Teachers could visit these sites, select the necessary support materials, and use them to supplement the ITV experience. Having an Internet connection, then, is not enough. Clearly, a way must be found to make the wealth of data more accessible to teachers so that it becomes easier to use. Whatever current practices may be, there is no doubt that teachers' use of the Internet to find and create lesson materials will increase dramatically in the future. It is through this medium, the Internet, that video offers its greatest promise yet for educators.
Shorter clips can heighten video's usefulness by precisely underscoring a curriculum point.
However, no foolproof formula exists for bridging the gulf between what producers could possibly shoot and what any individual teacher might need on a given day. Recognizing that a vast archive would be necessary to meet the needs of teachers, the Channel began by acquiring exclusive rights to more than 1,000 hours of award-winning footage shot by FASE Productions. Working from this raw material, The Futures Channel has already produced several hundred short clips that highlight real-world applications of educational concepts. These clips form the core of a database that allows teachers to quickly search for resources video, lesson resources, and activities for students that will help them effectively present specific concepts in math, science, technology, and the arts. Most schools, though, do not have broadband access.