NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR ANNOUNCES $2.5 MILLION PROGRAM TO TRAIN AND ENCOURAGE TEACHERS TO USE INTERNET IN THE CLASSROOM

October 17, 1997 -- National Semiconductor® today announced a three-year, $2.5 million program to provide teachers access to free Internet training, and to encourage its use in the classroom. The program consists of three components:

• Internet training designed to provide teachers with the knowledge, skills and support necessary to integrate the Internet into their curriculum;
  
• An interactive Web site for educators interested in utilizing the Internet as a resource for learning (www.nsglobalconnections.com);
  
• Internet Innovator Awards, an effort by National to encourage Internet use among educators by providing cash rewards for those who demonstrate the innovative use of Internet in their classrooms.
  

"Billions of dollars each year are invested in classroom technology, and grass-roots efforts like Net Day have wired thousands of classrooms and libraries. When these investments are coupled with ongoing teacher training and support, we believe they will have a significant impact on teaching and learning," said Brian L. Halla, National's Chief Executive Officer. "Our goal is to reach as many educators as possible, as quickly as possible, with the information, tools and resources they need to harness the power of the Internet and use it in the classroom. This technology brings endless possibilities and excitement to learning."

Several studies point to the important impact the Internet is having on the classroom. In research conducted by IDC/Link, a majority of K-12 teachers identified the Internet as having the most significant impact on their teaching practice during the past year.

Budgets for on-line services are on the rise, and spending on networks increased more than 200 percent within a 12 month period. If current growth rates continue, up to 95 percent of all schools could have access to the Internet by the year 2000.

INTERNET TRAINING: A TWO-PHASED APPROACH

By early 1998, National's Internet training program, Global Connections: Making the Most of the Internet in the Classroom, will be available to all educators interestedin integrating student use of the Internet into their lesson plans.

Beginning this Fall, National will provide free, leader-led training to select schools and districts in California, Maine and Texas, where it has major U.S. manufacturing sites.

The company estimates that during the next three years, more than 6,000 educators will be trained.

Early next year, the program will expand to offer virtually all educators Internet training via an interactive, Web-based course. The curriculum will be modular in format, allowing participants to learn exactly what they need to know, when they need to know it.

Developed for National by PCC, Inc. (People's Computer Company), an internationally recognized experts in the use of technology in education, phase one of the program includes two, full-day workshops spaced four to six weeks apart. Throughout the training, all participants have access to a Web site to encourage ongoing information exchange, communication and collaboration.

"Whether the topic is health and nutrition, or searching for a home or job, my students are leveraging the Internet as a research tool * and developing marketable skills at the same time," said Kathy Lincoln, a Lifeskills teacher at Chaboya Middle School in San Jose who recently completed the first phase of National's Internet training course.

"The training introduced me to several new tools that are affordable, and easily accessed or created. These ideas will save me time and money, improve my ability to communicate with parents, allow me to introduce my students to online publishing within the next year.

Without the course, I may have come across some of these tools, but given my time constraints, it would have taken a long time."

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS WEB SITE

Effective immediately, teachers anywhere can access a new Global Connections interactive Web site at www.globalconnections.com. National has designed this site for educators interested in learning more about the Internet, as well as those already using it in their classrooms. The site allows teachers involved in the training course to ask questions of the trainer, and share success stories and lesson plans with colleagues.

INTERNET INNOVATOR AWARDS

National has established the Internet Innovator Awards as a way to recognize and reward outstanding K-12 educators who demonstrate the highest level of innovation in integrating Internet technology into their curriculum. Currently, the program is open only to teachers in select schools and districts in California, Maine and Texas, where National has major U.S. manufacturing sites.

To register or determine eligibility, teachers can access information on National's Web site at www.nsawards.com. Winning teachers will receive $10,000, and their schools will receive $20,000 to be spent on additional training. In total, National plans to award $1 million in prize winnings to teachers over the next three years, with the first awards announced in September, 1998.

National Semiconductor Corporation produces system-on-a-chip silicon solutions for the information highway, based on its leadership in analog and mixed-signal technologies. National is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and focuses on communications, person systems and consumer markets. National has 12,700 employees worldwide with annual sales of approximately $2.5 billion. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.