Help Center » Frequently Asked Questions
- About Us
- Getting Started
- Training And Support
- Applications of The Learning Source
- Troubleshooting
- I can't log in. What's the problem?
- Why would I want to login with or without SSL? What is SSL?
- What do I do if a video doesn't play?
- How do I print a teacher guide?
- What do I do if the teacher guide doesn't open?
- What happens when a copied link from search results expires?
- What if my search results aren't what I expected?
- About Us
- What is The Learning Source?
The Learning Source is a rich collection of visual content on the Web that educators can access any time, any place on their computers. The Learning Source delivers both stand-alone programs and instantly accessible parts of programs -- video objects or clips ? digitally bookmarked for selection and play. Searches are made on both full-length video programs and their individual clips. Descriptive information -- metadata -- is available on all indexed portions, full programs, and series. Searches can be made according to grade levels, keywords or state curriculum standard. Selection and playback controls are designed for intuitive ease of use. Teachers can create their own libraries -- playlists -- of selected clips with their supplementary materials online. These personalized playlists are a powerful lesson-planning tool. Teachers may also access online lesson plans and assessment tools created by the experienced educators at AIT.
- Who is the Agency for Instructional Technology?
The Agency for Instructional Technology (www.ait.net) is a nonprofit educational organization, based in Bloomington, Indiana, that produces, acquires, and distributes K?12 educational media and promotes the use of technology-based solutions for the educational community. AIT works collaboratively with state education departments, school districts, and public television stations to design, develop and deliver quality visual technology to support instruction in a variety of formats, including video, broadcast television, CD-ROM, the Internet, and DVD. AIT's learning resources are used on six continents and reach more than 30 million students in America. AIT has been a leading distributor of instructional television for more than four decades. More recently the Agency has established itself as an accomplished developer of online visual resources for instruction such as www.neverforgetproject.org and www.lettertv.net, which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a useful resource for teaching letter recognition.
- What is The Learning Source?
- Getting Started
- How do I subscribe to The Learning Source?
Contact the Agency for Instructional Technology (AIT) at 1-800-457-4509 or send an email message to tls@ait.net. Someone from The Learning Source staff will contact you to help you get started. You can also order through our online catalog, available here.
- How much will it cost?
The individual rate for a one-year, full access subscription is $99.95. School building or school district subscriptions are available at discounted rates. Contact The Learning Source at tls@ait.net or 1-800-457-4509.
- What do I get for my subscription fee?
You will receive a one-year subscription to The Learning Source, with complete access to the TLS resources and permission to use those resources as described in the "Terms and Conditions." You will also receive a new user training packet and a basic level of tech support.
- How do I subscribe to The Learning Source?
- Training And Support
- What is the basic level of tech support I receive with my subscription?
When you subscribe to The Learning Source you will be able to contact the TLS tech staff by phone or email with any questions you may have. In some cases TLS staff will be able to answer your question right away or get back to you if the question pertains to the TLS application itself. If the TLS tech staff determines that your problem or concern originates with your school network or your hardware/software, the staff will direct you to your school tech staff for resolution. TLS cannot address or correct any problems within your school network. If you are an individual subscriber, the same tech support benefit applies related to problems you encounter with the application itself. Again, if the problem originates with your computer or your Internet service provider, you will be advised as to how to proceed with the appropriate contacts.
- What kind of training will I receive on using The Learning Source?
Individual or single classroom users will receive a comprehensive new-user training packet with their subscription, as well as telephone support as needed. For group subscribers, TLS will include one "train the trainer" session on site with the understanding that those new local "experts" will subsequently train end users on how to use The Learning Source. These two levels of training are provided free of charge with your subscription. In addition, schools or school districts may contract with AIT to provide utilization workshops or inservices for their teaching staff, parents, or others. Contact AIT for information about the content and cost of these training opportunities.
- What is the basic level of tech support I receive with my subscription?
- Applications of The Learning Source
- How can I use The Learning Source in my classroom?
Video is a powerful teaching tool, and being able to find and use short video clips makes the classroom experience even more beneficial to the teacher and the student. You have several options for using the TLS learning objects. Among these are:
- You can find and view video clips, save them to your playlist or insert them into a PowerPoint® presentation to be delivered to the entire class using your computer projection equipment.
- You can have students watching videos individually in the computer lab or in small groups.
- You can use video clips to reinforce part of a lesson.
- You can use this as an individual activity within a differentiated classroom.
- You can assign viewing selected and saved clips to students who have missed an assignment or need additional work.
- How do I print a teacher guide?
While viewing the downloaded teacher guide in Adobe® Reader®, click on FILE in the menu and then click on PRINT.
- Can I buy a VHS or DVD recorded program I see on TLS?
Yes, you can! You can find the program or series you'd like to order in our online catalog at www.ait.net. If you cannot locate the program you're looking for, or if you have other questions, please feel free to contact Customer Service at AIT at 1-800-457-4509 or send an email message by clicking on the "Contact Us" link on the catalog page (lower left frame under "Information") on the AIT Web site -- or through the "Contact Us" link in the right-side navigation box on The Learning Source site.
- How can I use The Learning Source in my classroom?
- Troubleshooting
- I can't log in. What's the problem?
If you receive this Error Message: "Your password didn't match the database":
Passwords are cAse sENsiTive, meaning they must be typed with the same capitalization every time. If your password is all lower-case, check to make sure your "Caps Lock" is off. If you still receive this error, you can request a new password to be e-mailed to you.
If you receive this Error Message: "We couldn't find your username in the users database":
Confirm you are correctly typing your username for The Learning Source. If you have never logged in before, your account may not be activated yet. Contact us to investigate.
If you receive this Error Message: "You don't have permission to login":
This message usually means your membership has expired. Please contact us to renew your membership.
- Why would I want to login with or without SSL? What is SSL?
Logging in with SSL -- Secure Sockets Layer -- creates a secure passage of information between two computers over the Internet.
- What do I do if a video doesn't play?
First, test your system requirements. If your system passes all tests, the problem could be a missing codec (the component of Windows Media® Player that decompresses the incoming frames and rebuilds them as images). To install the codec, you can either set Windows Media® Player to automatically download codecs as needed (see directions below), or you can click here to download the latest codec yourself.
To Turn On Automatic Downloads:
- Open Windows Media® Player.
- Select TOOLS from the menu.
- Click on OPTIONS.
- On the PLAYER tab, you'll see an "Automatic Updates" box.
- Put a checkmark next to "Download codecs automatically" (some versions of Windows Media® Player say "Enable automatic codec download").
- Close Windows Media® Player.
- If you are still having trouble playing videos, feel free to Contact Us.
- What do I do if the teacher guide doesn't open?
The teacher guides are viewable with Adobe® Reader® version 5 and above. To download the latest version of the reader, click here. If this does not solve the problem, feel free to Contact Us for help.
- What happens when a copied link from search results expires?
The "Copy Link" feature enables you to create a shortcut to a learning object to be placed in a document or PowerPoint® presentation. The link is temporary and expires 5 days from creation. When you try to use an expired link, you will see one of two error messages: "The format of this file was not recognized as a valid playlist format" or "Error #C00D1068." You will need to copy and insert the link again to be able to use it. The 5-day expiration period will begin when you copy the link again.
- What if my search results aren't what I expected?
If you are not satisfied with the results of your keyword or standards searches, please read or re-read the Search Tips. There may be a number of reasons for an unproductive search, and it's helpful to understand how The Learning Source search function works to determine how to modify your search for better results.
- I can't log in. What's the problem?