The Gizmo Gazette
News from ExploreLearning.com
March 2010
This newsletter is full of great information on Gizmos and the latest goings on at ExploreLearning:
Only 2 Days Left for your Extended Free Trial
See what’s new at ExploreLearning.com! Teachers are now an active part of the site, sharing ideas and learning from other educators using Gizmos. Watch our Community Features Overview video for more information on these and other exciting new features:
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Lessons contributed by fellow teachers
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Teacher recommendations of Gizmos for your classes
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Teacher-created collections of Gizmos
Plus, you'll find enhanced curriculum materials for many of your favorite science Gizmos along with new "How-to" videos that will help you get up and running more easily than ever.
Through March 12th, sign up for a FREE 45-Day Trial of Gizmos! Use Promo Code 45DayGizmos to receive this extended trial offer.
*** Offer ends March 12th at midnight.
Sue Bridgman is our Gizmo Educator of the Month for March. She teaches grades 7-12 math, and other subjects as well, in Osborn, MO. She uses Gizmos for every level of math from 7th grade through Algebra II. Sue has contributed two lessons, and three Gizmo recommendations as part of the ExploreLearning Community.
Sue’s contributed lesson materials are for the Distance-Time Graphs Gizmo, one of the more popular Gizmos on our site. Sue actually uses this Gizmo in all of her math classes, by varying the focus of the lesson.
The first lesson is a pre-Gizmo warm-up lesson. It starts with a set of questions to introduce the concept of slope. The last question on this warm-up is “Is it possible to make a graph of distance versus time in which the resulting graph is a circle?” This encourages students to think about functions, and the meaning of this distance-vs-time graph.
Her second lesson with this Gizmo is a more advanced activity, which she uses with her algebra students. The lesson has students set up various graphs using both runners (a system of two linear functions). Students then are asked to create runners’ graphs from hypothetical equations of lines, find the equations of lines shown in graphs copied from the Gizmo, and solve systems of equations and demonstrate the solutions on the runners’ graphs.
Lesson Materials, Shared Class Gizmo Lists and Gizmo recommendations are available to ExploreLearning subscribers and free trialers, based on "What I Teach" settings. They are customized just for your teaching!
We've updated the look of our Help Center and changed how it's organized.
Some of the updates you may notice include:
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New topic pages to help organize existing help
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Help movies integrated with text help
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New Search field - searches the Help Center only
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A handful of new help entries related to recent changes (such as Community Features)
Check it out! We hope this makes things a little nicer, clearer, and easier to use.
For the fifth straight year, ExploreLearning Gizmos have been nominated as finalists in the annual SIIA CODiE Awards--- for Best K-12 Instructional Solution and Best Science Instructional Solution. It's a significant achievement!
Gizmos were selected from many high-caliber products as one of the best in the educational software and information industry. 327 products were nominated for education category awards and all went through an intensive review by subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, and others with deep experience in the fields.
“This is the twenty‐fifth year we have recognized excellence in the software, education and information industries through the CODiE Awards program,” noted Ken Wasch, President of SIIA. “In this economic climate, companies are doing even more to innovate. ExploreLearning has demonstrated a commitment to innovation and quality that is reflected in their selection as a finalist for the CODiE Awards. I am pleased and proud to have them listed among the candidates, and I wish them the best in the final round of voting.”
Winners will be announced in May.
ExploreLearning sales staff members are packing their suitcases for a busy spring conference season. We will introduce hundreds of educators to Gizmos at many of the best Mathematics, Science, and Educational Technology conferences in the country, with presentations at our booth and on the conference programs. Find us at these exciting meetings:
Stay tuned to find out when Gizmos will be showcased at a conference near you!
As always, if you have a question or comment about Gizmos, don't hesitate to contact us at support@explorelearning.com.
We would love to hear from you. Also, take a look at ExploreLearning News on the front page of the website for breaking news any time.
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Getting the Most from Gizmos
Read our Teaching With Gizmos series of helpful hints:
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Email: sales@explorelearning.com, or call us toll free at 866-882-4141 option 2.
Gizmos are great for Math:
"Gizmos are what every math teacher has been looking for. They help bridge concepts from concrete to abstract and offer new opportunities for students to visualize and experiment with mathematics."
Pat Baltzley
Math Supervisor
Baltimore County Public Schools, MD
Gizmos are great for Science:
"Gizmos are far more powerful than any textbook - they offer real understanding of science concepts for learners on all levels."
Diane Kasparie
Science Teacher
Quincy Notre Dame High School, IL
Critical Acclaim
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Finalist: Best K-12 Instructional Solution
2010 SIIA CODiE Awards
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Winner: Awards of Excellence
2009, 2008 Tech and Learning Magazine
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Winner: Best K-12 Instructional Solution
2009 SIIA CODiE Awards
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Winner: Distinguished Achievement Award
2008, 2007, 2005 AEP
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Winner: Best Science Instruction Solution
2007, 2006 SIIA CODiE Awards
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Finalist: Golden Lamp Award
2009, 2008, 2006 AEP
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Finalist: Best Instructional Solution, Math
2009, 2008, 2006 SIIA CODiE Awards
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Finalist: Best Instructional Solution, Science
2010, 2009, 2008 SIIA CODiE Awards
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Finalist: Best Instructional Solution, Online
2006 SIIA CODiE Awards
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Diamond Award in Mathematics
District Administration Magazine
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E-Learning Innovation Award
Macromedia Corp.
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Best Education Website
Webby Awards
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Three time Digital Dozen Honoree
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
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