DreamBox Learning®» Online Learning

The Power of Technology to Reach All Students

Tim Hudson — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:34:59 +0000

The most challenging aspect of teaching involves reaching all learners. In a given classroom of 20, 30, 40 or more students, I want and need to know what each student is thinking at every moment in order to be the best teacher possible. Yet with all that teachers are expected to do on a given day, true differentiated instruction is - and always has been - essentially impossible. Technology tools are often held up as the solution to this dilemma, but too often these tools merely simplify the presentation of material or collect small bits of student data during class. These technology uses enhance current teaching practices, but fall short of continually capturing information about a child's understanding at critical points of thinking and transfer. At DreamBox, we provide classroom teachers not only with data on student understanding and performance, but also with learning software that engages students, intelligently adapts to provide a differentiated experience for each child, and teaches rigorous mathematics. We know achievement gaps still exist. We believe our technology is a partner with teachers working to close those gaps. To fix the education crisis, we have to think differently about reaching all students. And we have to think differently about how new technologies can be a key factor in accomplishing this goal.

As a classroom teacher, I realize that more data would be useful for instructional planning, communicating with parents, and helping students set their own goals. But too often, assessments simply confirm what I already know - for example, that a fourth grade student doesn't understand second grade math content. I don't have time or opportunity to go back to those foundational number concepts; and with education funding cuts, my school may not have enough resource teachers to work with this student outside of class. Similarly, many data reports may confirm that another fourth grader is really doing math at a sixth grade level. The schedule and resources available in the school are rarely adequate to meet this student's needs on a daily basis either. The power of an intelligent, adaptive learning technology is the ability to differentiate learning support for every fourth grader: those working at grade levels above or below as well as every child in-between. Our technology represents a radical transformation in how students learn. By weaving an adaptive learning environment into the curriculum and classroom structure, we can drastically improve student learning, close achievement gaps, and adapt uniquely to individual students, each of whom will at some point encounter a learning challenge.

In the end, what every classroom teacher really needs is a tool that is proven to actively and directly foster learning for every single student. If more accessible textbooks and lectures were the key to closing achievement gaps, the education crisis would have been solved long ago. I need software that adapts to each student just as I would - moment by moment - observing what the child is thinking, how she is approaching the problem and analyzing the strategies she uses in order to make a pedagogical decision about where to go next. I want software that doesn't replace me entirely - I know that's impossible - but it should meet students where they are when I'm not able to get to them.

At DreamBox, we provide teachers and students with technology that makes this learning support a reality. We don’t expect to replace teachers; our technology enhances what teachers are trying to accomplish with each student. When teachers can't be there individually for a student at the point of learning, they can trust that DreamBox will be a trustworthy partner for ensuring that student will experience success.

DreamBox Learning vs. Other Math Programs

David G — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:26:57 +0000

I received the following letter from a parent who is not yet a customer. She writes:

I recently tried the DreamBox free trial, and feel it is a great program! However, my husband thinks that there are better programs out there. Can you help me explain to him why DreamBox is better than other math education programs on the market?

Many of our customers find DreamBox Learning as part of their research into math educational software, and I think this is great! As a parent myself, I strive to understand, as completely as possible, the goods and services that I give to my daughter, and I expect nothing less from our customer base. That being said, this blog post would be quite long if I did a side-by side comparison. Therefore, I’ll highlight was makes DreamBox stand out from the rest – then you be the judge.

Conceptual Understanding and Fluency

Our curriculum helps students simultaneously develop conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem-solving ability. We provide children with opportunities to develop the full range of skills and logical thinking, from learning the basic facts for computation, to developing problem-solving strategies.

Individually Adaptive

The key word is "adaptability". Unlike many educational programs, DreamBox Learning’s differentiated instruction looks beyond right or wrong answers. DreamBox is uniquely adaptable, offering each student an appropriately-challenged experience, tailored to their individual instructional level. We track every mouse click in order to offer the appropriate hints and instructional feedback, pacing, sequence, and level of difficulty of the lessons.

