Explore Learning
Today I worked with one of our math teachers on developing a pilot program for an online interactive math/science site called ExploreLearning.com. It is definitely not cheap - $800 a year for 1 teacher and 6 classes, but it appears that this is a site perfect for use in a constructivist math classroom. And that’s what we hope to find out from our pilot.
On the site are over 400 ‘gizmos’ designed for math and science. The idea behind the site is really discovery learning since each of the gizmos can be manipulated by students. Through this manipulation, students can learn about certain math and science principals in a way that gives them control over their learning. We are very eager to try these out with kids. We will be focusing on graphing in algebra I with our pilot.
The site also refers to several other educational benefits of the ‘gizmos’: (1) a powerful graphic representation of abstract concepts and content; (2) using manipulatives to explore concepts; (3) generating and testing hypotheses; (4) direct presentation of new knowledge followed by application.
The site does provide a free 30-day trial that provides teacher and student access to the library of gizmos.
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