ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 29, 1996 TAG: 9612300024
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
The oldest continuous lawmaking body in the New World is about to enter the 20th century - just in time for the 21st.
It's now possible to learn about the General Assembly the newfangled way - with a computer-driven, interactive CD-ROM.
Dubbed Explorer, the disc is a tool for teachers. The program, which runs about an hour, includes a primer on how a bill becomes a law, a history of the Assembly and facts about the state and famous Virginians.
It concludes with a test in a quiz-show format that features a host in an errant toupee. For every correct answer, one hears hearty applause. But a buzzer sounds sourly for every wrong one.
Explorer may be the first interactive CD-ROM focusing on a U.S. legislature, said officials here and in other states.
Aimed at middle- and high-school students, Explorer darts in and out of photorealistic settings evocative of Mr. Jefferson's Capitol. Students can vote on amendments while listening to a senator's and delegate's views on the bills.
The Senate spent about $30,000 developing Explorer along with two instructional videos for legislative staff. Teachers in the Harrisonburg area helped craft content and a 55-page instructor's manual that includes suggested topics for discussion. Among them: welfare, and juvenile justice.
The CD-ROM and manual can be purchased for $15 by writing the Senate Clerk's Office, P.O. Box 396, Richmond, Va. 23218. Checks should be payable to the Treasurer of Virginia.
Explorer works on both MAC OS 7.1 or 7.5 and Windows 3.1 or 95. Users also need a CD-ROM drive, 2X or 4X preferred.
LENGTH: Short : 40 linesby CNB