JP2001298431A - Information-providing system, information-providing method and terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multimedia platform that can benefit from respective features of broadcast, communication and storage media. SOLUTION: The information providing system is provided with a broadcast station 1, that broadcasts digital broadcast program data and interactive menu data, including synchronous data to take synchronization with the reproduction of the program data, a local server 32 that receives, relays and stores the program data and the interactive menu data, a terminal 34 that reproduces the broadcast program on the basis of the program data, reproduces the interactive menu data, supplied with the program data synchronously with the reproduction of the broadcast program, on the basis of the synchronous data to provide the interactive menu to viewers and accepts the entry operation, and a server system 5 that provides program relation information and a chat room on request of viewers via the Internet 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information providing system, an information providing method, and a terminal device suitable for providing, for example, an educational program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digitalization of broadcasting has been promoted. A digital broadcasting service using a communication satellite (CS) has already been started, and a digital broadcasting service using a broadcasting satellite (BS) and terrestrial waves is scheduled to start.

[0003]

By the way, as the broadcasting has been digitized as described above, the broadcasting media has become a communication medium of a computer network represented by the Internet or a DVD (Digital Versatile Distributor).
The affinity with digital storage media such as k) is increased, and the possibility of a so-called media mix is opened. However, how to combine these media and provide a platform that makes use of the characteristics of each media is an issue for the future. In addition, if such a media-mix type platform can be provided, it will be a future task how to provide attractive contents on that platform.

The present invention has been made under such a background, and provides an information providing system, an information providing method, and an information providing system as a media mix platform utilizing characteristics of broadcast media, communication media, and storage media. It is intended to provide a terminal device. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information providing system capable of realizing an unprecedented educational environment by providing information related to an educational program as a preferable example of content provided on such a platform. A method and a terminal device are provided.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a broadcasting station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer; A receiver for receiving, a database for storing the received program data in association with interactive screen data including synchronization data for synchronizing the reproduction of the program data, and a database supplied from the receiver or the database. Playback means for playing back a broadcast program based on program data, playing back interactive screen data supplied with the program data in synchronization with the playback of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data, and providing an interactive screen to the viewer. Input means for receiving a viewer's input operation on the dialogue screen; and a program-related program based on the viewer's input operation on the input means. Bidirectional communication means for transmitting a request signal for information to a server device via a bidirectional communication network and receiving program-related information returned from the server device in response to the request signal. I do.

Another aspect of the present invention is a broadcast station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer,
A receiver for receiving the broadcast program data, a database for storing the received program data and interactive screen data including synchronization data for synchronizing the reproduction of the program data, and Or, while playing back a broadcast program based on the program data supplied from the database, and playing back the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the playback of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data to the viewer. Reproducing means for providing an interactive screen; input means for receiving an input operation of a viewer on the interactive screen; a communication network for supplying the input operation of the viewer by the input means as input history information to the broadcast station; Counting means for counting history information, wherein the counting result by the counting means is used as a part of the program data. Characterized in that it broadcast.

[0007] Still another aspect of the present invention is a broadcast station that broadcasts digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver that receives the broadcast program data,
A database for storing the received program data and interactive screen data including synchronization data for synchronizing the reproduction of the program data in association with each other; and broadcasting based on the program data supplied from the receiver or the database. Playing means for playing back a program, playing back interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the playback of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data, and providing an interactive screen to the viewer, An input unit that receives an input operation of a viewer; and a chat management unit that provides a place for electronic dialogue with another viewer via a two-way communication network based on the input operation of the viewer by the input unit. It is characterized by having.

Further, the present invention preferably provides information on an educational program whose program data is to be provided to a plurality of students.

The present invention can be understood not only as an aspect of the information providing system as described above, but also as an information providing method.

[0010] The present invention can also be understood as a terminal device used in the system and method as described above.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an example in which the present invention is implemented as an educational program providing system. According to the present embodiment, an educational program is broadcasted live at the same time by digital broadcasting over a wide area. By providing the environment described above, it is possible to input impression information about a program in real time and to search for detailed information and related information about the program. Further, an environment for interactive communication such as chat between students in the school or other schools or between teachers and students during the course is provided. This makes it possible to realize a new educational environment that is interactive and emphasizes individuality, unlike a conventional educational environment that unilaterally provides uniform information. However, the embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention can take various forms within the scope of the technical idea.

A. Configuration of Embodiment First, the configuration of the embodiment will be described. A-1. Overall Configuration of System FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an educational program providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a broadcasting station 1 is a digital broadcasting station in which a broadcasting company broadcasts digital information of various programs. In the present embodiment, a broadcasting station 1 provides an improved digital broadcasting of an educational program which has not been achieved in the past. The satellite 2 is provided with transponders of a number corresponding to the number of digital broadcast streams, receives digital broadcast waves of a program transmitted from the broadcast station 1, performs predetermined frequency conversion and amplification, and then performs terrestrial broadcasting. Send to.

The in-school LAN 3 is a local area network installed in each school geographically distributed, and includes a local server 32 and a plurality of terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,. , 34-N and a terminal device 36 used by the teacher are connected to each other via a private line LL. In FIG. 1, only one school LAN 3 is shown for simplicity. The local server 32 receives and accumulates a digital broadcast of a program supplied via the satellite 2, and stores each of the terminal devices 34-1 and 34-.
,..., 34-N, 36. Each terminal device 34
, 34-2, ..., 34-N, 36 reproduce the digital broadcast of the program received via the local server 32 and accept interactive input operations by students or the like. The in-school LAN 3 is connected to the Internet 4 via the local server 32, and each terminal device 3
.., 34-N, 36 can access the server system 5 and other WWW (World Wide Web) servers connected to the Internet 4 via the local server 32.

