Well deserved gang, well deserved . . . as we continue to build more products, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if you all pulled off a Katharine Hepburn.

A week ago you stood in front of the nation and spoke the following words:

“That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood . . . our schools fail too many . . . [But] we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.”

We at DreamBox Learning welcome your words. In fact, DreamBox Learning exists to be a key agent of transformative change in education, such that every student enjoys an individually-tailored, world class learning experience. We are doing our part by providing a web-based curriculum that is incredibly effective, fun, and highly individualized to a student’s particular learning needs. Our product will first be offered in the homes of some students, later in the schools for all students. In order to achieve that latter goal, we need your help. By ensuring that every student has access to a quality computer, thick broadband connectivity, a teacher that is trained to use technology, and a school system that embraces the power of software both in spirit and in budget, we are certain a difference can be made. In short Mr. President, if you provide the infrastructure and access, we will do our level best to bring innovation and entrepreneurship to meet the “demands of the new age.”

Mr. President, you also stated:

“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.”

Again, those words resonated for the DreamBox team. Today we celebrate the inaugural launch of our first product – DreamBox Learning K-2 Math. After three demanding and determined years, we stand ready to take our first step, not our last, in delivering on our promise so that children can take hold of theirs. We were humbled by the challenge but no less deterred. It was a simple recognition that someone had to; why not us? But as the hard charging and willful team here knows, any far-reaching goal needs to be grounded in bare-knuckled execution and a united ethos. We hope that these are the hallmarks of yours and our journey to success.

Lou Gray
CEO, DreamBox Learning, Inc.

1) Bit By Bit. Our first Ed-techer is Bob Sprankle, the author of the “Bit By Bit” blog. Sprankle is the Technology Integrator for K-4 in Wells Elementary School in Wells, Maine, and all we can say is-wow! With his own social network, podcast series, and a school website that rivals some of the finest web interfaces out there, Sprankle is a prime example of using technology to positively impact his students’ educational experience. Just as important, his efforts provide a great community resource for teachers and academics. To get a feel for Sprankle’s accessible writing style, check out a truly genius post, “An Ed-Tech Carol.”

2) Teach42. Blogger Steve Dembo writes about 21st century learning with clarity and charisma. An Ed-techer after our own heart, Dembo is passionate about combining technology and play for a more authentic educational experience. Check out his priceless posts on turning students into Technology Ninjas or how to be a rockstar education blogger. Overall, Dembo brings a heightened level of active critical thinking to the issue of EdTech , which results in frequently inspired posts, and a more enlightened discussion overall.

3) 2 Cents Worth. This blog is written by David Warlick, a passionate advocate, published author, and regular conference presenter on the subject of EdTech. As an “embedded Ed-techer” he blogs from the front lines of the EdTech movement, bringing us up to date on the divide between old-school education and 21st century learning. Whether discussing how children interact with technology or giving a book review, his writing is fast-paced, friendly, and knowledgeable. We’ll conclude with Warlick’s own description of his EdTech experience, as “a non-traditional educator who is grappling with an intensely exciting world he had no reason to expect.” Best summary of the EdTech advent we’ve heard yet!

4) A Difference. Need a little chicken soup for the EdTecher’s soul? Check out the inspiration behind Darren Kuropatwa’s blog moniker. Then begin forwarding furiously to every educator you know. When you’re done, come back for a myriad of appropriately multimedia interviews, clips, and posts on the pulse of EdTech today. We’re particularly partial to this post about using games as innovative teaching:) Another great resource is his wiki on an Extreme Web 2.0 Lesson Makeover. Very cool stuff! By combining thoughtful reflection with hands-on application, A Difference is an altogether useful EdTech blog, and an enjoyable one.

5) CoolCatTeacher. EdTech blogger Vicki Davis is a teacher, IT director, and curator of the award-winning class wiki The Flat Classroom Project. Her blog is a round-up of relevant education links and trivia, clever Youtube Videos, and other odds and ends. For example, in addition to a very thoughtful explanation of Web 2.0, and how to dip a toe into the “read/write web,” we also learned that the word “hot dog” was introduced into the lexicon in 1900. In other words, go check out CoolCatTeacher, where you can read about education, while being educated yourself. What could be more “web 2.0″ than that?

6) Ideas and Thoughts. One of our most decorated EdTech bloggers, author Dean Shareski is a professional Digital Learning Consultant with a Masters in Education and Technology. His posts range from amusing, to informative, to downright avant-garde. For example, his blog includes an interview with an educator who live streams his elementary school classroom 24/7. (Yes, really!) Shareski is amazingly knowledgeable in the area of EdTech, but what comes across most about this blog is the author’s desire not to bring technology into the classroom, but to bring active, alert, delighted learners into the classroom. Perhaps the post that most clearly articulates that intent is this one on bringing joy into teaching. Really though, this maxim resonates through everything Sharesk writes, and this refreshing mentality is what puts Ideas and Thoughts in a class of its own.

7) Moving at the Speed of Creativity. This blog is a host of handy tools, applications and ideas, all working together to fuel a fairly revolutionary approach to teaching. For example, check out this post on how to use Google Video Conferencing to bring a virtual guest speaker into the classroom, or this one on how to use Iphone apps to add/drop college courses (then have Rosie the Robot make you breakfast, and hop into your aerocar.) But as technologically fearless as blogger Wesley Fryer may be, he also advocates creating standards of safety for EdTech, as evidenced by this post on preventing cyberbullying and this great post about knowing what your kids are up to online. This combination of revolutionary ideas with responsible constraints earns Moving at the Speed of Creativity massive EdTech cred, here at DreamBox and beyond.

