DreamBox Learning®» Parent Tips http://www.dreambox.com DreamBox Learning, a web-based math learning company Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:01:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Confessions of a DreamBox Parent http://www.dreambox.com/blog/confessions-of-a-dreambox-parent http://www.dreambox.com/blog/confessions-of-a-dreambox-parent#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:50:00 +0000 Blue http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=8473 On-the-Run: Counting Fun: Ask your son to make equivalent amounts of objects, such as knives, forks, spoons, and napkins when setting the table; or to determine the number of items needed for all family members so everyone gets one. Finger Play: Hold up some fingers using two hands, but only show them briefly then put them behind your back. Ask your son to try to make the same arrangements with his fingers from memory. Is that the coolest thing or what? I am so happy with the progress and fun my child is having with DreamBox. It seems to me that the folks at DreamBox "get" learning so much better than some of these other computer folks. They understand that it's not all about the computer, or all about class time. They realize that parents and guardians must be involved. They know that to successfully engage a child in learning and creative thinking, time must be spent away from the computer using real world examples. With DreamBox, I'm learning what my child is doing in math in real time. I'm learning how to help my child think and learn about math in the real world. That is what makes DreamBox really, really great!]]> http://www.dreambox.com/blog/confessions-of-a-dreambox-parent/feed 0 A Good Opportunity to Build a Home-School Connection http://www.dreambox.com/blog/home-school-connection http://www.dreambox.com/blog/home-school-connection#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:42:58 +0000 Sue http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=7503
  • 4+9=13
  • 5+9=14
  • 6+9=15
  • 7+9=16
  • 8+9=17
  • 9+9=18
    • 4 “9 facts” + 2 “9 facts” = 6 “9 facts” We discussed your question among the teachers here at DreamBox, and we're assuming that the teacher is trying to give the students word problems that are relevant in some way to their lives, and prepare the students for standardized testing. In some states, students are given word problems that need to be answered in pictures, words, and numbers. When your child has been given a homework problem that's unclear to you, that's a great opportunity to start a dialogue with the teacher — when you do, you,  your child, and the teacher all will benefit from building a connection between school and home.]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/home-school-connection/feed 0     Connecting DreamBox School Progress With Your Home Account http://www.dreambox.com/blog/connecting-school-and-home-account http://www.dreambox.com/blog/connecting-school-and-home-account#comments Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:20:09 +0000 David G http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=7177 Thank you for the free 14-day trial of your software.  My daughter uses it in school and loves it!  I'd subscribe, but I'd hate to see her do the same work twice.  Is there a way to make it so that her school work matches her home account?" When DreamBox Learning first arrived on the scene, our software was designed with home usage in mind.  Nowadays though, more and more schools are using DreamBox Learning in their classrooms.  For these reasons, we decided that combining the two services was not only inevitable, but necessary.  And, we came up with two ways of doing this. The first, is through our "School Plus Home" version of the DreamBox Math Classroom.  Schools that subscribe to this level of service receive login and password information, which their students can use at home.  Home usage is virtually identical to a paid account, complete with a Parent Dashboard that shows their child's progress.  However, any work they do at home, is reflected in their school progress - and vice versa. If your school is not using School Plus Home, we can still link your child's home subscription to their class work.  In fact, if your child has made significant progress at home, we can even apply this progress to their school account, ensuring that they don't have to needlessly repeat any lessons.  You'll still have access to your child's progress through your Parent Dashboard, only now, this progress will include the work they're doing at school.  All you have to do is contact Customer Support with the name of your child, the school that they attend, and the name of their teacher, and we'll do the rest! Linking your child's school progress with a home account is a great way enhance a child's math education, by providing a fun and consistent learning environment.  It also provides parents with the tools they need to assess their child's instructional level in math, and even provide more hands-on assistance if a student is struggling with a particular concept.  Definitely a win-win situation! Do you have a question about DreamBox? Well, what are you waiting for? Use the “Send Feedback” button in the lower right hand corner of the DreamBox Learning lesson window, and let us know what’s going on. We can also be contacted about this, or about any other DreamBox questions you may have, at support@dreambox.com. We’re always more than happy to help you!]]> http://www.dreambox.com/blog/connecting-school-and-home-account/feed 0 Using Technology to Spend Quality Time with Family http://www.dreambox.com/blog/quality-time-using-technology http://www.dreambox.com/blog/quality-time-using-technology#comments Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:07:20 +0000 Becca http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=7236
  • Choose a book and read it together. With my nephew (pre-reading), we take turns. Sometimes I read while showing him the pictures and other times he “reads” while showing me the pictures. With my niece, we each have a copy of the book. Sometimes we read together, taking turns. Other times, we’ll plan to pre-read a couple of chapters and then talk about what we read during the Skype call.
  • Play an activity on the computer together. With Skype, one user can share their screen with the other user. One day, while talking, my niece needed help logging into DreamBox K-3 Math. I asked her to share her screen with me and helped her log in. Once she was logged in, we played “together.” I was careful not to help too much, but it was fun to watch her play and ask her questions about how she was solving the problems. We’ve done this with other websites as well—it was pretty cool to help her research butterflies for a school project despite the distance!
  • Play “car games”. Even though we rarely ride in a car together these days, we are still able to play our favorite “car games.” One of our favorites is “The Guessing Game.” One person things of an item and gives 3 clues. (A recent one? “I’m thinking of something that’s red, is used in pies, and some people put cinnamon in it.” Answer: Apple)
  • Have a meal together. Sounds kind of crazy (and takes some coordinating of schedules), but we’ve had dinner together by setting the computer on the far side of the table and talking over a meal. Not quite the same as our Sunday dinners of the past, but fun nonetheless.
    • How do you connect with long distance family and friends—especially kids?]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/quality-time-using-technology/feed 0     Supporting Math Learning: The Six DO's for Families and Teachers http://www.dreambox.com/blog/the-six-dos http://www.dreambox.com/blog/the-six-dos#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:10:19 +0000 Tracy H http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=7108 NCTM’s President’s Message, focuses on how to help your child or student with math. This instantly reminded me of doing homework after school, struggling with a math problem, and asking my mother for help. When she heard the problem she apologized–she couldn’t remember how to do the math I was working on. NCTM’s President, J. Michael Shaughnessy, offers some great advice to parents and teachers on how to support their children and students when they’re in need of math help. He encourages parents and teachers to “(1) Remember, mathematics is important, and we can all do it. (2) Work together as a team with your child—don’t show how to do it. (3) Investigate the NCTM resources that can provide assistance when helping your children with their math work.” Shaughnessy has provided a list of six DO’s for families and their math students to encourage math learning at school and at home:
    1. Be positive
    2. Link mathematics with daily life
    3. Make mathematics fun
    4. Learn about mathematics-related careers
    5. Have high expectations for your students
    6. Support homework—don’t do it!
    We have a number of resources already on our site to get you started on your ‘do’ list. Starting with this very blog! Thanksgiving dinner math activities gives children real life opportunities to use math and these 7 cool jobs that require math learning may inspire your children to a future career. Share with us how you support your children or students! How do you make math engaging? Are your children interested in a career using math? Leave us a comment and let us know!]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/the-six-dos/feed 0     New Math Activity Calendar: December Brings Holiday Fun http://www.dreambox.com/blog/december-2011-calendar http://www.dreambox.com/blog/december-2011-calendar#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:18:38 +0000 Tracy H http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=7080 Cover_Math_Calendar_December2010 The holidays are here! For many children this means potential snow days, and most will have a few weeks off from school for winter break. December is also the month with the shortest daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere. With all the extra time off and time spent indoors,here's a good way to ensure your children are staying engaged with math. Our December Math Activities Calendar is full fun facts and activities to keep your children learning all month long!
    • Play to 100 on National Dice Day, December 4th
    • Build a house on Gingerbread House Day, December 12th
    • Count how many cookies you make on Bake Cookies Day, December 18th