Self-Adjusting Lesson Placement

DreamBox Learning also offers a highly individualized response to student errors, making adjustments based on a wide range of variables. Instead of simply marking answers as "wrong", DreamBox analyzes the full range of each student’s online behavior, doing real-time assessment to determine if a student should skip content he already knows, or if reinforcement in a particular area of the curriculum is needed. By combining the latest educational research, with the expertise of our board-certified teachers, we’ve developed a unique and intuitive technology that constantly adapts, to optimize learning for each child.

Common Core State Standards Alignment

DreamBox Learning’s curriculum s with the Common Core State Standards, and matches their deep focus on developing student’s conceptual understanding and fluency in key curriculum areas. You can get more detailed information on how our curriculum aligns to the Common Core State Standards (as well as a detailed description of the concepts covered in each grade level) by going to http://www.dreambox.com/curriculum.

Detailed Progress Reports

DreamBox Learning also sends you updates on your children’s progression. The Parent/Teacher Dashboard reports on each student’s progress in real time, offering both summarized and detailed progress bars for easy analysis, and descriptions in plain English of what your children is currently learning. Parents also receive e-mail reports when their child meets new goals and milestones. We make every attempt to take the guesswork out of assessing your child's instructional level.

Engaging for Children

Finally, DreamBox is fun! The user interface (what the child sees) is designed to engage young students and keep them playing, by offering incentives such as award certificates and tokens. They can choose from a variety of themes, ranging from pirates to pet friends, and completion of lessons is rewarded with progress in their chosen stories. Students also get to personalize their experience, but here's the best part - none of these aspects affect the curriculum, meaning that the student gets the personalized engagement they want, AND the personalized math lessons they need. There certainly are a lot of great reasons to give DreamBox a try, but if you need one more, then here it is: a free 14-day trial! Signing up is quick, easy, and completely safe. At no cost to yourself, you can see, firsthand, what DreamBox Learning can do for your children's fluency in math. So... Is DreamBox Learning the best math education software on the market today? We'll let you be the judge of that. 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!

Models of Intervention in Mathematics: Reweaving the Tapestry

Jessie W — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:07:48 +0000

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 to learn, we should assume that we have not yet found the right way to teach them’” (p. vii). Dr. Fosnot, with the help of many colleagues, offers a new vision for intervention models. Some of the questions explored in this book include:

How is success in mathematics defined?
How is success in mathematics assessed?
What teaching practices support students in becoming mathematical thinkers?
How does curriculum support students in becoming mathematical thinkers?
How can technology support students in becoming mathematical thinkers?

These questions are explored in eleven chapters authored by leaders in elementary mathematics who reference current research and offer thoughtful case studies to provoke the reader to consider a new vision of intervention. Two of our very own DreamBox teachers, Mickelle and Becca, co-authored a chapter titled, “Differentiating through Computer Environments.” They explored how technology can be used to offer adaptive, personalized online learning for students. Case studies of students learning with DreamBox are used throughout the chapter as a powerful illustration. The book is complete with a Facilitator’s Guide including discussion questions for each chapter, which offer opportunities for reflection whether reading it alone or as part of a book study. Interested in learning more? Read an excerpt from the book, or visit NCTM’s online store to purchase. Already read the book? We’d love to know what you think – just leave us a comment below!