The server system 5 is a group of server computers connected to the Internet 4 and provides a website for detailed information on broadcast programs and a chat room as a place for text-based electronic dialogue.
It accumulates input information of students who watch the program and histories related to access to websites. This server system 5
Is connected to the broadcast station 1 via the dedicated line 6 and supplies the stored history information to the broadcast station 1.

A-2. Next, the configuration of each part of the system will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the broadcasting station 1. In the figure,
The broadcasting station 1 has a configuration in which an uplink system 102, a program database 104, an interactive screen database 106, a communication interface 108, and a main controller 110 for controlling these units are mutually connected via a bus BUS1.

The program database 104 stores digital information (hereinafter referred to as program data) of various programs mainly composed of moving pictures and audio, for example, in a moving picture codec (MPEG).
ng Experts Group 2). The present embodiment will be described with an example in which an educational program is provided. The dialog screen database 106 is a dialog based on a dialog screen to be displayed by the terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,..., 34-N, 36 of the schools during the broadcast of the educational program according to the present embodiment. Screen data is stored.

This interactive screen data is described in a markup language such as HTML, for example, and includes a clip moving image, a narration, and a description obtained by clipping a still image or a moving image corresponding to each scene of a program for a predetermined time. It contains multimedia information such as texts, voices, and programs. Further, link information for accessing program-related information from the interactive screen is embedded in the interactive screen data. The program-related information is further detailed information and related information on the information provided in the program, and may be provided to each school by digital broadcasting together with this interactive screen data. May be provided. Link information is
When the program-related information is provided by digital broadcasting as in the former, for example, an identifier of a packet containing the program-related information, and when provided on a website as in the latter, for example, to access the program-related information U
RL (Uniform Resource Locator).

FIG. 3 is a format diagram schematically showing the contents of one educational program channel constituting a digital broadcast. In the figure, the digital broadcasting of one channel mainly includes a program data CD mainly composed of moving images and audio as a time-series stream, and an interactive screen data VD for providing an interactive screen in parallel with the reproduction of the program data CD. Contains. This interactive screen data VD is stored in the terminal device 34-
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Lan) that can be interpreted by a browser installed in 1,34-2,..., 34-N, 36
guage) and other markup languages.
Further, in the interactive screen data VD, predetermined synchronous data SD is embedded in order to control which interactive screen is displayed at which point during the broadcast of the program. This synchronous data S
D is constituted by information for associating both data, such as a combination of an identifier of a packet of the program data CD and an identifier of a packet of the interactive screen data VD. However, this is only an example, and the synchronization data SD
May include other expression formats, such as information on the elapsed time from the start of the broadcast, as long as the information includes information for synchronizing the program broadcast with the interactive screen.

Now, in FIG. 2, the uplink system 102 is controlled by the main controller 110.
The above-mentioned educational program data and interactive screen data corresponding to the educational program are packetized, multiplexed and scrambled, and then QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift).
t Keying) and the like, and transmit from the broadcast antenna SA.

The communication interface 108 is an interface for communicating with the server system 5 via the dedicated line 6. The main controller 110 controls the communication interface 108 to obtain history information from the server system 5. The main controller 110 is a computer system including a microcomputer,
In addition to controlling the above-described units of the broadcasting station 1, it performs a tallying process of history information supplied from the server system 5 and performs a process of reflecting the result in program data, interactive screen data, and the like.

Next, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the local server 32 forming a part of the school LAN 3. As shown in FIG. In the figure, the local server 32
2. Local database 304, chat management unit 30
6, a LAN interface 308, a communication interface 310, and a main controller 312 for controlling these components are connected to each other via a bus BUS3.

The receiving system 302 receives the digital broadcast wave supplied from the transponder of the satellite 2 designated by the tuner via the receiving antenna RA, demodulates and descrambles (descrambles), and then multiplexes. The program data packet and the interactive screen data packet are separated. The main controller 312
When a broadcast is reproduced in real time, the receiving system 30
2 is supplied to each of the terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,..., 34-N, 36, and both the program data and the interactive screen data are used during reproduction or data search. The information is stored in a predetermined storage area of the local database 304 so that a correspondence can be taken. On the other hand, when the real-time reproduction is not performed, only the accumulation in the local database 304 is performed.

The local database 304 is constituted by a digital storage medium such as a hard disk drive or a writable DVD. The local database 304 stores digital broadcast program data and interactive screen data as described above, and also stores the terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,... Via the private line LL shown in FIG.
,..., And 34-N are added with an identifier (for example, a packet identifier) for specifying the dialogue screen so as to correspond to the dialogue screen on which the input has been made. Here, the above-mentioned input information is, for example, information relating to impressions input by a student or the like from a dialogue screen during program broadcasting.

The chat management unit 306 is connected to the school LAN 3
, 34-2,..., 34-N, 3
6 is provided with a chat room, which is a place for text-based electronic dialogue, for students and others who use No. 6. Students on the premises can access the chat room set in the chat management unit 306 by operating the dialogue screen provided with the program, and can chat with each other (text-based pseudo dialogue). Has become.

The LAN interface 308 is connected to the terminal devices 34-1 and 34 in the school via the private line LL shown in FIG.
..,..., 34-N, 36 for performing local communication. Communication interface 3
Reference numeral 10 denotes an interface constituted by, for example, a modem and enabling connection to the Internet 4 by means such as dial-up. Each of the terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,..., 34-N, 36 of the school LAN 3 can access a WWW site and a chat room on the Internet 4 via the communication interface 310.

