ExploreLearning News : Press Clippings

ExploreLearning wins another T+L Award of Excellence

ExploreLearning was named a winner in the 27th annual Tech & Learning magazine Awards of Excellence! We are honored to receive this award for the 2nd year in a row. The program honors software, hardware, network, and web products, including innovative applications that break new ground as well as those that added significant enhancements to proven education tools. A panel of more than 30 educators chose the winners. 

Look for details in the December Awards issue of Tech & Learning magazine.

ExploreLearning on Capitol Hill

ExploreLearning participated in two Capitol Hill events this week, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education & Labor’s “Future of Learning” Hearing and a Capitol Hill Technology Showcase “Bringing the Future of Learning to Schools Today.” These events examined and demonstrated the role of educational technology on the future of teaching and learning. Attendees were treated to some of the best and most innovative educational approaches that are transforming and improving education in America.

Members of Congress, including the Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, George Miller (CA), experienced firsthand the some of the best educational technologies and tools on the market today, including ExploreLearning Gizmos. We showed Gizmos to many U.S. Representatives and enthusiastic staff members!

A big goal of the day’s events was to demonstrate that federal leadership in educational technology funding is important to improving student achievement and technology literacy. Key federal investment in Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) the eRate, and other programs helps educators meet the needs of 21^st century students and ultimately help increase our nation’s future competitiveness.

A link to the press release issued by SETDA and SIIA, hosts of the Technology Showcase, can be found here:  Capitol Hill Showcase

ExploreLearning wins Best K-12 Instruction Solution Award

Just last night in San Francisco, ExploreLearning won an SIIA CODiE Award for Best K-12 Instruction Solution! This award honors the best overall education technology solution for curriculum and content for students in K-12 learning environments.

This is ExploreLearning’s 3rd CODiE Award win in four years. The CODiEs recognize leaders and innovators across the software, digital content and education technology industries. We are honored to be included among these leaders.

Since this news is hot off the press, the winners are not yet officially posted on the SIIA website, but should be in a matter of hours. Follow this link soon for more information: 2009 CODiE Award Winners

Go Gizmos!

Gizmos are finalists for Three AEP awards

We are pleased to announce that we have been named a finalist in three categories for the 2009 Association of Educational Publishers Awards. Gizmos are finalists for K-5 Science Curriculum, 6-8 Science Curriculum, and most notably for the Golden Lamp, AEP's highest award.

The Association of Educational Publishers' (AEP) Awards program recognizes excellence in educational products and education marketing. ExploreLearning has won three previous awards from AEP. This year's winners will be announced on June 12, 2009.

See the complete list of finalists: http://aepweb.org/awards/finalists.htm

 

         

Gizmos: CODiE Award Finalists in 3 Categories

ExploreLearning Gizmos have been nominated as finalists in the SIIA CODiE Awards for the fourth consecutive year! We are honored to be finalists in three categories this year: Best K-12 Education Solution, Best Math Instructional Solution, and Best Science Instructional Solution.

The CODiE Awards recognize outstanding achievement and visions in the software, digital information and educational technology industries. According to SIIA President Ken Wasch,

“The competition is particularly steep this year during the 24th Annual SIIA CODiE Awards, making selection as a CODiE Finalist a real achievement.” Wasch further added that “All the companies on this year’s list of CODiE Finalists should feel justifiably proud of their accomplishment in making it to this stage, and have much excitement to look forward to regarding the upcoming CODiE Awards voting!”

Winners will be announced on May 5, 2009.

To see the press release: ExploreLearning Gizmos Earn Finalist Honors in Three Categories from Software & Information Industry Association

For the complete list of finalists, click here: 2009 CODiE Award Finalists

Award of Excellence for ExploreLearning Gizmos

ExploreLearning Gizmos has been recognized as a 2008 Awards of Excellence Winner by Tech & Learning magazine. The Awards of Excellence honor innovative software and web applications that break new ground, as well as those that demonstrate clear superiority over similar products in the market.

Awards of Excellence Winners were featured in the December 2008 issue of Tech& Learning magazine. For more information on this year's winners, visit http://www.techlearning.com/article/15112

To read the full press release on this award, visit 

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=93447&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1246929&highlight=

We are very excited to add yet another award to our growing list of accolades!

Use of Gizmos After School Hours Reaches All-time Highs

ExploreLearning announces that use of Gizmos during non-school hours has reached all-time highs! Thirty-nine percent of teacher users access Gizmos on weeknights and weekends, while 23 percent of students using Gizmos work with them outside of class time.

