Write in the Cloud!
It’s convenient, flexible, and personalized.
In 2015, we began offering our video lessons via Cloud streaming as an alternative to DVDs. Cloud streaming is now the exclusive way we sell The One Year Adventure Novel course and Other Worlds. However, when you order Cover Story or Byline, you can choose to order a streaming package or a DVD package.
BENEFITS of Cloud Video Streaming:
You’re no longer tethered to a DVD player.
Increasingly, families are buying laptops, tablets and other devices that don’t come with a DVD drive. With the Cloud, you don’t have to worry about getting an external DVD drive just to take the course.
You have access anywhere you have internet.
The great thing about streaming the video lessons is that you can watch them from anywhere, provided you have a decent internet connection! Streaming is also responsive to all modern browsers and devices, including smartphones and tablets. On the road? Visiting family out-of-state? Running behind schedule and need to finish the video on-the-go? No problem.
Video automatically adjusts to your internet signal.
Video is HD quality, but if your internet signal drops, the Cloud automatically adjusts video quality according to the connection, instead of freezing.
No hassle of lost or damaged discs!
No danger of misplacing or breaking the Cloud. So you’ll never need to pay for replacement discs.
Available with The One Year Adventure Novel: Access to EXCLUSIVE extra content!
We uploaded over 50 hours of advanced teaching from writing workshops we have hosted in the past. These were never available on DVD. And if you decide to renew your subscription for future years, you will have access to new sessions as we add to the collection.
Here are some of the many sessions in the workshop video archive Cloud customers have access to:
• Images and Storytelling
• Description
• Great Characters
• Revising Your Novel
• High Concept Ideas
• State of Mind
• Wonderology
• The Importance of Hobbits
• Proposal Writing
Make the Switch
Switching to Streaming from DVD
If you ordered a DVD curriculum set from us, and would like to switch to streaming, we are happy to help!
** For One Year Adventure Novel DVD sets: These exchange offers are only available to customers who purchased the DVD set from us. They are NOT available if you purchased your One Year Adventure Novel DVDs used or from a third party. **
If it has been 30 days or less since you received your order:
Contact us by email or phone about your wish to switch. Mail us your DVDs. We will refund the difference in price between the DVD set you bought and a Cloud set.
If it has been more than 30 days since you received your order:
You may switch for $35, the cost of a subscription renewal. Pay the $35 and mail us your DVDs and we will grant you a first year of video streaming in exchange.
Where to Mail Your DVDs
We recommend paying for tracking or delivery confirmation, but the carrier is your choice.*
Clear Water Press
ATTN: DVD Exchange
P.O. Box 62
Olathe, KS 66051
* Please avoid Media Mail. Materials often arrive damaged.
How does Cloud streaming work?
You need:
1. A computer, tablet or smartphone that supports a modern browser
2. A good internet connection
FAQ
General Questions
Will streaming work outside of the U.S.A.?
Yes, the streaming will work internationally as long as you have a good internet connection.
How will I receive the other components of the curriculum package?
You receive the teacher guide and student books through the U.S. postal system. We ship by Priority Mail.
Why is there a time limit on my subscription?
Our cost to stream videos for a year is actually higher than that of DVD production. We set the subscription renewal rate based on our projected cost for a single user over a twelve-month period.
Will the DVD version be available again?
Because the cost to manufacture the DVDs has increased significantly since our last production, the DVD version for these programs is unavailable indefinitely. We may be able to offer The One Year Adventure Novel DVD sets again in the future, however we have no timeline to do so.
What quality is the video in the streamed lessons?
The lessons are shown in high definition (HD) as long as your Internet connection is strong. With slower connections, the system adjusts playback to prevent freezing, which means the videos are closer to standard definition (SD).
Can I share my password with a friend or with families in the group/class I want to run?
Passwords may not be shared between more than one household. When you purchase, you are agreeing not to share your access with persons outside your immediate household.
Do Cloud streaming students have access to the automated quizzes, FAQ videos, and other resources on the Resource Disc? (OYAN specific and needs to be updated.)
Yes, students using the Cloud video streaming service have access to everything on the Resource Disc; they just access these resources in a different way.
Automated quizzes are also available online via our Online Quizzes page (accessible from the Student Resources menu).
The FAQ videos are on the Cloud, along with the regular video lessons. The full-text PDFs of the additional adventure novels are listed below the FAQ videos in the Adventure Novels section.
How to Log In
How do I access the videos?
- If you choose “Start Right Away” when you check out, you will receive an access password by email within a few hours of your purchase. Otherwise, you can expect your password email to come about a week before your chosen start date.
- Go to the Cloud video portal under the “Student Resources” tab on this website, or just click the link provided in your email. Enter the email address you provided at check-out and your new password.
- Your course(s) will appear on the screen. Click “Start course” to begin. The lesson videos are grouped in threes by week with automated quizzes at the end of every week.
Technical Questions
What equipment do I need?
Video lessons are viewable on any computer, tablet, or smartphone that can run a modern browser. Our system uses HTML5 and, on older systems, Flash. The videos will work with Windows, Mac, Linux, and anything that can run a newer browser.
How fast does my internet connection need to be?
We use adaptive streaming, which means the quality of your video will adjust automatically based on your connection speed. For best results, we recommend a download speed of at least 1 Mbps (also written as “ms”). Click here to check your speed (ignore the advertisements about scanning your computer, etc. You just need to click “Begin.”)
Can we replay lessons, and watch lessons in non-sequential order? Are there controls such as Pause and Play?
Yes, all the videos are available to you for the duration of your subscription. You can watch them as many times as you would like, in any order, and the video player has standard controls, including Pause and Play.
Is there a limit on the number of IP addresses the streaming can be accessed from? Will my student run into problems if we are on the road?
We understand that families today sometimes function between many IP addresses. The default limit on an account is 3. But if you know you need more, please just contact us and we can make adjustments.
When you purchase, you are agreeing not to share your password for Cloud access with people outside your household.
Can I have more than one student in my household watching the lessons at the same time, on different devices?
There is no limit on the number of devices in your household that can be streaming the videos at the same time; however, you may experience problems if you have slower internet speed. A high-speed connection can support 2 or 3 devices streaming simultaneously.
If I have more than one student using Cloud Access, are they each able to track their progress through the course and complete the quizzes using the streaming platform?
Cloud Access is offered via Thinkific, a streaming platform, and the course is designed to be used by one student. However, your students may choose to either view the video lessons together or each student may keep track of their progress elsewhere if viewing them separately.
We are happy to generate a separate completion certificate per additional student on request.
Since Thinkific only records answers and results for one round through each quiz, we recommend that additional students complete the quizzes directly on our website, where the online quizzes are also available, and each student may take them as many times as needed. Please make sure that your student enters an email address with each quiz so the results will be emailed to you.
You’re welcome to add Cloud Access for each additional student if that would work better for your family. You can use our Cloud Renewal product to add another access. Please make sure to use a unique email address for each Cloud Account.
Will my student’s progress and test results in Cloud reset if they return to any video lesson or quiz?
No, your student’s progress through the lessons and quizzes will not be affected if they revisit videos or quizzes. If you plan to record your student’s quiz results at the end of the semester or school year, you may click on each quiz without resetting the quiz answers and score.
Would a dial-up internet connection support streaming?
Attempting video streaming on a dial-up connection is not recommended. It may be possible, but the quality would suffer.