As you may have heard, we have just formalized a partnership with Promethean Planet (Planet) to provide their members access to our web-based interactive Dynamic Whiteboard and extensive library of pre-recorded math videos.   Planet is an online community created by teachers, for teachers to connect, create and change the classroom.  A truly unique teaching, sharing and support community.  Check out our blog post on Planet that discusses how teachers can be “the Captain of technology integration” in their classroom.  In support of effectively implementing Blended Learning, we offer the following tips to help teachers introduce Virtual Nerd to their students:

Step 1.  Captain the Ship.  Use Virtual Nerd to review key concepts taught during the week or in preparation for an upcoming test.  The best and probably most important place to start is with the search function.  Demonstrate how to search by keyword, topic or textbook so students know how to find the help they need.

Step 2.  Create a Support Team.  As your Support Team members take over and you are reviewing instructional videos, discuss the concept, solicit questions and drill down using the embedded links to review terms, FAQs and prerequisite knowledge.  Demonstrate additional product features and functionality.  Basically demonstrate the Dynamic Whiteboard’s interactive capabilities which offers students personalized help they need, when they need it – a very significant and critical product benefit.

Step 3.  Engage your Crew Members.  Demonstrate the practical application of using the tool with a specific assignment.  Ask students to identify Virtual Nerd tutorials for each problem on a homework assignment for extra credit points.

As your classroom moves forward within the Blended Learning model, be sure to take it one step at a time.  Make sure that the incredible new technology tools and resources available deliver the intended benefits to you and your students.  Be the Captain, Build your Support Team and Make it Worthwhile.

On Tuesday, February 7 2012, President Obama hosted the second-ever White House Science Fair.  This year’s program assembled more than 100 students representing 30 student teams that won science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country.  President Obama took time to visit with students and learn about their winning entries that ranged from robots and rockets to marshmallow cannons.  The student projects showcased the talents of America’s next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors, and innovators.  Marshmallow jokes aside, learn more about one of the winning students Angela Zhang. She is an amazing seventeen-year old girl from Cupertina California who may very well have created the cure for cancer using nanotechnology to eradicate cancer stem cells.

The Science Fair coincided with President Obama’s announcement that he plans to invest $100 million dollars to train new math and science teachers over the next decade.  He intends to ask Congress for $80 million in support of new Department of Education grants and secure $22 million from private sources.  The President spoke at the Science Fair about the increasing demand in the next decade for employees in STEM-related jobs, stressing the importance of math and science education and the need for well trained teachers.

In case you you haven’t heard, we’ve launched Virtual Nerd School Edition to help middle school and high school teachers provide many of the benefits of one-to-one tutoring at a fraction of the cost.  Virtual Nerd School Edition allows teachers to create and offer personalized supplemental instruction based on specific student needs. “The School Edition Playlist feature simplifies the process of making assignments,”  stated Sarah Asma of the Merit Learning Center. “It is a tool that enables me to deliver personalized instruction, gather real-time feedback on how my kids are doing and take immediate action so they are getting the most out of class.”

Virtual Nerd School Edition enables teachers to quickly create and organize assignments for an entire class or for an individual student. The Smart Reporting feature lets teachers see when each assignment was last accessed, as well as usage and performance data showing how many students viewed and completed the assignment. Teachers then review performance data at the individual level to learn where each student is excelling and where they need more intervention. Administrators and educators have real-time access to comprehensive reports that allow them to view performance on Virtual Nerd tutorials at the student, classroom, school and district levels.

Learn more about Virtual Nerd School Edition here!