“We are very pleased with the number of students and teachers who are choosing to extend the school day with Gizmos, It means teachers are finding creative ways to bring Gizmos into their instruction and students are responding in a very positive way.”

David Shuster, Ph.D., Founder of ExploreLearning

 

For some informative examples of how teachers and students are using Gizmos to extend learning beyond the school day, read the press release we recently issued.

Gizmos at Michigan Virtual Summer Camps

ExploreLearning is again teaming up with Michigan Virtual School to provide math and science content with Gizmos for their intensive two-week online summer programs. These camps are designed for middle school students who excel in math and science to provide challenging interactive activities that will fuel their passion for discovery and deepen their understanding of math and science concepts. All of this will help prepare the students for the challenges of Michigan's new high school graduation requirements.

ExploreLearning became part of Michigan's Math and Science Virtual Camps in the summer of 2007 and the results were compelling for students mastering critical content. Robin Dickson, Director of Innovation and Research at Michigan Virtual University, says that "building on the extraordinary success of the first-ever Michigan virtual middle school summer camps, Michigan Virtual School is once again this summer offering online learning opportunities in math and science featuring ExploreLearning Gizmos. Our campers identify their favorite gizmos in their 'Around the Campfire' discussion board and characterize their learning as 'play' and 'fun.' When was the last time you heard middle school students referring to math and science as fun? Gizmos break important content into easy-to-grasp chunks that pique campers' curiosity and invite their participation."

To read the full press release from Michigan Virtual University, click here.

Gizmos A Big Part of STEM Education

    ExploreLearning was featured in the July 2008 issue of T.H.E. Journal as a part of one district's efforts to improve STEM education. In an article entitled "High Schools: An Equation That Works," author Mary Ann Wolf discusses ways to make STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) more interesting to students by combining technology with engaging instructional practices. Technology administrators in several districts were asked about what has worked for them in reaching students more effectively in this area. In Forsyth County, Georgia, ExploreLearning was cited as a key to success in STEM education. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Bailey Mitchell, chief technology officer of Forsyth County Schools (GA), has worked with other officials in his district to implement technology tools and resources supported by ongoing professional development to produce compelling STEM instruction. Teachers in Forsyth have embraced the rich collection of digital content provided by ExploreLearning, a catalog of modular, interactive simulations in math and science that the company calls Gizmos.

'The results have been promising, with students developing a deep and lasting understanding of key concepts in math and science through inquiry and exploration,' Mitchell says.

He explains that using technology compels students to draw on higher-level thinking skills and makes the basic ability to recall information secondary. 'As students create their learning communities using Web 2.0 tools, being able to recall factual information becomes less important than being able to evaluate and synthesize information. These students are achieving on state tests, but are also learning critical 21st-century skills.'

To read the full article in T.H.E. journal, click here: http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22920_1

The Journal is dedicated to improving and advancing the learning process through the use of technology. Launched in 1972, T.H.E. Journal was the first magazine to cover education technology. With a circulation of 90,000 qualified readers, T.H.E. is the largest circulated education technology monthly publication.

Gizmos Cited as Effective Educational Technology Tools

ExploreLearning Gizmos have been discussed in two recent best-selling educational books, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works, from the Association of Superintendents and Curriculum Directors (ASCD) and Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), and Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom, from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

According to Howard Pitler, Ed.D., Senior Director for Curriculum and Instruction at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) and lead author of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works, ExploreLearning's Gizmos are an effective and engaging way to move students to inquiry science and math. We show examples in the book of a number of the nine categories of effective instructional strategies that are truly enhanced by this excellent resource.

Randy Bell, Associate Professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and co-editor of Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom notes, We included ExploreLearning Gizmos as examples because they embody what research points to as characteristics of effective simulations. Gizmos are content focused, they encourage inquiry instruction and they actively engage students in learning. These features are very well aligned with the findings of more than two decades of research on the effective uses of computer simulations in science instruction.

We are honored to be included as examples of effective educational technology in these books!

Read the entire Press Release here.

ExploreLearning Wins Award

We are pleased to announce that ExploreLearning was awarded the Association of Educational Publishers' Distinguished Achievement Award in the Mathematics Instruction/Website category.

For 38 years, the Distinguished Achievement Awards have honored the diversity and quality of supplemental publishing products made for the home and school. In 2004, the AEP expanded the categories to reflect the growth of electronic publishing and the expanding educational publishing industry. Additional information can be found at the AEP Awards website.

A special thanks to the AEP, who made the awards banquet a fabulous event, and gave us the chance to meet with many people devoted to education.

Shown in the photo from left to right are William, Raman (that is me!), Julia, and Dan. Since Dan is our main "math guy" he got to go up on stage to receive the award earlier in the evening.

