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home / digital literacy / computer time / new for us friday: virtual nerd (and flip Ultra HD giveaway!)

This New For Us Friday, I’m sharing an incredible tool for teachers, parents, and students–one that I am excited about not only because I’m a teacher and I know a great resource when I see one, but also because I am a parent who will one day need the math and science resources that this site has to offer.

Virtual Nerd is my dream come true. A website designed to offer support in math and science–one that includes 100’s of step-by-step, interactive video tutorials?  Available 24/7?  With patient, smart, talented, tutors smiling back at you on your computer screen any time you need them? One that’s actually affordable for families and free (yes, free!) for teachers?

And the fab folks at Virtual Nerd are so excited about their product and the incredible ways the hundreds of interactive videos can help the masses, that they’re giving away one Flip UltraHD 8GB video camera to a teach mama reader!

Here’s the story:

  • Virtual Nerd: Virtual Nerd is an online classroom for learning math and science that provides teachers, parents, and students with tons of video tutorials and matching practice problems. Co-founded by expert tutor Leo Shmuylovich (whose idea to take his expertise online is soooo smart), and Josh Salcman, an accomplished product designer, Virtual Nerd is every parent’s dream come true.  It’s like having a math and science tutor at your beck and call whenever you need it.

And Virtual Nerd isn’t the kind of tutor who gives kids the answers to problems they can’t figure out on their own.  Virtual Nerd is the kind of tutor who helps your child to better, more fully understand concepts. It’s the tutor parents want to hold onto for a good long while.

Concepts in Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Intro to Physics are covered, and other subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus are scheduled to arrive in time for the 2011-2012 school year.  (Woo-hooo!)

I not only love Virtual Nerd because of the way it helps students, but I also love the way this site provides parents with the tools and resources they need to be able to support their children’s learning. It’s a refresher course in all that math and science we learned way back when but forgot since we became parents and our brains became mush.


Virtual Nerd co-founder, Leo, gives us the skinny on this incredible product.

As a huge fan of reliable sites full of valid, worthwhile information backed by research, Virtual Nerd impresses me with the time, effort, and energy it puts into its tutorials and material.  Teams of experienced teachers and tutors build original course content consistent with current textbooks; they extensively review top textbooks and link content to those materials and align the concepts with standards defined by national math and science educators. 

Awarded the Seal of Approval by Parent Tested Parent Approved, Virtual Nerd was voted one of the best products for families based on value, functionality, quality, and appeal.

One thing that’s particularly cool about Virtual Nerd is the Dynamic Whiteboard that lets users interact with the tutorial in a whole new way, moving at their own pace and really understanding the concepts. The site actually anticipates students’ questions, so students can drill down to related tutorials if they get confused, and the innovative design of the Whiteboard makes it easy for students to stay focused, find answers to their questions, and really build a  solid foundation of concepts.

Virtual Nerd’s organization of tutorials and awesome Dynamic Whiteboard keeps concepts clear and students (and parents!) organized.

Virtual Nerd’s organization and extensive library of materials are incredibly helpful not only for students but also for parents who use the site as a tool for refreshing their math and science skills. The tutorials viewed in one session are clearly layered on the screen so that they don’t lose track , and the Algebra 1 course includes over 450 tutorials on the site–450! Many middle schoolers take Algebra 1, and with over 18 hours of videos and 15,000 graphics, parents will really be able to get a head’s up on the concepts so that they’re able to support their children’s learning and school work.

It’s a cost-effective program–much more affordable than the cost of individualized, one-on-one tutoring, and the plans that are available are really catered to every user. Virtual Nerd offers:

  • Basic plan– FREE for students and parents.  Yes, free!
  • Premium plan– $49/month for the entire library of tutorials covering all course concepts in Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Intro to Physics, amounting to hundreds of tutorials per subject, in-depth explanations and the ability to drill down to fill any conceptual gap.
  • Educator plan– Free account for use in their classrooms.  Hooray!

Overall, here’s the skinny on Virtual Nerd:

We like:

  • the ease with which the site can be navigated–directions are clear, layout is simple, colors are easy on the eyes–and you can find what you need quickly;
  • that the tutors on the site are dream tutors–they speak slowly, explain concepts thoroughly, and are the kind of teacher you’d like sitting right there next to you, helping to clarify that days’ lesson;
  • that learning is catered to each user–with a click of the mouse, questions are answered and concepts are covered;
  • the enormous library of tutorials (450 tutorials and 15,000+ graphics for Algebra alone?!);
  • that math and science teachers can use the site–to take a look at another way of explaining concepts so that their own teaching is broadened and to be able to recommend the site to other students who would benefit from lesson refreshers;
  • that with this site, parents can save money on tutoring;
  • that parents can also use the site, increasing their familiarity with these subjects so they are more aware of what their children are learning and so they can help their kids with homework;
  • the pricing plan is just right—free for educators, free for the basic plan, and only a fraction of the cost of tutoring for the premium plan.

