We offer a video streaming alternative to DVDs for your convenience!
When you order Cover Story, you can choose to order a streaming package or a DVD package.
Write in the Cloud: Convenient and Flexible
Here are some significant benefits to choosing video streaming:
You save money.
Front-end costs for investing in Cover Story are lower when you choose a subscription.
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. Now 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.
You can forget the hassle of lost or damaged discs!
No danger of misplacing or breaking the Cloud. So you’ll never need to pay for replacement discs.
Cloud Set
$169 for 1 year of streaming + materials
• The Student Book, Teacher Guide, and journal are shipped to you, but you access the video lessons online.
• After the first year you may renew your video streaming subscription for $35/year. If you also need a new student kit (Student Book + journal), that cost ($59) would be separate.
• You only pay to renew when you need video streaming access again. Gaps in access are fine.
• If you license for Group Use, your license renewal fee includes a video streaming subscription renewal.
DVD Set
$199
• All materials are shipped to you.
• Licensed for Household Use (non-expiring) or for Group Use (1 year, renewable for a fee).
• Not subscription-based; you pay $59 for new student kits (Student Book + journal) when you need them.
Switching to Streaming from DVDs
Special Offer
If you ordered Cover Story and would like to switch from DVDs to streaming, we have a special offer for you!
** You can take advantage of this exchange deal even if you got your Cover Story DVDs used or from a third party. **
If it has been 30 days or less since you received your order:
Please contact us by email or phone about your wish to switch. Mail us your DVDs, and we will grant you a first year of video streaming in exchange. We will refund the difference in price between the DVD set you bought and a Cloud set. (Please note, however, that if you wish to switch from a Cloud subscription to DVDs, you will need to pay the difference.)
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, 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 delivery confirmation, but the carrier is your choice. (Avoid Media Mail. Materials delivered by that method often arrive damaged.)
Clear Water Press
Attn: DVD Exchange
P.O. 62
Olathe, KS 66051
Would streaming work for you?
You need:
1. A computer, tablet or smartphone that supports a modern browser
2. A good internet connection
Check Your Internet Speed
This site in the link below provides a free Internet speed test.
Ignore the advertisements suggesting that you scan your computer. Just press “Begin.” For best results, we suggest a download speed of at least 1 Mbps (also written as “ms”).
FAQ about Streaming
General Questions
• Will streaming work outside of the USA?
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 Student Book, Journal, and Teacher Guide 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.
• Are you going to stop selling the DVD option?
We are very excited to focus on video streaming. But we understand that some families do not have good internet access or have another good reason why streaming is not a good fit for them. We will keep a stock of DVDs to accommodate these families.
• 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?
Under the Household License, 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.
If you have a Group License and would like each participating family to watch the videos outside of class time, please contact us to arrange a per household access fee. (The Group License stipulates that the students watch the videos together in one location; readings and/or workbook lessons are usually assigned as homework.)
• If I purchase/switch to streaming and decide I would rather have the DVDs, is it possible to switch?
If this should happen, please contact us; we should be able to work out an arrangement.
How to Log In
- 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 viewing. The lesson videos are grouped in threes by week with automated unit tests at the end of every four weeks. Grammar lesson videos are listed below the regular videos.
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 a 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 (if using a Household License) or classroom.
Can I have more than one student in my household watching 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.