Always Learning. Our last blog on our round-up is also our most far-flung. Kim Cofino is a 21st Century Learning Specialist at the International School in Bangkok, Thailand. We love to learn what educators are doing around the world so this blog couldn’t help but be interesting, but Kim’s posts truly are top-notch. In the brilliantly-titled “Coming to Terms,” Cofino treats us to a pop quiz on modern slang terms for technology (how many do you know?) which leads into a thoughtful reflection on how language affects e-learning integration. Another gem is a great post on the importance of teamwork between teachers and technology integrators when implementing e-learning solutions in the classroom. As you can probably tell, what distinguishes this excellent EdTech blog, besides its exotic locale, is the focus on making e-learning an effective, communal experience.

Math Olympiad has programs for elementary school, grades 4-6, and middle school, grades 6-8. Last year 150,000 students and 5,000 teams participated. Check with your school, it may already have a program going. If not, consider starting one. And if you have a late elementary or middle school child who needs more challenge, consider buying one of their books filled with great past contest problems.

For more information on Math Olympiad or to order any of their books, check out their site.

And for a truly international math experience, check out World Math Day on March 4th!

That’s when she said it. “Individualized?! That’s what they all say!”

You can’t really blame her. Lots of companies (past and present) state that they offer individualized instruction through adaptations. But it’s not entirely clear that they are offering individualization in the most rigorous interpretation of the word. Put another way, the concept of individualization encompasses a lot of territory, from the slightest customization to a highly personalized experience. Add to this the fact that individualization is a hard thing to see and experience firsthand (especially with a single student playing), and you can understand her perspective.

Individualized Math Learning Paths

When most eLearning companies claim individualization, what they usually mean is that they have fixed lesson pathways, simple “right or wrong” scoring of answers, basic audio/visual hints, and preset questions. In the end, however, it’s all very linear and predetermined much like an interstate highway. When we talk about individualization, it means we dynamically adapt lessons, hints, difficulty, lesson pathways, pace, motivational elements, and more. That means our product is non-linear and flexible much like, say, space travel. Here’s another easy way to visualize all of this – it’s an example of how we handle lesson pathways (aka “sequencing”) for students:

Lesson Pathways: DreamBox vs. Competition

As you can see, most companies merely advance a student to the next lesson group whether they struggled or got there with ease. This generally means that all children advance the same way and usually in the same manner. DreamBox, on the other hand, provides many ways to traverse the lessons including offering the student a range of choices within a particular lesson group (i.e., you’ll note all the #3 choices).

Why are we able to do so much? The simple answer is that our team understands and is able to harness the full sophistication and complexity of the Web — such that we can analyze everything from clickstreams to session information. This means we have more tools at our disposal, which in turn allows us to take a more refined approach to adaptations. When you couple this with our intense desire to test what we’ve built again and again, it means that we can deliver a truly individualized experience, which is at the heart of effective learning.

The products that rarely caught on were hardly entertaining and somewhat educational. The ones that got traction were decently entertaining but barely educational. Initially, parents felt good about the edu-speak they were hearing and seeing in an entertaining product. But as time went on, parents got wise to the fact that these same products had defaulted to a basic model of practice-based lessons, rather than differentiating themselves with real instruction that leads to effective learning. Consequently, parents and children didn’t know what to make of edu-tainment software, so they started to lump it together with pure entertainment software, to which edu-tainment didn’t hold a candle.

Edu-tainment is Subsumed into Entertainment

Caught in the sloppy middle, edu-tainment companies either died or began to refocus their efforts toward more entertainment and even less education (if at all) under the theory that twitchy eye candy makes for an easier attractant. One only has to look at recent strategic shifts in products and corresponding messaging from the likes of JumpStart World to see this. This means that edu-tainment, like analog, is dead, but not before leaving behind a noisy marketplace full of confusion, an underserved generation of customers, and misleading promises (e.g., please don’t get me started on how the words “individualized” and “adapted” have been debased!).

Individualized eLearning is Born

It has also left a white space of opportunity. In addition to timing (for more on this, please see my blog on “DreamBox: eLearning Comes Home”), the promising news is that the current, web-savvier generation of parents still wants effective educational products that are engaging. Thankfully, they are also starting to see the beginnings of a better-segmented marketplace on the web, the results of which I believe are starting to shakeout as follows.

Market Shakeout of Edu-tainment and Individualized eLearning

If correct,

• Edu-tainment will be engulfed by Web-based Entertainment;
• eLearning will be replaced with the more potent Individualized eLearning;
• Virtual Schools will grow to serve students that otherwise lack access;
• eTutoring will dwindle over time as Individualized eLearning and Virtual Schools render them unnecessary;
• eTextbooks will creep forward incrementally as the digital textbook counterpart to the entrenched paper version of itself.

You have to understand that much of this cynicism stemmed from two decades of near misses. But being the curious (fine, stubborn) guys we are, we wanted to understand why all of these well-meaning and otherwise enlightened companies became road kill. What we found was neither surprising nor intellectually deep: their timing was off.

Think about it.

The Move Toward Individualized eLearning

Before we reached the 21st century, the combination of user behavior, the number of homes with broadband, PC power, and sophisticated Web technologies didn’t exist in any meaningful way. Today, things are much different. Most of DreamBox’s initial users (children ages 4½ – 8 years old) are already online; the vast majority of homes are wired with a pretty fast internet connection (thank you Comcast and Verizon); PCs are more powerful than a warehouse full of 1990 vintage super computers; and Adobe’s slick Flex framework allows for super rich and dynamic internet applications on top of its ubiquitous Flash Player. Empowered by this, we formed DreamBox Learning with the stated goal of bringing effective, engaging, and truly individualized learning fun to children in their homes over the internet. Now, we thought, all we had to do was build the company.

Oh, yeah, build a company.