Posts Tagged ‘differentiated instruction’

Welcome to the Tuesday Teacher Tips series! Each week we’ll highlight teaching and learning resources, ideas to use in the classroom, as well as things to ponder as you go about your teaching day. For me, one of the most difficult aspects in teaching math is how to reach all students. There are the perennial [...]

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has recently published a book edited by our Lead Academic Advisor, Dr. Catherine Twomey Fosnot. The book, “Models of Intervention in Mathematics: Reweaving the Tapestry,” approaches intervention with the belief that “it is not the children who fail. As Marie Clay once said, ‘If children are unable [...]

Anyone involved in education these days has surely heard the term Differentiated Instruction. Used in many ways, differentiated instruction is a proactive teaching method that centers around each student as a unique learner. Simply put, every child arriving in my classroom shows up with differing skills and interests. It is paramount to use varying strategies and [...]

Sarah Daniels, DreamBox Learning’s VP of Marketing, spoke at this week’s NewSchools Summit 2010.  This annual event is sponsored by the NewSchools Venture Fund, the highly respected education-focused venture philanthropy firm of the same name. Here’s a brief video from a hallway conversation at the conference, with Sarah talking about why DreamBox is being used [...]

Every spring school boards across the country must make tough financial decisions for their districts. The majority of school budgets are personnel, so when budgets are cut that usually means cutting staff. With more students in the classroom and less support staff for remediation or enrichment, educational technology can be an important and effective tool [...]

I am a DreamBox teacher as well as the parent of a pre-schooler. I must confess there are times I have a hard time not helping him play DreamBox. He really enjoys playing and he is learning a lot. But there are times when the games are challenging for him.

Recently, a friend of a friend who had reviewed our offering wrote to me and said, "Overall I find the business model of a monthly charge very strange for a children's learning software. Usually one buys a book or a CD/DVD for a one time price and can use it indefinitely. DreamBox's offering basically means that now parents need to pay over and over again if their kids want to revisit lessons or if they are just slow learners. A more appropriate pricing model would be to sell the service per lesson or grade level. That would appeal a lot more to me. Think about it. I have to spend $100 for one year of service and after that I basically lose access to the learning tools unless I continue paying. For $100 each year I get many learning software on CD/DVDs or books and I can keep them forever. That is a very easy decision in my mind."

Dear Mr. President, 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.

I was at conference recently discussing DreamBox with a pretty savvy industry insider when she asked “what makes your product so unique?” My response was “It’s incredibly effective, fun, and highly individualized to a child’s particular learning needs.” That’s when she said it. “Individualized?! That’s what they all say!”

Edu-tainment was initially envisioned to be the perfect hybrid between education and entertainment. In the abstract, the idea that educational software could be equally effective and engaging remains a good one. Most edu-tainment companies, however, got the mixture wrong and thus never fully realized this promise.