The main controller 312 is constituted by a microcomputer, controls each unit of the above-mentioned local server 32, and performs local communication of the school LAN 3 and each of the terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,.
-Manage the connection to the Internet 4 by N, 36.

Next, the terminal devices 34-1, 3-1,
.., 34-N will be described. Since the configurations of the terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,..., 34-N are the same, the configuration of one terminal device 34 shown in FIG. 5 will be described as an example. In the figure, a terminal device 34 is a LAN
Interface 3402, decoder 3404, video display unit 3406, audio output unit 3408, input operation unit 341
0, and a main controller 34 for controlling these components.
12 are connected to each other via a bus BUS34.

The LAN interface 3402 is an interface for communicating with the local server 32 and other terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,..., 34-N via the private line LL shown in FIG. . Decoder 3404
Is MPEG2 supplied via the local server 32
And decodes the program data packet compressed by. The video data obtained as a result is sent to the video display unit 3406 under the control of the main controller 3412, and after being D / A converted, is displayed on the display monitor. On the other hand, the audio data is sent to the audio output unit 3408 under the control of the main controller 3412, and after being D / A converted, is emitted from the speaker.

The input operation unit 3410 is composed of a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse, and receives an input operation of a student or the like. This input operation is detected by the main controller 3412 and processed as input information.

The main controller 3412 is constituted by a microcomputer and executes various control programs. The main controller 3412 includes a browser, interprets a packet of interactive screen data supplied by the browser via the local server 32, and decodes the packet based on synchronization data included in the interactive screen data. The interactive screen is displayed by performing browsing processing synchronized with the decoding processing of the program data by 3404.

Next, the configuration of the terminal device 36 used by the teacher is the same as the terminal device 34 used by the student (see FIG. 5).
And has the same function as the terminal device 34. However, the terminal device 36 used by the teacher is
Unlike the terminal device 34 used by the student, the purpose of use is different, such as referring to the usage status of each student. Therefore,
For example, the access right of the terminal device 36 is set so that a student who uses each terminal device 34 via the private line LL can refer to what screen and what input operation is currently being performed. . On the other hand, the terminal device 3 used by the student
In No. 4, an access right is set so that the status of the terminal device 34 of another student or the terminal device 36 of the teacher cannot be referred to. Such an access right setting is performed, for example, by UNIX.
This can be realized by an access management method in a known operating system such as (registered trademark).

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server system 5. In the figure, a server system 5
Is a group of server computers connected to the Internet 4, and includes a WWW server 502, a chat management server 5
04, history server 506, communication interface 508,
A dedicated line interface 510 and a main controller 512 for controlling these components are connected to each other via a bus BUS5. WWW server 502
Describes a homepage of program-related information relating to a program provided by the broadcast station 1 on a WWW (World Wide Web) of the Internet 4.
b) provided above. The program-related information may be supplied by digital broadcasting together with the program data as a part of the interactive screen data as described above, and may be stored and used in the local database 304.

The chat management server 504 includes terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,..., 34-N installed in each school.
Provide an electronic chat room for students and others who use the service. The chat management server 504 mainly deals with chats between students belonging to different schools, while the chat management unit 306 of the local server 32 targets chats between students in the same school.

The history server 506 accumulates information on the access history of the student to the WWW server 502 and history information on the input history of impression information on other interactive screens. This history information is transmitted to the broadcast station 1 via the dedicated line 6.
Is supplied to the server and is used for producing program data by being subjected to the tallying process. For example, it is possible to provide by broadcasting at the end of a program in a form that information on what scenes and what themes the students are interested in in the program being broadcast is arranged in a graph or the like.

The communication interface 508 is an interface that enables students and the like to access the WWW server 502 and the chat management server 504 via the Internet 4. Also, a dedicated line interface 510
Enables communication between the broadcast station 1 and the server system 5 via the dedicated line 6. The main controller 512 is configured by a microcomputer, controls each unit of the server system 5 described above, and controls the entire server system.

B. Operation of Embodiment Next, the operation of the embodiment having the above configuration will be described. FIGS. 7 to 12 are flowcharts showing the processing executed by the main controller 3412 of the terminal device 34. 7 shows a main routine, FIG. 8 shows a database search routine, FIG. 9 shows an internet connection routine,
10 shows a memo input providing routine, FIG. 11 shows a chat providing routine, and FIG. 12 shows an editing / presentation providing routine. Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to these flowcharts.

First, when the power of the terminal device 34 is turned on, the main controller 3412 starts a browser, and
The main routine shown in FIG. 7 is executed. In the figure,
When the process of the main routine proceeds to step S1, it is determined whether a program broadcast has been received. Here, if the program data is not supplied from the local server 32, the determination result is “No”, and the step S1 is repeated.

For example, when the program data of the educational program is supplied from the local server 32, the determination result of step S1 is "Yes", and the process proceeds to step S2. Step S2
In, the supplied program data is decoded, and the contents of the program are reproduced by the video display unit 3406 and the audio output unit 3408. The browser interprets the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data, and displays the interactive screen together with the program.

FIG. 13 shows an example of an interactive screen displayed on the display monitor of the video display unit 3406 at this time. As shown in the figure, an interactive screen imitating a shape in which a plurality of holders are superimposed is displayed, and “watch TV”, “search database”, “search on the Internet”, “take notes”, The title of each holder such as "Discuss" and "Edit / Present" is displayed as a menu which can be selected by a mouse or a keyboard.