Official Press Release

Gizmos Nominated as Finalists in Two AEP Award Categories

ExploreLearning Gizmos have been nominated as finalists for awards from the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) for the fourth straight year. We are a finalist for both a Distinguished Achievement Award and AEP's highest award, the Golden Lamp, which recognizes the most outstanding materials for learning in content, design and fulfillment of educational mission. We are extremely pleased about these nominations and hope that when winners are announced in June 2008, we'll be among the chosen. For a complete list of this year’s AEP’s 2008 award nominees, please visit http://aepweb.org/awards/gl.htm.

Students using Gizmos sparks interest of newspaper in Polk County, FL

New excitement in the local learning community was captured by a reporter for the Polk County, FL News Chief. Gizmos were recently profiled in Kelly Mitchell's article on February 16, 2008. An extract from the article is below:

Online simulation program helps students with math, science

Learning Gizmos

By Kelly Mitchell
Polk County News Chief
February 16, 2008

EAGLE LAKE - High school math and science students across the district are looking forward to having a new study aid next year.

This year, the Polk County School District conducted a pilot program on Gizmos, an online simulation program. The district made the interactive program available to 80 high school math teachers and 80 high school science teachers.

Gizmos is Web-based and visually illustrates math and science lessons. It is particularly designed to show more abstract problems.

"It allows for teachers to show and students to see a picture," said John Miller, mathematics senior coordinator for the school district. "It really allows students to see and teachers to manipulate something that can't be drawn."

Whereas math has not changed, research has shown that children need to be engaged to learn, instead of using a lecture format, Miller said.

"Math is still math," Miller said. "But it has to be presented in a way that will engage students to think about it."

"I use it a lot," said Kimberly Crandall, a high school math teacher at Lake Region High School." It has made my life easier."

Crandall teaches ninth-grade honors geometry and algebra. She said she has seen a major difference in her geometry students. When Crandall stands at her smart board, an interactive board, and uses the Gizmos program, she touches a shape with her finder and can change the shape to illustrate different angles and triangles.

"This is the nice part about Gizmos. I would be drawing like 1,000 different triangles," Crandall said during the lesson.

Crandall was able to illustrate angle measurement and show why the inner angles of a triangle equal 180 degrees and the outside angles of a polygon equal 360 degrees. She could change the shapes to better illustrate the points she was making.

After each section of the lesson, Crandall and her class answered a group of multiple choice questions, which Gizmos graded.

Ashley Schunemann, 14, is in Crandall's class and said that the lessons are a lot easier with Gizmos. Laura Abonza, 14, said that if Crandall makes a mistake, she can correct it right away, so its quicker. Abonza cannot use the program at home though, because she does not have access to a computer.

The 160 teachers began training for the program in late September. It took a month and a half to get everyone trained and all the teachers in the pilot program have been using Gizmos since Thanksgiving.

"We've gotten a lot of positive feedback," Miller said.

The district has received usage reports each month since December.

"We've found the usage report to be a very good indicator that teachers are using it," Miller said.

The district has made a concerted effort to get the technology necessary to use Gizmos. The teachers must have a computer, a computer projector, the ability to access the Web site and a smart board or a symposium.

"We really want technology to be out there," Miller said. "That is a big change for some of our teachers."

The district's plan is to expand this program to include all high school math and science teachers next year. This would include at least 240 math teachers.

Students need to be engaged in the subject, so teachers need to find a way to present the information so that they can understand math, Miller said. "We're trying to support teachers by giving them the tool," she added.

To view a sample of Gizmos lessons, go to www.explorelearning.com.

To view the original article, go to http://polkonline.com/stories/021608/communitynews_online.shtml

Gizmos a Finalist for Two CODiE Awards

ExploreLearning Gizmos have been named a finalist in two categories in the 23rd annual CODiE awards. For the third straight year, we are a finalist in the Best Science Instruction Solution and for the second year, we are a finalist in the Best Math Instruction Solution. ExploreLearning is honored to be part of the finalist group in both categories, further validating our leadership in improving Math and Science education.

The CODiE Awards are given each year by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), utilizing both journalist and peer-company reviews to identify the leaders and innovators in 75 categories across the software, digital content and education technology industries. Recipients of the 2008 CODiE Awards will be announced in San Francisco, CA on May 20th, 2008.

See the full list of finalists at: http://www.siia.net/codies/2008/finalists.asp

Math season is underway!

Each year in February, middle schoolers from around the U.S. compete in MATHCOUNTS, a competition promoting middle school math achievement.  Winners may advance to their state level and possibly even the national competition held in May. If your school participates, make sure to congratulate those 'mathletes' and wish them the best of luck!

