Dreambox--individual, student-led learning within a gaming environment!
Community Review for DreamBox Learning Math
My Take
I think this is a good project as a teaching tool. Kids are engaging in math in a game-like format. I like that the math is often more conceptually based. I think the ability to change kids' grade levels and provide assigned focus assignments for previous grade-level work can help special needs and ELL learners. However, I do wish that you had additional units for a more traditional approach. My kids already have enough programs and accounts to keep up with (as do I), and I would rather look at one dashboard than at Dreambox, Khan Academy, Prodigy, and so on.
How I Use It
I have used Dreambox for two years now. I have used Assigned Focus assignments when they lined up with what I was teaching. I have held and participated in contests. I am currently requiring kids to complete at least five lessons a week. One thing I have learned is to actually do the Assigned Focus assignments. Sometimes they do not line up well with the curriculum, no matter which of the three pathways I choose. For example, 5th grade in North Carolina requires only upper right (all positive numbers) ordered pairs graphing. If I had assigned the Dreambox units, many of my students would have been more confused than they needed to be.