environments, like those in which parents help their child