As shown in the figure, the initial screen at the start of the program is such that the menu of "Watch TV" is selected (that is, the holder of "Watch TV" is activated on the screen). A display area of a broadcast program is allocated to a predetermined area E1 of the screen, and a still image (or clip moving image) corresponding to each scene of the program, and a text for narration and explanation are allocated to another area E2. Is displayed.

Here, the program displayed in the area E1 is based on the reproduction of the program data, and the still image and narration displayed in the area E2 are based on the reproduction of the interactive screen data. These reproduction processes are synchronized with each other based on synchronization data included in the interactive screen data. That is, the main controller 3412 synchronizes both the program data decode timing and the interactive screen data browsing timing based on the synchronization data. As described above, an example of the synchronous data is information indicating the correspondence between the identifiers (so-called packet IDs) of the packets of both the program data and the interactive screen data.

In the area E3, an icon with a "?" Mark and an icon with a "!" Mark are displayed, so that a mouse click operation by a student is accepted.
The “?” Mark is an icon that is clicked when the contents of the program are difficult to understand, and the “!” Mark is an icon that is clicked when the contents are interesting or have a strong interest. These icons are linked to identifiers that specify each scene of the program, so that it is possible to know which scene each click operation has been performed.

When the screen shown in FIG. 13 is displayed, the processing of the terminal device 34 proceeds to step S3, and waits for input by the student. Here, when a menu other than “Watch TV” is selected, the processing of the terminal device 34 is performed in step S
The program proceeds to step 4 to execute a routine corresponding to each menu.

Further, in FIG. 13, there is a place where some character strings in the text displayed as narration or explanation are underlined, and this is associated with the above-mentioned link information to the program-related information. Means that it is defined as a selection item. For example, in an educational program on animal ecology, if the text "Kame" is associated with link information to detailed information on turtle ecology, the student using the terminal device 34 may use the character string "Kame" with a mouse or the like. By clicking on, the process of the terminal device 34 proceeds to step S5, and accesses the WWW server 502 or the local database 304 having detailed information on turtle ecology based on the related link information. As a result, the terminal device 34 downloads the corresponding detailed information and presents the content to the student.

When the student clicks the icon of the above-mentioned “?” Mark or “!” Mark, the terminal device 3
4 proceeds to step S6, where information for identifying whether the clicked icon is "?" Or "!" And information for identifying the corresponding scene (for example, a still image, a clip moving image, or the like). Of the student) and a student identifier (entered each time the use of the terminal device 34 is disclosed or set in advance in the terminal device 34), and transferred and stored as input information in the local database 304. You.

When, for example, the menu "search database" is selected in step S3 described above, the terminal device 34 executes a database search routine shown in FIG. Then, first, in step S11, a database search screen shown in FIG. 14 is displayed. As shown in the figure, the terminal device 34 enters a keyword input waiting state. If any keyword is input here, the result of the determination in step S12 is “Yes”, and the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the input keyword is transferred to the local server 32, and a search is requested. As a result, in the local database 304, a search process is performed using the transferred keyword as a search key, and the search result is stored in the terminal device 34.
Returned to In step S14, the terminal device 34 receives the returned search result and presents the content to the student. This provides a database search service according to the student's request.

When the menu "Connect to the Internet" is selected in step S3, the terminal device 34 executes an Internet connection routine shown in FIG. Then, first, step S21
, The URL embedded in the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data being broadcast is extracted. here,
The URL may specify a homepage relating to the entire program, or may specify a homepage which provides information relating to a scene when the “Connect to the Internet” menu is selected. Then, the process proceeds to step S22, where the WW is determined based on the extracted URL.
The user accesses a homepage provided by the W server 502 for the program being broadcast. Thus, for example, FIG.
Display the homepage browsing screen shown in (1).

As described above, the student using the terminal device 34 performs a data search using the local database 304 while watching the program being broadcast, and the homepage provided by the WWW server 502 on the Internet 4. , It is possible to easily and quickly obtain information and detailed information related to the program according to each interest or interest. As a result, uniform information can be efficiently provided to a large number of students by using a broadcast medium called digital broadcasting, and the interest of each student can be increased by using a two-way communication medium such as the Internet 4 and the LAN 3. It is possible to provide detailed information according to the information, interests, and abilities.

When, for example, the menu "take note" is selected in step S3, the terminal device 34 executes a note input providing routine shown in FIG. Then, first, in step S31, a predetermined editor program is started, and in step S32, for example, a memo input screen shown in FIG. 16 is displayed.
In the figure, a narration and a description are displayed in a predetermined area E4 of the screen along with a still image or a clip moving image representing each scene in accordance with the progress of the program, and a text input by a keyboard is performed in a predetermined area E5 corresponding to each scene. An edit area that can be used is set.

As a result, the student using the terminal device 34 can record the impressions and the like in each scene of the program as a memo. This input information is associated with the information identifying each scene of the program and the student identifier in the next step S33, and
Is accumulated in Thereby, the student can review the past program by extracting the history of the memo recorded by the student from the local database 304 as necessary.

When the menu item "Discuss" is selected in step S3, the terminal device 34 executes a chat providing routine shown in FIG. Then, first, in step S41, the terminal device 3
Reference numeral 4 extracts a URL designating a chat room from the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data. Then, the process proceeds to step S42 to access an electronic chat room set in the chat management server 504 on the Internet 4 based on the extracted URL. Then, in step S43, the status of the chat room is displayed on, for example, a reference screen shown in FIG. In the figure, the contents of conversations exchanged in each of the plurality of established chat rooms are displayed in an area E7 on the screen, and in the area E8 corresponding to these chat rooms, the user joins the group of each chat room. The information about the member who has been displayed is displayed.