We wish:

  • that Virtual Nerd was around when I was in middle and high school—seriously and selfishly, yes. . . ;
  • that the word spreads quickly about this site because it is just that well done, thorough, and fab in terms of supporting math and science learning.

I’m sure my parents could have saved tons of money on my poor math tutors, and I might have saved myself some dignity by not shedding quite so many tears at the dinner table, weeping about my pathetic math skills.  Thanks to Virtual Nerd, at least I can rest assured that my kids won’t follow in my footsteps.

So that’s that.  The skinny on Virtual Nerd from a parent–and teacher–who can clearly see the benefits of a site that will only continue to grow stronger as more subjects are added to its already rich library of interactive resources.

GIVEAWAY: One Flip UltraHD 8GB video camera, thanks to the fab, video-happy  folks at Virtual Nerd!

Do you want to win your very own Flip UltraHG 8GB video camera, just in time for the New Year? Yes, yes, and yes!

  • Head over to the Virtual Nerd site and try out the Basic plan–for free!–then leave a comment here (along with your email address) simply sharing what you thought about Virtual Nerd. (What was cool? What did you see? What will you use? What do you like about the site?)
  • For extra entries,  you can share this post with a friend (just tell me who you shared it with!) OR Tweet this: Try @VirtualNerd online #math or #science tutorials for chance to win Flip UltraHD on @teachmama http://teachmama.com/?p=771

This contest ends on Friday, December 31, 2010 at midnight ET.

With great pride, I’d like to disclose that I am a paid consultant for Virtual Nerd.  It is not often that a person is able to work closely with a company that she firmly believes in and can stand behind, and for this opportunity, I am incredibly grateful.  As a consultant, I was given full access to the site and was compensated for my time in researching and writing.  My opinions here are all my own, influenced only by my years of professional experience in the field of education and my personal experience with the subject matter.  Virtual Nerd provided the prize for this giveaway, as well as the logo, video, and images.

I look forward to sharing more about this great company with my fabulous readers in the New Year.  Happiest of holidays to you!

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro · http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brandy

    WOW! I went to the site and it was amazingly helpful…I learned what a vector was! LOL! Have they thought of everything or what?! The question within a question within a question is exactly what people like me would need to understand something. I hope this is still around when my children are learning these things. And I’m going to pass this site on to my teacher friends who teach older kids.

    Reply

  4. Cary

    I joined Virtual Nerd (FREE to educators!), and watched a segment on geometry–points. It was great. As a special education teacher I can see many uses for this site. It is a great refresher for me as I help kids when they come in for resource. I can also see it would be great as a review for kids creating a “one-on-one” setting for them to learn without the distractions of a class around them. Thanks for sharing about this site!

    Reply

  5. Cindy

    I think that is awesome! I’m bookmarking this for when my oldest son is ready for it. I am also sending it to my husband. I think he’ll love it. I love how the videos include clickable text so you can move at your own pace and have things re-explained.

    Reply

  8. Donna

    I love the concept of virtual nerd and it’s something I’ll consider using when my high schooler starts running into problems (so far, she’s doing very well in math and science without the need of tutoring)..

    Reply

  11. Debbie

    What a wonderful site. While Selena is not ready for it, I know I will sure have fun looking around and learning a lot from the site myself. I love the fact that it has algebra, and even an introduction to algebra.

    [email protected]

    Reply

  12. Robin (noteverstill)

    My dad has a PhD in math and I did well, grade-wise, in it — but only because he absolutely wouldn’t let me give up. It was years of torture and anxiety. Even now, thinking about having to help my kids through it makes my heartrate rise, and it’s still years away for us. I LOVE the idea of having help on hand!!

    Reply

  14. Marilee Peterson

    Checked out the site–I’m currently at home with my 3-year-old, but I taught math for eight years. I like that the tutorials are thorough and have the side notes running along the right for reference. This would be a great reference, especially for students who only realize they need help after they’ve left school for the day.