    Winter Break Plans

    How are you planning on spending your winter break with your children? Do you have activities planned to continue their learning throughout the break? Teachers -  are you sharing ideas with parents to encourage learning during the holidays? Please comment below - we'd love to hear from you! Download the December Math Activities Calendar today - Happy holidays!]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/december-2011-calendar/feed 0     School Plus Home: Successfully Logging In http://www.dreambox.com/blog/school-plus-home-login http://www.dreambox.com/blog/school-plus-home-login#comments Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:11:38 +0000 David G http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=6469 My girls just started using DreamBox at their school. Their teacher sent them home with a letter that has a login and a password on it, but I can't seem to get it to work. How can I log in? If your child brings home this letter, then good news: their school has subscribed to DreamBox Learning's School Plus Home program! This version of DreamBox gives your student round-the-clock access to all the serious fun & learning, at no cost to you, and sends all progress reports directly to their teacher. And setting it up is just as simple as logging in for the first time. However, there are a couple of things about logging in, that can be a little confusing.

    Accessing the log in screen

    One of the common problems, is accessing the log-in screen itself. The letter provided by the school should contain a website URL, as well as a user name and password. Make sure you are typing the URL exactly as it appears in the letter - do not add "www" or "http" to the URL. Also, make sure you are typing the URL directly into your browser's Address Bar, and not into a search bar or search engine. The correct page, when loaded, should ask for a "Login" and a "Password". Enter the log in information provided on the Parent Invite sheet from the teacher. If you are logged in successfully, you will be asked for your e-mail address, and given the opportunity to change your password.