Virtual Manipulatives: Our First Fractions Manipulative, Rational Rods

Neal M — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:12:41 +0000

One of my favorite things about working at DreamBox is collaboration. Currently, our Academic Team is four National Board Certified Teachers including myself. We plan the curriculum, and work with experts in the field to develop lessons that are academically rigorous, follow an appropriate developmental sequence and that take advantage of a rich digital environment. Just last month, we traveled to Connecticut to work with our Leading Academic Advisor Dr. Cathy Fosnot, Founding Director of Math in the City and author of the Young Mathematicians at Work series. During our trip, the five of us hammered out a solid curriculum for teaching Fractions in Grades 3-5. Throughout this process, we design unique, likely-to-be patent pending virtual manipulatives that help students develop a strong conceptual foundation. One such virtual manipulative which we have developed is called Rational Rods. It is loosely based on measurement models, such as fraction strips, or bars, but takes that concept much further. This tool does what no classroom manipulative can do; it allows a student to take rational numbers, such as fractions, and apply a familiar context. How many of us use fraction terms when talking about money, or time? Instead of “I’ll be there in 30 minutes” we say “I’ll be there in a 1/2 hour”, or instead of “I only have 75 cents” we say “I only have 3/4″. Through Rational Rods, we have found a way to leverage our desire to reference context when tackling new math concepts, like fractions, and allow students to build a solid foundation before moving on to more abstract work. The Rational Rods virtual manipulative is just one of many tools we are developing for Fractions in Grades 3-5. Look for more blog posts as we give you sneak peeks of our current development!

Curriculum Progression and The Carnival

David G — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:48:52 +0000

I recently received this letter from a parent:

I am concerned that the amount of time my sons spend in the "Carnival" part of DreamBox may be affecting the speed of their progress. Do my children advance in placement when they spend their time at the Carnival and in My House? Or should I primarily limit them to the Adventure Park?

This is a good question, and to answer it, I'd first like to explain how progression works in DreamBox. Curriculum progression happens primarily in the "Adventure Park" section, where colorful characters present challenging lessons, helpful hints, and exuberant encouragement. As students complete the lessons in this area, DreamBox Learning’s GuideRight™ technology assesses their input, and offers new lessons based on the results. And, let's face it, if these lessons aren't completed, then the student isn't going to progress to the next grade. Because of this, you may very well ask, "if this is where the whole curriculum takes place, then why do the Carnival and My House areas exist?" Well, these areas are not without their own merits! The My House section may not seem very academic on first glance. However, it does serve as the main hub of DreamBox Learning's most vital tool: engagement. DreamBox works because kids have fun playing it, and part of that fun is collecting character cards, certificates, and other prizes. The My House area gives them the ability to customize their avatar, check out the cool rewards they've earned in the Adventure Park, and print certificates of their achievements. Also available in the My House section is a Toolbox, giving students unrestricted access to DreamBox Learning's signature Virtual Manipulatives - gadgets that help teach the strategies and techniques that students need to not only learn math, but to excel at it. The Carnival games are designed, first and foremost, to teach problem solving skills in math. They also give children a standard area they can return to, so they can very clearly see and understand how they are getting better at math. Adventure Park Lessons come and go, but Carnival games such as Dunk Tank and Frog Race can be revisited - and kids will be able to tell, based on past performances in the same game, how well they're doing now. This is a great way to reinforce their math skills, and build their confidence. As for the Carnival's contribution to curriculum progression, you can also see this for yourself. Simply log into your Parent Dashboard, find your child's progress page, and click "Get Details". You will notice that one of the Curriculum Categories on this page is called "Problem Solving". The only way to earn progress on this bar, is by playing games in the Carnival. You can tell which games affect which grade levels, by scrolling a little further down your student's Progress Report Detail page, to the Curriculum Completion section. Locate the "Problem Solving" section of each grade, and click on the green plus sign to the left of it. You can then see which game(s) are needed to fill that grade's Problem Solving bar. As with all things in life, moderation is the key. Students should definitely spend the lion's share of their time in the Adventure Park, and use the My House and Carnival sections as ways of "cooling off" between new lessons. My suggestion, would be to make sure your children spend at least 20 minutes in the Adventure Park, for every 10 minutes they spend in the Carnival and My House areas combined. You've got to take the "serious learning" with the "serious fun"! Do you have a question about DreamBox? Well, what are you waiting for? The DreamBox Learning Customer Support team is always just a click away; just 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!