On this screen, the student selects a chat room in which he / she participates, and inputs a spoken word using a keyboard. In step S44, the input information is transferred to the chat management unit 306 of the local server 32, and the corresponding chat is executed. Written in the room area. As a result, the result of the text input is displayed in the area corresponding to the area E7.

In this way, the student using the terminal device 34, while watching the broadcast of the program, exchanges opinions with other students who are geographically distant by using an electronic chat with respect to the contents. Becomes possible. This provides an environment in which students can independently speak about given information, exchange opinions and teach each other, rather than merely passive education. In addition, if the teacher using the terminal device 36 participates in the chat, not only among the students, but also in a digital broadcasting environment, it is possible to answer the questions of the students who are geographically separated as in the actual classroom, It becomes possible to listen.

The chat room to be used is not the chat room on the Internet 4 as described above, but if it is desired to chat only with students and teachers in the school, the chat management of the local server 32 Part 30
6 can be accessed. The address for performing such access may be incorporated in the dialog screen data instead of the above-described URL, may be set in the terminal device 34 in advance, or may be such that one can be selected from the dialog screen. A menu may be prepared.

In step S3, for example, when a menu "edit / present" is selected,
The terminal device 34 executes an editing / presentation providing routine shown in FIG. Then, first, in step S51, a predetermined editor program different from the above-mentioned memo input is started, and further, in step S52, for example, an editing screen shown in FIG. 18 is displayed. As shown in the figure, an environment is provided for a student who has finished watching a program to perform a work of summarizing the contents.

The editing screen is not limited to the input of text. For example, a digital image captured by a digital camera may be fetched and pasted on a predetermined area E9 on the screen. In that case, an interface for inputting a digital image may be provided in the terminal device 34, or a node having such an interface may be provided in the school LAN 3, and a file may be imported from the node by file transfer. On such a screen, presentation data is created based on texts, images, and the like input by the students and the like (step S53).

In step S54, the presentation data edited and created as described above is, for example, HT
WW files on the Internet 4 as files in ML format
It is uploaded to the W server 502 and posted as a home page on a site prepared for presentation. As a result, the results compiled by the students are used for browsing by other students and many people, so that the students' motivation to learn can be enhanced and a participatory educational environment can be provided.

In each of the screens shown in FIGS. 14 to 18, when another menu (the title of another holder on the screen) is selected, steps S15, S23, and S23 of each routine are performed. S34, S45,
The determination result in S55 is “Yes”, and after the execution of the routine ends, the process proceeds to a routine corresponding to the selected menu. Thus, the screen changes according to the menu selection operation.

Although the operation of the above embodiment has been described by way of an example in which a broadcasted program is viewed in real time, the program data stored in the local database 304 and the corresponding interactive screen data are read out. By performing the same processing as described above, it is of course possible to provide viewing of a program broadcast in the past.

The main operation of the present embodiment has been described above. Here, the terminal device 36 used by the teacher has the same functions as the terminal device 34 used by the student, as described above, and each of the terminal devices 34-1, 34-2,.
, 34-N can be referred to via the private line LL.

The process of counting the history information during the broadcast of the program is performed as follows. First, the operation history information for the “?” And “!” Icons shown in FIG. 13 is transferred to the history server 506 on the Internet 4 via the local server 34 and further broadcast via the dedicated line 6. The data is transferred to the station 1 and is counted by the main controller 110. Then, at the end of the program or the like, the totaling result is provided to the students and teachers by broadcasting, for example, in the form of a graph of the cumulative number of operations for each scene. The result of the aggregation is also used for the later program production in the broadcasting station 1.

As described above, the above-mentioned operation history information is stored in the local database 304. However, the information stored in the history server 506 or the broadcast station 1 is not transferred at once after the end of the program, but the operation history is stored in real time. By transferring the data to the history server 506 and the broadcasting station 1 and performing the tallying process, the tallying result can be provided by broadcasting during the broadcast of the program or at the end of the program. Of course, after the end of the program, the program may be transferred from the local database 304 to the history server 506 and the broadcast station 1 in a lump.

The access history of the WWW server 502 by a student or the like is similarly stored in the history server 506, and the stored information is processed by the broadcasting station 1 to provide the result of the calculation by broadcasting. It can be used for program production.

Further, there is memo input information as other operation histories by the students and the like. This information is mainly stored in the local database 32 as review information for the students and the like and reference information by the teacher. Is also transferred to the broadcasting station 1 and edited, so that the edited result can be provided by broadcasting or posted on the homepage of the WWW server 502.

C. Other Embodiments As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the following modifications can be given. (1) The embodiment has been described as an example in which the present invention is applied to the broadcasting of educational programs for schools, but the programs to be provided are not limited to the main educational programs. For example, an educational program can be applied to a program that includes employee education for training a company. In this case, the LAN 3 of the embodiment will be laid not in a school but in a branch or branch office. Further, the present invention is not limited to so-called educational programs, but can be grasped by a broad concept of providing certain information (so-called shared information) to be shared with people having a common hobby or interest. it can.

(2) The form of the network to which the present invention is applied is not necessarily limited to the form shown in FIG. In the embodiment, the provision of the educational program to the school is taken as an example.
Although the school LAN 3 is laid, the present invention is not limited to such a form. For example, each terminal device 34 includes the receiving system 302 and the communication interface 310 with the Internet 4, receives digital broadcast directly, and is connected to the Internet 4. You may do so. In this case, instead of the local database 304 of the embodiment, each terminal device 34 may have a database including a digital storage medium (for example, a hard disk device or a writable DVD).

