ExploreLearning News

ExploreLearning Offers Real Understanding of Math and Science Concepts

Diane Kasparie is a teacher at Quincy Notre Dame, a Catholic high school in Illinois.  She thinks Gizmos offer students the chance to gain real understanding of Math and Science concepts, and she had this to say below about her experiences with Gizmos:

"Catholic schools are constantly working toward providing their students with the best learning opportunities within their strict financial limits.  Gizmos provide an essential tool for teachers and students with an infinite range of science and math lesson possibilities and a learning environment that they can manipulate and explore.  Far more powerful than any textbook, ExploreLearning offers real understanding of math and science concepts for learners on all levels of learning."

Thank you Diane for your wonderful comments!!

New from ExploreLearning: Online Gizmo Training!

Are you interested in increasing your knowledge and skill using ExploreLearning Gizmos?

Do you want to learn to use Gizmos in your own environment, with an affordable individual cost? Sign up for one of our new three-week online initial training courses. Anyone with an active subscription to ExploreLearning.com can purchase a seat in this new course, which will feature both guided and independent learning opportunities.

The first session begins on January 5th and the second begins on February 2nd.

Contact Explorelearning Sales for more information or to sign up.

Gizmos Increase Homework Compliance and Interest in Classwork

A high school science teacher in Baltimore County, MD, let us know that Gizmos helped him get his Biology students interested in doing homework assignments, and staying engaged in the classroom.

“I have been teaching science for 16 years at a large suburban high school with a diverse clientele.  All of our students must pass the state High School Assessment in Biology prior to graduating. Over the years, I have tried, with limited success, a variety of computer simulations. Last year I tried Gizmos for the first time and was immediately impressed.

I used the simulations in a class of our most challenged students and was surprised by the results. The students were engaged during class and repeated the simulations and tutorials to reinforce the concepts. The first homework assignment I gave them using Gizmos, EVERY STUDENT completed the assignment as well as the self-quiz at the end of the simulation. This was the first time last year that I had 100% compliance with homework completion. The students continued to perform well with Gizmos. Homework with Gizmos became less of a chore.

The diversity and large selection of simulations has allowed me to integrate computer simulations into each of our Biology units:  Chemistry, Genetics, Evolution, Ecology, Cells. 

I sincerely recommend Gizmos. They work!”

Martin Stranathan, Science Teacher, Dulaney High School, Baltimore County Public Schools

 

ExploreLearning has many great Gizmos for Biology. Here are some of our favorites to try with your students:

Seed Germination

Evolution: Mutation and Selection

Human Evolution - Skull Analysis

Addition by subtraction

We just published a new elementary math Gizmo, called Subtracting Decimals (Base-10 Blocks). This Gizmo completes our suite of three Base-10 Blocks Gizmos--the others are Modeling Decimals (Base-10 Blocks) and Adding Decimals (Base-10 Blocks).

With these Gizmos, students will gain a deeper understanding of place value, the base-10 system, and regrouping during addition ("carrying") and subtraction ("borrowing"). Students will see that the rules for adding and subtracting decimals are no different from the rules for adding and subtracting whole numbers, and will see why it is necessary to line up the decimal points when adding or subtracting decimals.

Enjoy!

Attend an "Introduction to ExploreLearning Gizmos" Webinar

If you are new to ExploreLearning, or are taking a free trial, learn more about the power of Gizmos by attending a one-hour webinar.

We have had a number of sessions this fall, and we still have a couple left before the end of the year.  You can sign up for the forthcoming webinars by clicking on one of the links below:

Monday, November 24, 2008, 7.00-8.00pm Eastern time

Monday, December 8, 2008, 3.00-4.00pm Eastern time

For more information on our webinars, please contact support@explorelearning.com.

Two new Gizmos – fractions and reactions, oh my!

We published two new math Gizmos today…

Adding Fractions (Fraction Tiles)

Reaction Time (Graphs and Statistics)

Adding Fractions builds on what we already have in the Equivalent Fractions Gizmo.  We’ve created a fraction-tile-making machine (we like to call it the “Fractionator” - we hope it will soon star in Hollywood films and eventually settle into a career in politics).  With the Fractionator, you can create your own fraction tiles with denominators up to 12.  Then you can model sums by placing tiles on the number lines.  Sums greater than 1 will be displayed as a mixed number on one number line and as an improper fraction on the other one.  (Stay tuned for another Gizmo focused on fractions greater than one in the near future!)

In Reaction Time, you can test your reflexes in the classic “catch the ruler” experiment (how far will the ruler drop before you can catch it?) and in a speed-clicking “click the target” experiment.  There are interesting things to be learned about your reflexes, but mathematically the focus is on displaying and interpreting data.  You and your students can explore data tables, dot plots, and bar graphs, and can work on calculating statistics like mean, median, mode, and range.

We hope you enjoy these two latest additions to the Gizmo library!