If you are a student, teacher or parent looking for some fun (science related) activities, Steve Spangler is your man!  Don’t just take my word for it, he’s won 2 Emmy awards for science reporting, is a Guiness Book of World Records holder (conducted the largest physics lesson) and makes regular appearances on the Ellen Degeneres Show.  Search for him on YouTube, and numerous videos featuring his wacky experiments will appear for your viewing pleasure.  Bottom line, he is a fun guy.  Visit his website where he offers ideas for science fair projects, and you can sign up for an experiment of the week.  His new book, Fire Bubbles Exploding Toothpaste includes 25 new, home experiments and apparently one that will really “knock your socks off”!  So if you are looking for something to do on a cold wintery day, visit Steve’s website or pick up his new book.  Parents beware.  It has been reported that some parents could not put the book down until they completed every experiment – remember to share.

Check out the slinky drop video on one of our favorite blogs, www.Veritasium.com. If you aren’t familiar with Veritasium, it’s a science video blog that presents and tests ideas related to atoms, inertia, gravity and force in a very clear and entertaining manner. It is a free resource for students and teachers with experiments that you can try at home or if more complex in nature, they at least provide worthwhile viewing.  So check out the video and see if you can correctly guess how the slinky will drop…  You’ll be surprised!

William's father and friend

William and his junkyard windmill

You may be familiar with William Kamkwamba, who as a 14-year old Malawian boy, built a windmill modeled only from a picture he saw in a library book. As a boy, William’s village suffered for seven years from a severe, crop-killing drought. Forced to drop out of school, William dreamed of a way to make something from the only resource he had – wind. From this dream he created his first junkyard windmill, which generated enough energy to power a radio. You can watch his inspiring story unfold in a very moving short documentary.
William’s life has continued to evolve in new and exciting ways.  He is currently attending Dartmouth College and created a foundation to help build windmills in Malawi. He is also focused on creating a self-sustaining Malawi, offering secure food, water, and health services and improving access to education. To see what he’s been up to or support his cause check out William’s website!  William is definitely a man to watch after building something so life-changing at the age of 14, we are excited to see what he will accomplish next!

For anyone who doesn’t understand sound waves a little rock music and fire can’t hurt, right? This experiment involves sound, a tube of propane and fire.  Check out this very cool and classic sound wave demonstration of Ruben’s Tube.

And did you hear us when we said:  ”DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!“

If you ever played Chutes and Ladders, you know that a slide in the wrong place can mean a huge step backward.  Don’t let that happen to you this Summer, especially in math!

Stay sharp by joining one of Virtual Nerd’s Math Boot Camps. Weekly playlists of video tutorials and practice problems will keep you mentally fit.  Choose your camp course:   Pre-Algebra, Algebra I or II. For only $19 you can participate in our 5-week program that includes a pre- and post-program assessment and weekly playlists (our version of study guides) to keep you on-track.

So are you ready?  Get started now!

As you know, we were very honored to be named as one of the top Ed Tech Innovators of 2011 by SIIA.  And the news keeps getting better!  While attending the Innovation Incubator Program we were given two additional awards.

• Most Likely to Succeed in the Education Market – runner up
• Blackboard Partner Program – winner

Blackboard selected us to receive a year-long membership in the Blackboard Partnership Program.  In addition to this outstanding recognition, Ted Hopper, Sr. Director of Business Development, stated “…we’re proud to add Virtual Nerd to the Blackboard Partnership for its presentation of (the) Dynamic Whiteboard”.   We will receive a developer edition of the Blackboard Learn platform which offers access to thousands of Blackboard clients, a listing in their online directory and participation at member-only events.  Additionally, we will benefit greatly from the collaboration and guidance that Blackboard provides during this partnership. Thanks, Blackboard!!

We just learned that the SIIA has selected Virtual Nerd to participate in their Innovation Incubator Program, which“locates and provides visibility to developers of the industry’s most innovative education technology products or services”. Ten finalists and one alternate have been chosen to participate in SIIA’s 2011 Ed Tech Industry Summit May 22-24, 2011. The program is partially funded by Lead Incubator Sponsor, The Blackboard Alliance Program, as well as the Innovation Incubator Co-Sponsors:  EduTone Corporation, Intel Corporation, and Texthelp Systems.  Thanks for the honor and acknowledgement!