Posts Tagged ‘Life at DreamBox Learning’

When we were developing DreamBox Learning K-2 Math, just creating the Mouse Tutorials didn’t solve our mouse problems (See our blog Schooled by 5-8 year olds: Mouse Skills Needed).

The genesis of how DreamBox does assessment, and one of the reasons I am with the company, occurred over 30 years ago when one of my relatives was diagnosed with a learning disability.

This surprised us and shocked his teachers, who considered him to be in the upper middle to top third of the class for math. His test scores consistently supported this. In many areas he was significantly ahead of his peers. Yet a detailed examination with an expert showed that for him division just didn't compute. Put another way, his brain simply wasn't "wired for division".

Recently, I reread Seth Godin’s book Purple Cow. It’s about transforming your business by being remarkable.

My own son has a gift for art and is especially interested in animation. (And while his math test scores are high he’s never been especially motivated to focus on math.) The animated movies that younger kids love can be a good jumping off point for helping them understand the unlimited possibilities of learning math.

Soon after we completed our first round of beta testing with our very first version of DreamBox (think 40 games as compared to our current 350+), I attended an incredible conference called Dust or Magic, an annual Children’s New Media Design Institute, organized by Warren Buckleitner, editor of the Children’s Technology Review.

All of us at DreamBox Learning sincerely wish all of you a happy holiday season and the very best in the new year!