SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS: Fresh off of its $11 million round in December, Dreambox has officially expanded its K-3 math adaptive learning software to include grades 4 and 5, with a special emphasis on fractions. At the center of the expansion is the Intermediate Learning Environment (ILE for EdSurge's purposes). The ILE places a premium on personalization and student engagement through gaming fundamentals. "We built the engagement looking closely at XBox and other games that kids play, not textbooks," says Patti Smith, VP of marketing and product management. Not quite CoD MW3, but the new mini-games will include progress bars, points and badges, and personalized media. The ILE also decouples content and subject matter, meaning an ambitious 3rd grader can move ahead or a struggling 5th grader can work backwards all within an age-appropriate context.
As an "intelligent" adaptive learning company, Dreambox didn't lay waste to the millions of previously collected K-3 data points. Beyond keeping students in the "optimal learning zone," the data revealed that older students demand more interactivity. Accordingly, the newer "digital manipulatives" are filled with more interaction points which, in turn, provide more granular feedback data and further fine-tuning of the Dreambox sequencing engine. And here's an intelligent marketing pitch, too: an offer for three complimentary classroom licenses.
