The creators of a new educational video game say they have sneaked the latest teaching research into a colorful， animated adventure game so fun that kids will hardly realize they're learning math.
"When a child sits down to play， the child thinks it's a game，" said Lou Gray， chief executive of DreamBox Learning. "But the parents know the parents know the kids are seriously learning."
DreamBox says it is filling a gap left between effective-but boring-educational software and engaging "edu-tainment" that doesn't really teach kids effectively. The company was cofounded by Bray and Ben Slivka， an educational philanthropist who helped create Microsoft's first browser. DreamBox tested the web-based software on kids at after- school programs and began to sell online subscriptions in the fall of 2008.
A team of three elementary-school teachers helped the DreamBox software developers build a system that teaches foundational math skills backed by educational research and is individualized for every child. It guesses what will keep kids engaged in the "gamelike adventure" the same way Amazon guesses what books you might like to buy： by keeping data on what you bought in the past.
Kids choose a character and a theme-pirates or pets， for example-and then play a scavenger-hunt-style game， "finding" things that help the characters. The game adapts to their level of math skill and the ways they learn best.
John Chattin-Nichols， an associate professor at Seattle University's College of Education， raised concerns about the product， especially for such young children.
Working alone at a screen "is not ideal for the majority of kids. They should be working with their hands. They should be listening to stories or being read stories. They should be play with other kids，" he said. "It's not clear to me that this age group needs more time sitting… looking at a screen."
Word
Sneak （v） to take or place something somewhere secretly
Engaging （adj） causing someone to become interested or involved in an activity
Philanthropist （n） one who shows generosity toward other people and has a sincere wish to help them. Especially by giving money.
Scavenger-hunt （n） a game in which people muct collect a number of specified items in a given period of time.
"When a child sits down to play， the child thinks it's a game，" said Lou Gray， chief executive of DreamBox Learning. "But the parents know the parents know the kids are seriously learning."
DreamBox says it is filling a gap left between effective-but boring-educational software and engaging "edu-tainment" that doesn't really teach kids effectively. The company was cofounded by Bray and Ben Slivka， an educational philanthropist who helped create Microsoft's first browser. DreamBox tested the web-based software on kids at after- school programs and began to sell online subscriptions in the fall of 2008.
A team of three elementary-school teachers helped the DreamBox software developers build a system that teaches foundational math skills backed by educational research and is individualized for every child. It guesses what will keep kids engaged in the "gamelike adventure" the same way Amazon guesses what books you might like to buy： by keeping data on what you bought in the past.
Kids choose a character and a theme-pirates or pets， for example-and then play a scavenger-hunt-style game， "finding" things that help the characters. The game adapts to their level of math skill and the ways they learn best.
John Chattin-Nichols， an associate professor at Seattle University's College of Education， raised concerns about the product， especially for such young children.
Working alone at a screen "is not ideal for the majority of kids. They should be working with their hands. They should be listening to stories or being read stories. They should be play with other kids，" he said. "It's not clear to me that this age group needs more time sitting… looking at a screen."
Word
Sneak （v） to take or place something somewhere secretly
Engaging （adj） causing someone to become interested or involved in an activity
Philanthropist （n） one who shows generosity toward other people and has a sincere wish to help them. Especially by giving money.
Scavenger-hunt （n） a game in which people muct collect a number of specified items in a given period of time.