(3) Although the embodiment has been described by taking digital broadcasting via the satellite 2 as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to terrestrial digital broadcasting and digital broadcasting via CATV. is there.

(4) The screen layout of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 to 18 is merely an example, and the present invention can adopt various screen layouts in consideration of operability and the like.

(5) In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the interactive screen data is broadcasted together with the program data and stored in the local database 304. However, the present invention is not limited to such a form, and instead of broadcasting the interactive screen data, it may be provided on a website on the Internet such as the WWW server 502 or the like, and furthermore, a CD-ROM Or a local database 304 constituted by a storage medium such as a DVD or a DVD, or another local database other than the local database 304. Also in this case, it is necessary to include synchronization data for synchronizing with broadcast program data in the interactive screen data.

(6) In the embodiment, an example in which one local server 32 is connected to the LAN 3 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
2 may be connected to the LAN 3, and the terminal device 34 may select one of the local servers and receive the supply of the program data and the interactive screen data. Further, the ground-side network accommodating the local server 32 and the terminal device 34 does not need to be a private LAN as in the embodiment, and may be a so-called WAN (Wide Area Network).

Further, a WAN using a plurality of servers 32
19, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, a network of servers 32, 32,... Is hierarchically constructed, and a plurality of terminal devices 3 are connected to such a network.
, 34,... May be accommodated. With this configuration, it is possible to provide the terminal device 34 with a service such as a program broadcast corresponding to each hierarchical level such as a school unit, a municipal unit, a prefectural unit, and a country unit.

(7) In the embodiment, the input history information of the students (viewers) is counted by the broadcasting station 1 via the server system 5 and broadcasted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Aggregation is performed by the server 32 or the WWW server 502, and the aggregation result is transmitted to the terminal device 34 via the network.
May be provided. Further, even if the counting result is provided by broadcasting as in the embodiment, the broadcasting of the counting result may be broadcasted from a broadcasting station different from the broadcasting station 1 that broadcasts the program data. For example, assuming that a broadcasting station that broadcasts program data is a master station, input history information is counted in the master station, and the history is transferred to, for example, a slave station that is a local broadcasting station, and broadcast may be performed from the slave station. Then, the aggregation may be performed in the slave station, and the result may be broadcast.

(8) In the embodiment, the use in a school or between schools has been described as an example. However, for example, a terminal device 34 (with or without a broadcast receiving function) in a private house may be used. If a school is set up and a school is connected to a private home via a network, classes can be taken by program broadcasting in the same way as a student at a school while staying at home. The same applies to the relationship between individuals and organizations such as companies other than schools.

(9) The program data of the present invention is MPEG2
The data compression format is not limited to the above, and a data compression format according to MPEG4 or other data formats may be adopted. Further, the interactive screen data of the present invention is not limited to HTML,
ML or other languages may be adopted. (10) Although the “chat management means” of the present invention is exemplified as the chat management server 504 or the chat management unit 306 in the embodiment, the “chat means” of the present invention is hardware means in the embodiment. It is illustrated as software means provided in the terminal devices 34 and 36, instead of being described as "." Specifically, the chat providing routine (FIG. 11) executed by the terminal devices 34 and 36 corresponds to this.

[0075]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By utilizing the advantages of each of the broadcast media, the storage media, and the two-way communication media, and by providing the viewer with an interactive screen corresponding to the program in synchronization with the reproduction of the broadcasted program, the conventional broadcast media is not available. An interactive information providing environment can be realized. In particular, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the viewer obtains program-related information that cannot be directly obtained from the program in response to each request by using the interactive screen while watching the broadcast program. can do. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a large number of viewers input some impressions or the like on the program using the interactive screen while watching the broadcasted program, so that the input can be counted. The results can be obtained via broadcast. According to the invention described in claim 11, the viewer can use the interactive screen while viewing the broadcasted program to perform another electronic conversation about the program with other viewers having a common interest. You can enjoy. This provides a place where a community of viewers with common interests is formed. Further, when the present invention is applied to the provision of educational programs, particularly as in the invention described in claim 14,
Unlike the traditional education environment, which tends to simply provide unilateral information unilaterally, it is necessary to provide a new educational environment that is interactive, individualized, bottom-up, or community-based. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an educational program providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a broadcasting station of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a format diagram schematically showing the contents of one channel of the educational program constituting the digital broadcast of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a local server of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the terminal device of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server system of the embodiment. It is a lock figure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a main routine executed by the terminal device.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a database search routine executed by the terminal device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an Internet connection routine executed by the terminal device.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a memo input providing routine executed by the terminal device.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a chat providing routine executed by the terminal device.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an editing / presentation providing routine executed by the terminal device.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an initial screen during program broadcasting of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a database search screen of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a homepage browsing screen of the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a memo input screen of the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a chat screen of the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an editing / presentation screen of the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a network according to a modification.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Broadcasting station, 2 ... Satellite, 3 ... School LAN, 4 ... Internet (two-way communication means), 5 ... Server system (server device), 6 ... Dedicated line, 34, 36 ... Terminal device, 11
0: Main controller (totaling means), 32: Local server (server device), 302: Receiving system (receiver), 304: Local database, 306: Chat management unit (chat managing means), 312: Main controller (totaling means) ), 3406: video display unit (reproducing unit), 3408: audio output unit (reproducing unit), 3410 ...
Input operation unit (input means), 3412: Main controller (reproduction means), 502: WWW server (server device), 504: Chat management server (chat management means), LL: Private line (bidirectional communication means).

