Case Study: An Interview with Linda Koch

Linda has been working for Maine School Administrative District #75 (MSAD 75) for almost 12 years and has worn many hats. She started work in education as a substitute teacher when her children were young and then as a Title One tutor for several years. She is now a staff member for the MSAD 75 Gifted and Talented Support Services and coordinates, delivers, and manages most of the programs and services they deliver to teachers and students in their district.

We are very grateful that Linda could spare some time to talk to us about Gizmos!

Let's learn more about how Linda uses Gizmos in her teaching by asking her a few questions:

How did you first hear about ExploreLearning?

I was talking with a co-worker about my search for an enrichment program for higher level elementary school math students. She told me about ExploreLearning and how she was using it with her 7th grade science class with great success. I checked out the program and I was so impressed with Gizmos, we purchased a license and included it in our menu of Gifted/Talented Programming options.

What were your first impressions of the site and Gizmos when you got access to ExploreLearning.com? What keeps you using Gizmos?

My first impressions were visual; the site was colorful, it had a well designed layout, it was user friendly, and easy to navigate - all important aspects to tech savvy kids! The Gizmo choices are endless and the quality of every Gizmo is superb. My GT students are never bored and always find Gizmos that are interesting and challenging.

How do you use Gizmos in class? (For example, do students work individually on computers? In pairs? Do you use Gizmos as a demo for the whole class? Do you assign Gizmos as homework?)

Since I travel between 6 schools, I often work with small groups of 3-4 students. This more intimate setting allows students to work at appropriate levels and choose Gizmos that not only correlate with their current math or science units, but also challenge their thinking. Students will also discuss Gizmos and share ideas and strategies with each other in this smaller setting. Some of the conversations have been very rich.

If you've used other technology and/or teaching methods to cover some of the same math concepts, how do you find that Gizmos help you cover the topic more quickly/easily/more effectively?

I work with teachers to help support their advanced learners with differentiation options. When these learners finish early or pretest out of a unit, Gizmos provide activities to further challenge the students within the topic area or beyond. I have had a few students share their Gizmo activities and outcomes with their classmates as a project.

How do your students respond to Gizmos?

ALL of the students I work with love Gizmos because they feel like they are playing a game. There are so many choices, they always find activities that are interesting and valuable to their learning. I had one student who was worried about upcoming testing and the fact that her teacher didn't have time to teach them about Stem-and-Leaf Plots before the test. She browsed and found a Gizmo for Stem-and-Leaf Plots and taught herself by using the Gizmo.

Describe the technology setup in which you use Gizmos. (e.g., Networked classroom? How many computers? Laptops and/or Carts? Projector? Interactive whiteboard?)

I usually use a projector in the computer lab to walk students through the Gizmo warm up. They then work either in pairs or independently on desktops or laptops.

What Gizmo did you have the most success (and/or fun and/or satisfaction) teaching with?

My math student's favorites are Treasure Hunter, Cannonball Clowns, City Tour, and 3D & Orthographic Views. The top science Gizmos so far are Gravity Pitch, and Inheritance.

What was it about these Gizmos that made the lessons successful?

The students were exposed to 2-3 different ways to view the information, such as the number lines in Treasure Hunter. Not only could they see the distance in a map view, but they had to place a marker on a number line to collect their treasure. They also liked earning a reward for their efforts.

Have you any evidence that you’d like to share on the impact of Gizmos on student learning in your classes?

I have no concrete evidence at this time, but I can say that after tracking math scores of students who used Gizmos, they had some of the highest scores and the greatest percentage increases from Fall to Spring.

Do you have any other comments or statements that you’d like to make about Gizmos?

I have yet to find a better product for the advanced learners I work with. It is easy, they love it, they are learning, they never complain about being bored, they always find a "new favorite" Gizmo, and since the assessment is right there below the Gizmo, they can see instant results and track their own progress.