DreamBox Has Solutions For Your Back To School Math Problems

David G — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:34:12 +0000

A customer writes:

After taking a few months off for the summer, our daughter has started using DreamBox again. However, she is finding that she's backslid a bit, and that the problems are a little too difficult for her. How can we help her get back in the groove?

As you may already know, DreamBox Learning's GuideRight™ technology does a great job of giving students the most appropriate lessons, based on their current knowledge, and what they've yet to learn. A student's instructional level is measured, on a click-by-click basis, for this very reason. But what happens when a student stops "clicking" for a few months, and comes back to questions they no longer remember the answers to? Not a problem! There are a couple avenues of assistance already built into your DreamBox Learning subscription to help. For starters, the aforementioned GuideRight™ technology can tell when a student is having a difficult time in the curriculum, and will provide review lessons based on the problem areas of comprehension. This is one of those circumstances where it's perfectly okay for a student to struggle with questions, so encourage them to push ahead. They'll get some answers wrong, and that's good, because that is exactly the information DreamBox needs to get your child back on track! However, in extreme cases where the built-in adjustment process isn't enough, our DreamBox Learning Customer Support team is able to manually adjust placement. This is where we move your child to an earlier point in the curriculum and have them do some or all of the lessons over again. In some cases, this is a great way to reinforce previous learning, and can increase a child's confidence in their math skills. Our Customer Support Team can review your child's transcripts carefully and, with the help of our knowledgeable Academic Team, recommend a placement solution that's right for your child. However, manual placement is not always the best solution. This is why any and all manual placement recommendations will be discussed with you, fully and to your satisfaction, before being implemented. The best part about both of these techniques, is that they are virtually invisible to the student. All other game elements, including story line progress, token counts and in-game collectibles, remain exactly the same. The child is simply given more appropriate questions to answer. In all cases, the DreamBox Learning Customer Support team is always just a click away; just 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!

DreamBox: Applying Technology Horsepower to Education

Lou — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:08:58 +0000

I continue to marvel at the power of the Web and the way it has completely transformed how we transact business and conduct our lives. We connect and communicate, we buy and we use content (books, music, movies, information, etc.) in completely new ways. In that brief second after you click the mouse, just consider how personalized and targeted the response is to your purchase on Amazon, music selection on iTunes, flight scheduling on Expedia, restaurant reviews on Yelp, friend connections on Facebook, and searches on Google.

Harness the power of the internet for math learning and education

This is only made possible through the intelligent, rapid, and sophisticated technologies that energize these leading websites and their related services. So it amazes me that none of this transformative horsepower has been used in any meaningful way to educate children. Instead, we largely teach students the same way we have for a century, with large classes, lectures, and textbooks. And our use of technology in schools is reserved for improved whiteboards, automated practice, or distance learning. DreamBox Learning aims to change this: we are building a new software platform for education so that children can enjoy an individually-tailored, world class learning experience over the Web both at home and in school.

We're Cool! DreamBox Learning Named Cool Site of the Day

Tracy — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:16:19 +0000

Exciting news! DreamBox Learning was named the "Cool Site of the Day" on April 2, 2009. It's truly an honor and everyone at DreamBox should be proud. We always thought we were cool, but it's nice to be recognized by others. Great job DreamBox!

What the Cool Site of the Day said about DreamBox Learning:

"DreamBox Learning is the only math learning game that guides kindergarten, first grade and second grade children to succeed by giving them individually-tailored instruction. It is solid math wrapped in fun web-based adventures that kids love! And they'll be learning the math that's vital to their future."

Thank you, Cool Site of the Day and congratulations to everyone at DreamBox Learning!

Bringing DreamBox Learning's Online Math Games to Thousands of Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Students!

