A Grand Junction entrepreneur who’s developed online video editing software that combines powerful features with ease of operation believes his product has a lot to offer in the classroom. And he’s inviting educators and students to try it out.

Loopster is giving away 20,000 educational packages valued at a total of $1.5 million.

“Video is the future, and we believe it has a critical place in the classroom,” said Bill Baird, chief executive officer and founder of Loopster. “We are giving away these packages to ensure all students have the opportunity to create videos and enhance their education.”

The Loopster educational packages include a teacher administrative panel and collaborative space for students. The packages offer students tools to create demo videos, voiceover commentary, messages, animation and the ability to slow down or speed up footage. The software allows students to edit video fragments, splice clips together and overlay music and titles.

Since Loopster software doesn’t need to be downloaded, it can be used from any computer to edit or upload videos. Applications are available for use on iPhones and iPads as well as Android mobile devices.

Baird said that experts predict that by 2017, 75 percent of all Internet use will be video. Putting professional video editing tools into the hands of students will help them succeed in a digital world, he added. “Video is an incredibly important medium. We want to get all students excited about using video to learn and to tell stories.”

For more information about Loopster and its free educational packages, visit the Web site at www.loopster.com.