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takeshi Imanaka 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Harrington Chris 1006 Odaka Kadoma Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Atsushi Sagusa 1006 Kadoma, Kazuma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenji Kikue 2-2-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Center (72) Invention Person Keiichiro Yoshida 2-2-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside the Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Center (72) Inventor Mihiko Hibii 2-2-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan Broadcasting Center (72) Inventor Kazunori Takeda 2-2-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Center (72) Inventor Miura 2-2-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Center (72) Inventor Iwaji Eto 2-2-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Center F-term (reference) 2C028 BA01 BA02 BB04 BB06 BD02 CA13 5B049 BB22 CC02 DD00 DD05 EE05 EE07 FF03 FF04 FF06 FF09 GG03 GG04 GG07 9A001 CC05 DD10 JJ12 KK09 KK56

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. A broadcasting station that broadcasts digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver that receives the broadcast program data, and a reproduction and synchronization of the received program data with the program data. A database for associating interactive screen data including synchronization data for storing, and a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database, and reproducing the broadcast program based on the synchronization data. Reproducing means for reproducing the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the program data and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen; and the input means Sends a request signal for program-related information to a server device via a two-way communication network based on a viewer's input operation by the user Information providing system characterized in that it comprises together, and a bidirectional communication means for receiving program-related information sent back in response to the request signal from the server apparatus. 2. A broadcasting station that broadcasts digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer; a receiver that receives the broadcast program data; and a receiver that synchronizes the received program data with the reproduction and reproduction of the program data. A database for associating interactive screen data including synchronization data for storing, and a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database, and reproducing the broadcast program based on the synchronization data. Reproduction means for reproducing interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with reproduction of the program data, and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen; and the input means A request signal of program-related information is transmitted to a server device via a two-way communication network based on a viewer's input operation by the user And a plurality of terminal devices having at least two-way communication means for receiving program-related information returned from the server device in response to the request signal. 3. A broadcast station that broadcasts digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver that receives the broadcast program data, and a reproduction and synchronization of the received program data with the program data. A server device having at least a database that stores dialogue screen data including synchronization data for synchronization, and a broadcast program that is reproduced based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database and the synchronization data Reproduction means for reproducing interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with reproduction of the broadcast program based on the reproduction program, and providing an interactive screen to the viewer; and input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen. When,
A program-related information request signal for program-related information is transmitted to the server device via a two-way communication network based on a viewer's input operation by the input means, and the program-related information returned from the server device in response to the request signal And a plurality of terminal devices having at least two-way communication means for receiving the information. 4. A broadcasting station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver for receiving the broadcast program data, and synchronizing reproduction and synchronization of the received program data with the program data. A first server device having at least a database that accumulates and stores interactive screen data including synchronization data to be taken; and a program for reproducing a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database. A reproducing unit that reproduces interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data and provides an interactive screen to the viewer; and a viewer input operation on the interactive screen. Input means to accept;
A request signal for program-related information is transmitted to a second server device different from the first server device via a two-way communication network based on a viewer's input operation by the input means, and is transmitted from the second server device. An information providing system, comprising: a plurality of terminal devices having at least two-way communication means for receiving program-related information returned in response to the request signal. 5. A broadcasting station that broadcasts digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver that receives the broadcast program data, and a reproduction and synchronization of the received program data and the program data. A plurality of server devices each having at least a database for storing interactive screen data including synchronization data for taking, and reproducing a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database. Reproducing means for reproducing interactive screen data supplied with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; and accepting a viewer input operation on the interactive screen. Input means;
A request signal for program-related information is transmitted to any of the plurality of server devices via a two-way communication network based on a viewer's input operation by the input means, and the request signal is transmitted from the server device that has received the request signal. And a plurality of terminal devices having at least two-way communication means for receiving program-related information returned in response to the information. 6. The information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of server devices are connected so that a mutual connection relationship has a hierarchical structure. 7. A broadcasting station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver for receiving the broadcast program data, and synchronizing the received program data with the reproduction and reproduction of the program data. A database for associating interactive screen data including synchronization data for storing, and a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database, and reproducing the broadcast program based on the synchronization data. Reproducing means for reproducing the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the program data and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen; and the input means A communication network that supplies an input operation of a viewer by the user to the broadcast station as input history information; and An information providing system, comprising: a totaling means for totalizing, wherein a result of the totalization by the totaling means is broadcast as a part of the program data. 8. A broadcast station that broadcasts digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver that receives the broadcast program data, and synchronizes the received program data with the reproduction and reproduction of the program data. A database that stores dialog screen data including synchronization data in association with each other, and reproduces a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database, and stores the broadcast program based on the synchronization data. A plurality of reproduction means for reproducing interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; and input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen. A terminal device; and inputting a viewer's input operation using input means of each terminal device to the broadcast station as input history information. Telecommunication networks and the input history information and a collecting unit for aggregate, the information providing system characterized by broadcasting the counting result by the tallying unit as part of the program data to be. 9. A broadcasting station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver for receiving the broadcast program data, and synchronizing the received program data with reproduction and reproduction of the program data. A server device having at least a database for storing dialogue screen data including synchronization data to be taken in association with each other, and a totaling unit for totalizing input history information supplied, and a program supplied from the receiver or the database. Playback means for playing back a broadcast program based on data and playing back the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the playback of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data to provide the viewer with an interactive screen; A plurality of terminal devices having at least input means for receiving a viewer's input operation on the interactive screen; A bidirectional communication network that supplies the input operation of the viewer by the input means of the terminal device as the input history information to the server device. An information providing system characterized by supplying. 