    Reply

  20. Elaine

    I signed up. I’m impressed with the way you can find things, even if they are misspelled, but I felt like the site was pretty blunt, and not really giving the “art” behind the math. Possibly, this comes up with the paid subscription, but with the freebie one, I got answers to my questions, but no real understanding of why. And, since I’m a math nerd, I was looking for a little more intuitive instruction.

    Reply

  22. Cricket

    Wow, that is really fascinating. I’m not terribly good at math, but always wanted to be better. Their videos are straightforward and understandable and I love how you can pull up tutorials on parts of the problem you don’t understand. It’s definitely something I’d love to look at further, but seeing as how my daughter is only in 1st grade, $50 a month seems steep. I was disappointed with my free membership because every tutorial I chose stopped in the middle. Too bad, because it looks like fun. I was hoping there would be some of them I could watch all the way through.

    Reply

  26. Cricket

    I just sent the link to my best friend’s husband who is a HS math teacher. And come to think of it, my daughter’s 1st grade teacher’s husband is a high school physics teacher. I’ll send it along to them, too.

    Reply

  27. Laura

    This is a fabulous website. I wish I had middle school kids!! I hope they are still around in 10 years! Thanks for sharing with us! {cedar_of_lebanon{at}yahoo{dot}com}. I enjoyed learning about percents tonight. Awesome.

    Reply

  28. Jackie

    I registered for the free plan. I like that it is interactive. I like that someone else will be able to help my kids with math homework someday 😉 (Please say around, Virtual Nerd, if my kids have my math brain, we’ll be needing you!)

    Reply

  34. Donna

    Finally…something that will actually almost take me out of the equation when my kids are doing their homework. Now don’t get me wrong, I love helping them do their homework but, they do not ALWAYS want my help. I think this will help ease frustrations and anxieties with math in my girls. They will feel like if they don’t understand, they have a “teacher” at home (or on the go at hockey, dance etc) the can simply turn on the laptop and have a resource! Thank you!
    I will share this will all the parents I know and all the teachers (especially those who inquire as to why my kids are doing so much better in math now).

    Reply

  35. Katie

    I watched the tutorial on the website and WOW – I’m impressed! I love that it keeps track of what pages you’ve already seen.

    kroltgen at gmail dot com

    Reply

  38. aimee

    I registered for the free plan and truly agree that this is a great site! Not only do I wish it had been around when I was in middle and high school (bet my mom does, too, she spent HOURS with me every night when I took Algebra!) but I’m especially hoping it is STILL around in another 8-10 years when Lucas is into the stuff what will be over my head!

    Reply

  41. melanie

    boy will i need this in just a few years. my third-grade daughter is already coming home with some stuff that i need help with. thank you for introducing me to this site…

    Reply

  42. The Activity Mom

    It looks like a fabulous resource! I learned that they have a blog! =) I also like that it doesn’t solve the homework problems for you but teaches what you can apply to your own homework. My kids are far away from this material but it is GREAT to know that resource is out there! I can see myself using it to learn and refresh so I can help with homework and projects too.

    Reply

  47. Heather H.

    I checked out Virtual Nerd and signed up for the basic plan. The tutorials are such an awesome resource-it’s so user friendly and I love it has commonly asked questions which will then take you to another tutorial that better answers that question-so easy love it.
    hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

    Reply

  58. Natalia

    Wow, this is an awesome site! I have problems with explaining things to my daughter(english is not my native language) and this resorce site is a real treasure for me! Now I CAN explain her everything(almost) with this site’s help. Thank you for hint.

    Reply

  59. Martina Dotson

    I checked out Virtual Nerd and signed up for the basic plan. The tutorials are such an awesome resource-it’s so user friendly and I love it has commonly asked questions which will then take you to another tutorial that better answers that question-so easy love it. hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

    Reply

  60. Kelly

    I just signed up for Virtual Nerd. This site provides a wealth of information for parents, educators and teachers. Thanks for sharing this and the chance to win!

    Reply

  65. julie

    Impressed with the ease of useability the site offers. Just help me remember it in 10 years when my kids start to need it. And I love the video how-tos.

    Reply

  67. Stacy @ {share&remember.blogspot.com}

    What a great concept! I could have really used this in high school. I like that they understand it’s “one little thing” you don’t understand & yet you’re completely overwhelmed. Detailed tutorials that break down the problems step by step is great. Looks like they thought of everything!

    Reply

  71. Melissa

    I just signed up for Virtual Nerd! I wish this site would have been around in high school and parts of college!!! Very user friendly and it breaks things down in a way that I could actually understand!

    Reply

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