System80

System80 is an audiovisual educational apparatus developed by Borg-Warner that was used in public schools from 1969-1985. The machine consists of a specialized turntable and slide projector which together presented an interactive audiovisual lesson to a student.

Educational lessons consisted of a phonograph record and corresponding film slide. Notches on the sides of the film slide allowed the lesson to selectively place the arm of the record player so that it would provide an audible question to the user. An internal projector cast the visual portion of the lesson on a screen on the front of the apparatus. The user would then select the correct answer with one of five buttons on the front of the apparatus. If the question was answered correctly, the machine would advance the user to the next question. If answered incorrectly, the machine would present the same question again to the user.

Lessons

Jostens Learning System provided the content for the educational lessons and later produced the System80 machines as well. Most lessons were directed toward preschool and elementary students, and lesson areas included alphabet, phonics, reading, spelling, math, and the French language. Several lessons were also designed for older, remedial students and featured life skills, such as how to fill out a job application and time card. Lessons were written by Dr. Donald D. Durrell, Dr. William LaPlante and Dr. Lola J. May.

Each lesson consisted of 9 individual sub-lessons, plus a pre-post test for the unit. Lessons were color-coded to designate the subject area (red for reading, green for math.) Lessons began with level A and progressed through the alphabet, increasing in difficulty. The lesson levels were also designated with an animal symbol on the box to indicate the age level of the student (chicken, elephant, rabbit, seal.)

A partial listing of the Jostens Learning System lessons available for the System80 follows:

* BEGINNING LANGUAGE CONCEPTS (Kits C, D, E, H, I): Beginning language concepts related to position/spatial relationships, opposites, comparatives, and vocabulary.
* DEVELOPING SPELLING SKILLS (Kits C & G): Practice 36 high frequency vocabulary words, including "where," "when," "were," "hill," "through," "jump," "round," and "week."
* DEVELOPING VOCABULARY SKILLS - Concept Development (Kit J & K): Each practices 30 functional vocabulary words relevant to everyday life, including "mother," "father," "brother," "sister," "baby," "football," "baseball," "basketball," "pencil," "pen," "book," "paper," "desk," "chair," "table," "eraser," "tree," "branch."
* DEVELOPING ORAL LANGUAGE SKILLS (Kit A, B, C, & D): For language ages 2 to 7. Each practices 66 - 70 vocabulary concepts and oral production of 1- to 6-word phrases related to themes of family, school, color words, number words, body, food, clothing, weather, months, fairy tales, yes/no questions, plural and singular forms of words with correct verb tense, etc.
*LEARNING NUMBER FACTS (Kit A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H): Drill and practice of basic facts (0-20) for addition and subtraction and basic facts (0-10) for multiplication and division.
* DEVELOPING MATH SKILLS (Kit AA, BB, I, P): Drill and practice of skills in telling time, money, basic fractions, and applied percent.
* BEGINNING MATH CONCEPTS (Kit A& B): Lessons on math readiness skills - color, shape, sets, 1-to 1 correspondence, patterning, number recognition (0 to 10), and counting (0 to 10).
* LEARNING LETTER NAMES (Kit A & B): Recognize, discriminate, and match printed upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
* LEARNING LETTER SOUNDS - Basic Phonics (Kit H): Review sound/symbol relationships for short and long vowel words in the context of whole words, not in isolation/word families.
* READING WORDS IN CONTEXT (Kit A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, N, Q): Enhance sight vocabulary and comprehension of 36 to 48 high-frequency words, including "come," "help," "who," "tree," "boat," "what," "red," "do," "yellow," "apple," "where," "an," "and," "eat," "many," "here," "because," "value," "temperature," "various," "Africa," "describe," "movement," "object," "Europe," "century."
* VOCATIONAL: LEARNING ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (Kit A, B, C, D, E): Each set teaches 24 functional, survival words, such as "doctor," "dentist," "go," "emergency," "wait," "gasoline," "hospital."
* VOCATIONAL: LEARNING ESSENTIAL SKILLS: Pre-Employment Forms and Employment Information (Kits F & G) - For practice of reading skills necessary to complete a Personal Data Sheet, job application form, time cards, and Statement of Earning forms.

References

* [http://system80.com/guest/us/aboutus.htm System80.com] Brief history of the System80
* [http://www.google.com/patents?id=nJQeAAAAEBAJ&dq=3483633 U.S. Patent 3,483,633] Audiovisual Educational Apparatus
* [http://www.cesa3.k12.wi.us/files/May07.pdf COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AGENCY #3] Partial list of available System80 lessons
*"No Child Should or has to be a Failure at Age 8" Newsweek May 7, 1973, p. 107.