May 2010 Archives

Did you enjoy this week's videos? Did Prof Burger help you understand Divisibility, Factors, Prime Factorization, and Greatest Commons Factors? Let's test your knowledge with this free 6th Grade Math worksheet covering the free videos we posted this week. If you stuck with us, it should be a breeze.

Factors shared by two or more whole numbers are called common factors. The largest of the common factors is called the greatest common factor, or GCF. Sounds easy until you get to bigger numbers. Let Professor Burger show you how to calculate GCF and a few rules to make your calculations faster in today's free 6th grade math video.

Don't forget to check in with us tomorrow when we post the 6th grade math worksheet that covers this week's topics!

Needless to say, the office has been in constant activity as all hands were on deck to help out with the taping. In case you wondered, not only does Professor Burger mastermind all the great content for the videos, but he also directs the art and props that make it into the final product.  Of course, none of this would be possible without our resident-genius Math Editor, Sarah Flood. We'd put a picture of her here if we could ever get her to stand still for a second.

Keep an eye out for our official release of Thinkwell's new Homeschool Geometry. We're so happy to finally say 'Yes' to all of you that have called and emailed asking if we're ever going to publish a Geometry course! We can't wait to share this new course with all of you later this summer.

We'll be posting more information and a thorough description of our Geometry course in the coming weeks. We know you'll be as excited as we are to start studying angles, proofs, polygons, surface area and volume!

Number theory has always fascinated mathematicians. In number theory, the prime factors of a composite number are the prime numbers that divide that composite number exactly, without leaving a remainder. The process of finding these numbers is called prime factorization.

Prime factors are often used in encryption systems due to the fact that it is fairly simple to construct a problem that would take longer than the known age of the universe to calculate on current computers using current formulas.

Learn to write prime factorizations of composite numbers with this latest free video sample from our 6th Grade Math course. Edward Burger makes it easier with great examples and a couple of simple rules.

Hey all! We're back and posting a new free 6^th Grade Math video. This week we're going to cover Number Theory. Today's video is on Divisibility, a subject many students have a hard time with and often dislike. Edward Burger is here to make certain they have a good time learning this subject. He's going to teach a few tricks that make divisibility easier including Divisibility Rules.

Keep up with us all week so that when we post the 6^th Grade Math Worksheet covering the videos you've seen, you'll be ready!

On Friday, several Thinkwellians volunteered with the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas for their annual Service Day. Together with 20+  companies we gathered at KIPP Austin to help beautify the campus.

In case you have never heard of KIPP Austin, it is an amazing school that empowers underserved students with the goal of preparing them for college. These kids not only get a great education, but they are also taught about recycling and environmentally friendly practices. A group of us worked on a project to build some outside structures near the school's gardens. These structures would not only be a relaxing place for students, but they were the support for a rainwater collection system that would be utilized to water the gardens.

Our job was to build a box that would serve as both a seat and a storage bin in one of the structures. Believe it or not, even with 4 people involved, it was quite a task. We used all the math skills we had to create this large seat/storage box.

Once we finished this task, it was inside where the air conditioning was most welcome. We were inside the library, my favorite place, where we boxed and moved books. We were all impressed with the books we encountered while we worked and the number of students who came in to check out books.

During lunch with all 350+ volunteers, a group of kids came out and led by their principal and teachers performed several chants (or cheers) for us. The enthusiasm from these kids was contagious and everyone couldn't help but smile as they clapped and chanted their hearts out.

At the end of the day, we all left content in the knowledge that we had helped such a deserving school become the dream the students and teachers imagined.

If you want to see more photos of us hard at work on Service Day, go check out our Facebook page!

So far this week we've learned about ordering, rounding and estimating decimals. Continuing in the free videos from our new 6^th Grade Math series, today's video covers adding and subtracting decimals.

Decimals are often a difficult concept for students. However, Edward Burger makes it easy to understand using a variety of visuals, example problems and a sense of humor. Don't forget to check tomorrow when we post a 6^th grade math worksheet covering this week's videos.

If you want to check out some of our other subjects, all the free videos we have posted previously on the blog are still available. Just visit the archive on the right side of the page to view past posts.

We're once again sharing a free video from our Decimals chapter of our 6th grade math online course. This time Professor Burger is showing us how to round decimals to estimate sums, differences, products, and quotients.

Enjoy the video and come back tomorrow for another video on Decimals. Don't forget that we'll be posting a 6th grade math worksheet covering the week's lessons on Friday!

As it is the time of year where new curriculum decisions are being made, we thought we'd feature free samples of our content. This week, we'll be focusing on our Decimals chapter of 6^th Grade Math. We've noticed students are always looking for better ways to understand decimals and with Professor Edward Burger teaching the lesson, they're certain to learn. Keep checking in with us each day as we post more lesson samples. On Friday, we'll post a worksheet covering the week's lessons so you can test yourself on how much you've learned!

Today's subchapter sample is Representing, Comparing, and Ordering Decimals. Learn as Professor Edward Burger shows you how to convert between standard notation and word names and how to compare and order decimals.

Hi, my name is April and I will be blogging here on Thinkwell's site, sharing news about the company, what's going on in the world of education and giving you a first glimpse at some of our new and updated class offerings. I come from a background of social media and online community management and I can't wait to share what a great company Thinkwell is with the rest of the online world.

With summer already here, many parents are beginning the search for new curriculum for their kids. Because the best way to pick a product is to test it out first, we thought giving you samples of the content would help you to make the best decision possible. And since kids are always looking for better ways to understand fractions and decimals, we decided to share those lessons first.

In the next weeks, I'll be posting some of our video lectures from our new 6th Grade Math course. On Fridays, I'll post the worksheet for the week's videos so you can test out what you learned. We think you'll like what you see. Let us know what you think in the comments section. We love feedback and would love to connect with each and every one of you.

If you utilize Twitter or Facebook, make sure you follow us on both! I'll be continuing the discussion with relevant news stories about education, kids and anything else I find interesting and informative. Whether you are a student, parent or educator, I would love to hear from you about your experience with Thinkwell.

April

Thinkwell is proud to add another exciting award to our collection: the Education Innovation Network's Pioneer Award!

The Education Innovation Network is an organization based out of Scottsdale, Arizona, that aims to adapt education to a quickly changing world. On April 20-21, 2010, hundreds of educators, companies, investors, and others convened at the network's SkySong Education Innovation Summit to, in their own words, help give "education innovators the resources, connections and support to improve learning outcomes among students."

Thinkwell was one of the companies invited to this summit, and after a stimulating two days of exchanging ideas and hearing about others' approaches to maximizing student potential, we were pleased to discover we had received the Pioneer Award for delivering a "Best in Class" presentation. As Michael Moe, one of the event's organizers, puts it, "The 'Best in Class' designation identifies the cream of the crop of companies truly employing innovation to further the cause of improving education."

We're thrilled about both this recognition and the Education Innovation Network's vision of the future of education.