Help your kid learn mathematics in an enabling environment. This app provides a nurturing environment using its intelligent adaptive learning technology to foster critical thinking relating to math. It also features an extensive math syllabus that leaves learners with better knowledge and fluency in math.

Website: http://www.dreambox.com/

What Users Love About the App

“Our youngest students (PreK-1st) really enjoy the program. It has engaging graphics and characters, and the students feel like they’re playing a game, not doing math work. It’s great that it adapts to the student and gives hints if a student is stuck.”

“Our PreK through 1st graders use DreamBox. They really enjoy the kid-friendly graphics and activities. It’s great reinforcement of math concepts that feels like a game to the kids but they’re really learning.”

“They have good customer support (though getting rosters uploaded takes a long time compared to other similar companies). Teachers give detailed feedback about their students’ performance in the program.”

“While I can only speak for using this software on younger students, DreamBox has been an effective tool to use in the classroom for our students struggling with mathematics. We had students falling grade levels behind in math, so this was a fun and new technique to catch them up to speed without isolating them from peers. We have found great success through DreamBox.”

“I love that DreamBox allows for self-paced learning, as well as an opportunity for teachers to assign lessons according to their teaching. I also like how engaging and exciting math becomes for students, in a meaningful and fun way.”

What Users Dislike About the App

“We once used DreamBox with students Pre-K through 5th grade, but after a few years of using it, the older students became pretty tired of it. The graphics also are more geared to younger students.”

“There are limits and restrictions that come with DreamBox. As a teacher, we would appreciation more flexibility when working with a student. More flexibility for the students would be beneficial as well especially as students grow into more accelerated math equations and problems. Students being able to pinpoint what they would like to improve on would be an added benefit.”

“Our district purchased this software and so far I have to say I am not a fan. I have yet to see the benefits for my struggling 8th grade students who are expected to use this for at least 70 minutes per week. The game based lessons sometimes make no sense, to me at least, and we spend a great deal of time trying to figure out how to pass that lesson without any obvious mathematical benefit. As far as students, perhaps half of them like the program and half don’t care or completely dislike it.”

“I dislike the limited amount of methods students can learn for each problem. Math is not about learning one specific method, it’s about learning a variety of methods so the student can truly grasp it. DreamBox falls short of allowing students to become true experts.”

“We tried to use DreamBox for our entire elementary school and it got old pretty quick for our upper elementary students. I think it felt sort of childish, and in older grades it’s helpful to be able to really target certain skills or topics, like to assign simplifying fractions on a program like Khan Academy or IXL rather than have students just work on their next DreamBox assignment. The program is also one of the more expensive programs we use at our school. There’s a bit of a turnaround time when you submit your rosters at the start of the school year (~a week or so), so if you don’t get your class lists until right before school starts, know that your teachers won’t be able to start using the program until you are able to set up the csv files, submit them, and then wait for DreamBox to get back to you.”

“I dislike that students cannot choose which skills they want to practice. If they know they need targeted practice in a certain skill, they should be able to choose work to help them improve. DreamBox provides a path for students and they just have to work in the order DreamBox chooses. What I dislike most about DreamBox is that it pigeon holes students into using a certain method/strategy for solving a math problem. I also don’t like the user interface. It is kiddish, cartooney, and there are too many ways for students to waste time in the program.”