10. A first broadcast station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver for receiving the broadcast program data, a reproduction of the received program data and the program data. And a database that stores dialogue screen data including synchronization data for synchronizing with the database, and reproduces a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database, and based on the synchronization data. A reproducing unit that reproduces interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the broadcast program and provides the viewer with an interactive screen; an input unit that receives a viewer's input operation on the interactive screen; A communication that supplies the input operation of the viewer by the input means as input history information to a second broadcast station different from the first broadcast station. Comprising a network and a collecting unit that aggregates the input history information, the information providing system characterized by broadcasting the counting result by the collecting unit from the second broadcasting station. 11. A broadcasting station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver for receiving the broadcast program data, and synchronizing the received program data with reproduction and reproduction of the program data. A database for associating interactive screen data including synchronization data for storing, and a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database, and reproducing the broadcast program based on the synchronization data. Reproducing means for reproducing the interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the program data and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen; and the input means Provides a place for electronic dialogue with other viewers via a two-way communication network based on viewers' input operations Information providing system characterized in that it comprises a chat management means that. 12. A broadcasting station for broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer, a receiver for receiving the broadcast program data, and synchronizing reproduction and synchronization of the received program data with the program data. A database that stores dialog screen data including synchronization data in association with each other, and reproduces a broadcast program based on program data supplied from the receiver or the database, and stores the broadcast program based on the synchronization data. A plurality of reproduction means for reproducing interactive screen data supplied together with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; and input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen. A bidirectional communication between the terminal device and other viewers based on a viewer's input operation by an input means of each terminal device. Information providing system characterized in that it comprises a chat management means for providing a place for electronic dialogue over the network. 13. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the interactive screen data stored in the database in association with the program data is broadcast from the broadcast station together with the program data. , Received by the receiver,
An information providing system provided to the database. 14. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the program data provides information on an educational program to be provided to a plurality of students. Delivery system. 15. A step of broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer; a step of receiving the broadcast program data; and a step of synchronizing the received program data with the reproduction of the program data. Accumulating in the database in association with the interactive screen data including the synchronization data of, and playing back a broadcast program based on the received or supplied program data from the database,
Reproducing interactive screen data supplied with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data, and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; and accepting an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen. Transmitting a request signal for program-related information to a server device via a two-way communication network based on an input operation of a viewer by the input means; and returning the request signal from the server device in response to the request signal. Receiving the program related information. 16. A step of broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer; a step of receiving the broadcast program data; and a step of synchronizing the received program data with reproduction of the program data. Accumulating in the database in association with the interactive screen data including the synchronization data of, and playing back a broadcast program based on the received or supplied program data from the database,
Reproducing interactive screen data supplied with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data, and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; and accepting an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen. And a step of supplying a viewer's input operation by the input means as input history information to the broadcasting station; and a step of totalizing the input history information. An information providing method characterized by broadcasting as a part. 17. A step of broadcasting digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer; a step of receiving the broadcast program data; and a step of synchronizing the received program data with reproduction of the program data. Accumulating in the database in association with the interactive screen data including the synchronization data of, and playing back a broadcast program based on the received or supplied program data from the database,
Reproducing interactive screen data supplied with the program data in synchronization with the reproduction of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data, and providing the interactive screen to the viewer; and accepting an input operation of the viewer on the interactive screen. And a step of providing a place for electronic dialogue with another viewer via a two-way communication network based on a viewer's input operation by the input unit. . 18. The information providing method according to claim 15, wherein the interactive screen data stored in the database in association with the program data is broadcasted and received together with the program data, An information providing method provided to the database. 19. The information providing method according to claim 15, wherein the program data provides information on an educational program to be provided to a plurality of students. Delivery method. 20. Receiving means for receiving program data of a digital broadcast to be provided to a viewer and interactive screen data including synchronization data for synchronizing reproduction of the program data, based on the received program data. Playback means for playing back the broadcast program and playing back the interactive screen data received with the program data in synchronization with the playback of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data to provide the viewer with an interactive screen; Input means for receiving an input operation of the viewer in the above, and transmits a request signal of program-related information to a server device via a two-way communication network based on the input operation of the viewer by the input means, and from the server device A terminal device comprising: two-way communication means for receiving program-related information returned in response to a request signal. 21. Receiving means for receiving digital broadcast program data to be provided to a viewer and interactive screen data including synchronization data for synchronizing reproduction and reproduction of the program data, and based on the received program data. Playing means for playing back the broadcast program, playing back the interactive screen data received with the program data in synchronization with the playback of the broadcast program based on the synchronization data, and providing an interactive screen to the viewer; Input means for receiving an input operation of a viewer, and chat means for performing an electronic dialogue with another viewer via a two-way communication network based on the input operation of the viewer by the input means. Terminal device. 22. The terminal device according to claim 20, wherein the interactive screen data includes explanation section area data for displaying information describing at least a part of a program on the interactive screen, and the viewer. And input unit area data for receiving an input operation by the user. The interactive screen displays an explanation unit area based on the explanation unit area data, and displays an input unit area based on the input unit area data. A terminal device characterized by causing the terminal device to operate. 23. The terminal device according to claim 22, wherein the explanation section area data includes still image or moving image data for displaying a scene representing at least a part of a program. . 24. The terminal device according to claim 20, wherein the program data provides information on an educational program to be provided to a plurality of students. .