Dear Parents/Guardians,
We want to let you know about an exciting learning tool that we are using in our classrooms that students can also use at home. ExploreLearning Gizmos are highly interactive, online simulations that help our students build deep conceptual understanding in math and science. The ExploreLearning.com site has over 450 Gizmos that are appropriate for students in grades 3-12.
Gizmos can help improve student learning in many ways. Many of our teachers are using Gizmos in the classroom to introduce and reinforce math and science concepts as part of whole-class instruction, using an LCD projector or interactive whiteboard. Others are having students work individually or in small groups to master concepts. With Gizmos, students can experiment, hypothesize, test scenarios and draw conclusions, to increase their understanding in a “learning by doing” setting.
Since Gizmos are online, students can login from anywhere, including home. Students may have home assignments with Gizmos, or they may simply want to continue working on a Gizmo used in class. The ExploreLearning.com website is both educational and fun, and we encourage students to continue learning with Gizmos whenever possible.
To access Gizmos, follow these simple instructions:
1. Connect to the Internet and open a web browser.
2. Type in the website name: http://www.explorelearning.com.
3. Press the “Login” button in the top right corner of the page.
4. Login using your child’s username and password.
Once logged in, students are taken directly to the teacher’s Home Page, which lists all of the Gizmos that the class is using. Press “Launch Gizmo” to get started. You may even find these simulations as intriguing as students do!
If you have any trouble running Gizmos, check your computer to make sure it is ready to use them at: http://www.explorelearning.com/test. You’ll also find a handy link to the ExploreLearning.com system requirements there.
If you have any questions about Gizmos, please feel free to call the school. If you have a technical question, you may also contact ExploreLearning Support at 866-882-4141, option 2 or via email at support@explorelearning.com. |