    Invalid email notification

    This leads me to the second common problem. After entering your e-mail address, you receive an error message saying that the email is invalid, or is already in use. This is usually because, at some point in the past, your email address was used to start a free trial. Additionally, your email may show as invalid if you're already a DreamBox Learning subscriber, or requested information about DreamBox in the past. If you'd prefer not to use a different e-mail address, then you will definitely need to get a hold of the Customer Support department here at DreamBox. There are three basic ways we can address this issue:
    1. We can remove the account currently using your e-mail address, thus allowing you to give your email address to the new account. This is a quick solution for when you only want to use your child's School Plus Home access, as it does limit your own access.
    2. We can transfer your child's school progress to your existing account. This gives you full access to your Parent Dashboard, and preserves the work they've already done at school. This is the best option for parents who signed up for a free trial, but never fully subscribed.
    3. We can replace the child's school progress with the progress they've made at home. This also gives you full access to your Parent Dashboard, and allows your child to take advantage of their previous progress in school. This is definitely the best option of you're already a subscriber.
    All you need to do to make this happen is send an e-mail to Customer Support. Be sure to include the name of the child attempting to access DreamBox at home, the school that they attend, the name of their teacher, and which of the above three options you'd prefer as a solution. Our expert team of Customer Support specialists will get your child playing at home right away! Do you have a question about DreamBox? Well, what are you waiting for? Use the “Send Feedback” button in the lower right hand corner of the DreamBox Learning game window, and let us know what’s going on. We can also be contacted about this, or about any other DreamBox questions you may have, at support@dreambox.com. We’re always more than happy to help you!]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/school-plus-home-login/feed 0     Book Review: NurtureShock by Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman http://www.dreambox.com/blog/nurtureshock-book-review http://www.dreambox.com/blog/nurtureshock-book-review#comments Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:50:26 +0000 Mickelle http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=5991 Po Bronson’s and Ashley Merryman’s NurtureShock and I’d give it the rare classification of worth rereading. Whether you’re a teacher, parent or both, this book is a fantastic collection of ideas worth pondering. In fact, I limited myself to reading one chapter at a time so my mind had sufficient time to ponder each idea. Instead of telling you about the book (just read the Amazon reviews!), I’ll tell you a few ways I’ve changed my parenting:
    • I’m more thoughtful whenever my 4-year old daughter lies or tattles. I consider her motivations, my leading questions (am I setting her up to lie?) and the ways I can help steer towards honesty and independence.
    • My husband and I have stopped babbling with our 16 month old son and instead label objects and actions. Already we’ve tripled his vocabulary and are shocked by his progress. Is this what it takes to get him to talk?
    • When watching the kids play with each other and friends, I’m watching for physical, relational and verbal aggression. I’m not watching so I can intervene, instead I’m simply fascinated with the dynamics taking place at this early age. When exactly should I intervene? I don’t know. I do know that do/don’t do rules aren’t the answer and sometimes it’s best to pretend I wasn’t paying attention.
    Initially I expected that I’d be able to apply more of the book to my job writing online math curriculum for elementary-aged learners. While there are nuggets that apply to my job, I discovered a wealth of knowledge I can apply to interactions with kids of all ages. This is a must-read book!]]>     http://www.dreambox.com/blog/nurtureshock-book-review/feed 0     Great Article for Teachers to Share With Parents! http://www.dreambox.com/blog/bbc-article-to-share http://www.dreambox.com/blog/bbc-article-to-share#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:58:17 +0000 Mickelle http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=6244 BBC News Magazine’s Why Parents Can’t do Maths Today. Please let me know how you use it, and I’ll continue to look for other articles to bring to your attention.]]> http://www.dreambox.com/blog/bbc-article-to-share/feed 0 Incorporate a Daily Graph into the Morning Routine: 5th in Our Math Teaching Tips Series http://www.dreambox.com/blog/daily-graph-routine http://www.dreambox.com/blog/daily-graph-routine#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:56:07 +0000 Laura http://www.dreambox.com/blog/?p=5958 Daily Graph is an great way to incorporate these concepts into the classroom routine. Each morning display the outline of a graph on your white board. Pose a question as the title of the graph. For example, “How did you get to school this morning?” Kids come in and answer the question using their magnetic name tags (see directions below). Model what a good graph looks like by including a title and labels for the axis lines. Use the graph as a starter for your math lesson or include it in a morning meeting routine. Discuss the graph with the class asking questions like, “How many more kids rode the bus than walked this morning?” Through these discussions, students are not only working on data analysis skills, but also on number sense skills as they compare numbers. Be sure to expose your students to different types of graphs by using vertical and horizontal bar graphs and Venn Diagrams. During math class use the Daily Graph to make other graphs. For example, convert a bar graph to a picture graph, line plot, frequency table, or tally chart. Compare the different representations of the same information. Ask, “Which one is easier to read? What are the similarities and differences between the graphs?” After the students are comfortable with the Daily Graph, put them in charge of it. Assign students to create the graph for the following day. They need to come up with the question for the next day and the type of graph they want to use. Then have them lead the class discussion and analysis of the graph. Make a set of magnetic name tags for year-long graphing activities. What you need: •    Colored index cards •    Magnetic strip with an adhesive back •    Markers •    Stickers (optional) How to: Cut the index cards in half.  Write a student name on each card. You may want to include a sticker to decorate it a bit. If possible, laminate the cards. On the back of each card attach a piece of magnetic strip. Now your class is ready for a Daily Graph!]]> http://www.dreambox.com/blog/daily-graph-routine/feed 0