Finalist: Distinguished Achievement Award

We are pleased to announce that ExploreLearning is one of three finalists for a Distinguished Achievement Award from The Association of Educational Publishers in the Science Instruction Website (Grade 9-12) category.

The Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize the best educational materials -- such as books, periodicals, educational toys, and software -- within subject categories and by audience.

The winners will be announced on June 12, 2006, in Washington D.C. If anyone is attending the awards banquet at the 2007 Educational Publishing Summit this evening feel free to look for us. Four of us will be there for the event (even a developer will be there!). We'll let you know tomorrow if we won :)

Update: We won! More info will be posted later today.

ExploreLearning named a finalist in 2007 AEP Awards

ExploreLearning has garnered another award nomination! We are pleased to announce that we’ve been named one of three finalists for a Distinguished Achievement Award from The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP), in the category of Science Instruction Websites for grades 9-12.

We’re very happy that Gizmos have been recognized again from AEP as outstanding materials in the field of teaching and learning. We won an AEP Distinguished Achievement Award in 2005 and we were a finalist for a Golden Lamp Award in 2006.

Once again, thanks to our entire team for making this possible!

ExploreLearning wins coveted CODiE Award for the 2nd year in a row!

ExploreLearning.com has won a 2007 CODiE Award for Best Science Instruction Solution. We won this same award in 2006 and we’ve been nominated for several other CODiE Awards over the years as well. Congratulations to the entire team at ExploreLearning for making this possible.

Our developers have really been working hard to make ExploreLearning the best site for inquiry learning in science and in math. In 2006, we added over 40 new science Gizmos, greatly increasing our coverage of key science topics. This year, the team is heads down in development of our new Elementary Science Gizmos, which will debut this fall. Keep up the good work, team!

Link: official press release.

ExploreLearning In The News

ExploreLearning Gizmos Will Spark Lasting Learning in Michigan Virtual University Summer Camps for Math & Science

ExploreLearning, a division of ProQuest Education, announced today the expansion of its relationship with Michigan Virtual University (MVU). Under this new arrangement, MVU's new Math and Science Virtual Camps will be centered around the use of ExploreLearning's award-winning Gizmos(TM) for math and science education.

The MVU Math and Science Virtual Camps provide challenging, interactive activities that will fuel students' passion for learning about math and science. Students strengthen study habits and deepen understanding of demanding math and science topics, which also prepares them for the challenges of Michigan's new high school graduation requirements.

"This is a wonderful project and we're proud to be a part of it," said Dr. David Shuster, founder and publisher of ExploreLearning. "Michigan Virtual University is widely regarded as a leader in online education and these innovative new Virtual Camps are further evidence of that leadership."

Virtual Camp Math course topics covered with Gizmos will include fractions, similarity and transformation, ratio and proportions, graphing in the coordinate plane, polynomials and probability. Science course topics include ecosystems, matter and energy, living things and heredity, and the solar system, galaxy and universe. Students will spend about 20 hours over the two-week camp period working through these topics using Gizmos.

"What is really exciting about these camps is that they provide great opportunities for both struggling and advanced learners to leap ahead in math and science," said Robin Kyburg, Ph.D., curriculum developer at MVU. "Because Gizmos are interactive and fun, students become quickly engaged and master content critical to success in the coming school year."

About Michigan Virtual University Math & Science Virtual Camps

Michigan Virtual University (MVU) is a private, not-for-profit Michigan corporation established in 1998 to deliver online education and training opportunities to the citizens of Michigan. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual High School, which was started in 2000. Math & Science Virtual Camps are two week camps with guided online instruction. For more information on the Math & Science Virtual Camps, visit http://www.mivhs.org/camps Financial support for the virtual camps is provided through a federal E-Learning and Virtual School Initiatives Grant and state funding awarded by the Michigan Department of Education.

About ExploreLearning

ExploreLearning Gizmos are the world's largest library of interactive, online simulations for math and science in grades 6-12. Gizmos catalyze research-proven instruction in classrooms across the country and they are correlated to state and national standards as well as leading textbooks. With more than 400 Gizmos online, ExploreLearning's growing base of inquiry-based learning materials provides a powerful enhancement to the way teachers teach and students learn. For more information, please visit http://www.explorelearning.com

SOURCE ProQuest Company

ExploreLearning Wins Codie

Although I didn't make it out to SanFran for the Codie Awards, I glanced at their site this morning to find out that we won the award for Best Instructional Solution: Science! That will bring a smile to our faces here in Charlottesville as we work on creating new Gizmos and improving older ones.