Casey — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:31:02 +0000

This was a very exciting week at DreamBox Learning. When we launched DreamBox K-2 Math we heard from hundreds of kindergarten, first and second grade teachers around the country telling us that they wanted to use DreamBox and our online math lesson games in their classrooms. Since our January launch we have been piloting our DreamBox math games in 150 kindergarten, first and second game classrooms around the country. Teachers are using DreamBox in their math clubs, with their math all-stars and high achievers, as well as with their math intervention students who need math tutoring. Yesterday we introduced the DreamBox Math Classroom program, which allows pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first and second grade teachers to use DreamBox in their classrooms. As part of our commitment to supporting teachers and making excellent math education accessible to all children, DreamBox is offering any pre-K to 2nd grade teacher at a public, private, or independent school free use of DreamBox K-2 Math in school through the end of this school year (June 30, 2009). In the past two days we have had over 150 new teachers sign up on DreamBox and create classroom subscriptions adding over 1000 students! Teachers are finding that DreamBox is an incredibly effective way to teach 4-8 year olds math in a fun way.

Why DreamBox is the Online Math Learning Game for Your Child!

Our amazing team worked hard to create a classroom version of DreamBox Learning K-2 Math, because the game allows every kindergarten, first, and second grade student to progress through hundreds of online math lesson games at their own pace! When they begin to play, each child is assessed and started at just the right place in the curriculum, and gets different lessons, hints, level of difficulty, and much more. Teachers have an online Teacher Dashboard where he or she can view individual student progress and completed lessons in the DreamBox math curriculum. Every teacher is given a personal internet address for their classroom that they can pull up on school computers and have up to 32 students in their class playing DreamBox math games at the same time. Teachers are also able to play sample kindergarten, first grade and second grade math lessons with their classrooms by bringing them up on any interactive white board. And teachers can invite parents to try DreamBox at home so students can play DreamBox and learn serious math after school, on weekends and over the summer, in addition to the time spent at school, and have one record of their academic progress and game play. If you know a teacher who would like to use DreamBox in their classroom, please tell them about the free DreamBox Math Classroom subscription! Teachers can sign up for a DreamBox teacher account, preview and evaluate our curriculum, and apply for a free classroom subscription, good through June 30, 2009, at www.dreambox.com/teachers.

Technology Can “Place” Students in the Curriculum More Efficiently than Parents and Teachers Can

Mickelle — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:58:33 +0000

As a teacher I often used software in the classroom. Much of this software relied on me to determine the appropriate starting place in the curriculum. Every year I’d add my class list and determine which objectives I wanted to address for each student. Often I’d do this in August as part of my preparation for the new school year, which means I hadn’t even met the kids. Plus, we all know about the loss of knowledge retention that occurs over the summer. How was I supposed to know what each student did and didn’t need? Instead, did I spend the first weeks of school assessing these particular objectives to determine the appropriate starting point for each student? Ideally, yes. But what teacher has of time? Remember, I can spend as much time planning and preparing for my students as I want, but it’s much more difficult to increase the actual instruction time I have with them. Instruction time is a valuable commodity and it’s important to use it wisely. Assessment is an important part of using instruction time wisely, but how much time should I spend assessing supplementary software?

Using Software to Better Gauge Kindergarten through Second Grade Math Curriculums

Although I hate to admit this, I’d usually make my best guess for a starting place. Reflecting back on this, I’d usually include too many objectives which didn’t challenge the students early enough, and resulted in my students not wanting to use the software. Or maybe the software just wasn’t engaging enough. This prior experience had a dramatic impact on DreamBox Learning K-2 Math. I didn’t want to burden teachers and parents with this same requirement. We (teachers, developers and our wonderful assessment advisor) spent hours developing an assessment model that allows our software to dynamically adjust and provide just the right curriculum for each individual. As a result there are over a million paths through our curriculum. While I can’t tell you exactly how we do this (it’s part of our secret sauce!), I can tell you this is ground-breaking work. We’ve built something I haven’t seen any other product emulate. And to have my name associated with the patent — well, that’s just too cool!