Update: Official press release can be found here.

Finalist: AEP Golden Lamp Award

We are pleased to announce that ExploreLearning is one of four finalists for the prestigious Golden Lamp Award from The Association of Educational Publishers from a field of 34 entries.

The Golden Lamp is the most prestigious award within the field of educational publishing. Publishing professionals, educators, and librarians recognize winners as providing the most outstanding materials for learning. In addition to encompassing content and design that transcends the best in its category, Golden Lamp pieces are critiqued on their fulfillment of their educational mission.

The winners will be announced on June 9, 2006, in Washington D.C.

Homeschooling Parent Magazine Lauds ExploreLearning Gizmos

The November/December issue of Homeschooling Parent magazine had this to say about ExploreLearning.com:

Hang on to your seats! ExploreLearning.com will revolutionize the way your children learn vital math and science concepts. This is one of the best teaching tools for both math and science, that's available in the education marketplace — and it's a hand-in-glove fit for homeschooling.

Well, not much we can add to that!

ProQuest Company Reports 25 Percent Revenue Growth

ProQuest, our parent company since March 1, 2005, reported 25 % revenue growth for the second quarter of 2005. (Press release.)

ExploreLearning Wins AEP Distinguished Achievement Award

We are pleased to announce that ExploreLearning was awarded the Association of Educational Publishers' Distinguished Achievement Award in the "Educational Science" category.

For 37 years, the Distinguished Achievement Awards have honored the diversity and quality of supplemental publishing products made for the home and school. In 2004, the AEP expanded the categories to reflect the growth of electronic publishing and the expanding educational publishing industry. Additional information can be found at the AEP Awards website.

A special thanks to the AEP, who made the awards banquet a fabulous event, and gave us the chance to meet with many people devoted to education.

Finalist: AEP Distinguished Achievement Award

We are pleased to announce that ExploreLearning has been selected as one of four finalists for the Association of of Educational Publisher's Distinguished Achievement Award in the "Educational Science" category.

From the AEP letter announcing our selection as a finalist:

"Because no more than four finalists in each category were selected, being one is a true honor. You and your staff have helped define the standards of excellence in educational publishing."

For 37 years, the Distinguished Achievement Awards have honored the diversity and quality of supplemental publishing products made for the home and school. In 2004, the AEP expanded the categories to reflect the growth of electronic publishing and the expanding educational publishing industry. Additional information can be found at the AEP Awards website.

It is an honor to be among the finalist. Winners will be announced at the annual awards gala this June in Washington, D.C.

ExploreLearning Awarded SBIR Phase II Grant

We are pleased to announce that, as of late yesterday, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded ExploreLearning a SBIR Phase II grant. The "formal" title of the project is called "Modular Online Simulations for Math and Science with Integrated Assessment of Complex, Standards-Aligned Learning Objectives."

For a translation of this mouthful, I turned to ExploreLearning’s very own Paul Cholmsky who will serve as the grant’s Principal Investigator:

With this SBIR grant, we hope to revolutionize assessment in math and science the same way ExploreLearning Gizmos™ are revolutionizing instruction. The grant will help us to develop the next generation of Gizmos which will be able to "think" -- they'll be able to determine what a student knows or doesn't know, automatically tailor subsequent instruction to best meet the needs of the student at a given point in time, and then generate progress reports for students, parents, teachers and administrators.

Better yet, says Paul:

With today's ever increasing emphasis on measurability and accountability, this new product will also automatically customize itself for the applicable state curriculum standards in order to provide each student with a clear roadmap for succeeding on NCLB-mandated tests."

CONGRATULATIONS and a pat on our own backs for this super feat! Of course, now the hard work (or is it the fun?) begins. In either case, we’ll be rolling up our sleeves and putting our noses to the grindstone! After we celebrate, that is, with some gelato from Charlottesville’s newest downtown eatery.

Newsday Mention

ExploreLearning was mentioned in a Newsday article entitled "For Research, Give Your Mouse a Click."

We asked you last year to share with us how your class is using the Internet in a creative way to open the world -- and even the universe -- to you.

For example, Dianicia V. Kirton, sixth grader at Drexel Avenue Elementary School, Westbury, says that in science her class used www.explorelearning.com and www.brainpop.com.

Also, we noticed recently, that the ExploreLearning website was added to the CSS Vault, a list of sites meant to inspire creativity with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Cool.

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse

We are pleased to let you know that ExploreLearning has been chosen to be included in ENC Focus, an online publication of the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC).

ENC is funded by the United States Department of Education and administered by The Ohio State University. ENC collects both physical and virtual resources useful to math and science educators.