Why
are DIVE CD's so inexpensive?
Thanks to the relatively low cost of digital recording and CD duplication,
we are able to produce high quality lectures at a fraction of the cost
of traditional videotaped lectures. For example, DIVE Algebra 2 lectures
total up to about 26 hours of instruction. This would require 13, 120-minute
videotapes. However, using DIVE technology, 26 hours of lectures fit on
just one CD! In addition the CD's that we use are the best recordable
CD's you can buy (Taiyo Yuden brand). We do not have a bunch of fancy
labeling either, which also helps keep our costs low. We know that homeschooling
can be costly, and we want to do our part to make high quality education
possible for everyone.
How does a student
use D.I.V.E.?
Each lesson is stored as an individual file. The student puts the CD-ROM
in the computer and selects the lesson they have scheduled for that day.
The student will have their book open to the appropriate lesson, with
their pencil and paper ready. The whiteboard "screen" is large
and fills up most of the computer screen, making the writing easy to see.
What are the lessons
like?
Each lesson begins with a brief introduction of the topic to be covered.
The student will listen to the instructor and take notes on anything that
is written on the whiteboard. The student will then work all practice
problems by pausing the lecture, working the given problem, then watching
the lecture again to see if it was worked correctly. If the problem was
worked incorrectly, the student can rewind the lesson and find their mistake.
The student stays actively involved during the entire lesson, as they
are either reading along with the instructor, taking notes, solving problems,
or rewinding/fast forwarding as necessary.
How
long is a typical lesson?
Each lesson is about 10-20 minutes long. However, because of the time
to pause and work practice problems or rewind for review, the total time
will vary from student to student.
Is
this as good as a classroom lecture?
Actually it's better because the student can easily pause, rewind, and
fast forward the lesson with the click of their mouse, something that
cannot be done in a classroom lecture. Also, there is no teacher in the
way, so the student can always see exactly what the teacher is writing
as it is being written.
Why
use the Saxon Math curriculum?
We chose to follow Saxon Math curriculum because we believe it is the best
curriculum to prepare a student for college entrance exams and college
level math. Saxon problem sets and tests contain a variety of problems,
which is good preparation for taking tests like the PSAT, SAT and ACT.
We believe the review system implemented by Saxon is very beneficial and
greatly increases student retention of the material, which will help any
student learn math better. Saxon also integrates geometry with algebra
(similar to curriculums found in Europe and Asia), which ensures that
the student will never have to stop learning algebra to learn geometry.
Some people have heard that Saxon does not have enough geometry. This
was true of the older editions, but the new editions have more than enough
geometry. To learn more about Saxon Publishers and the legacy of John
Saxon, go to www.saxonpub.com.
Contrary to some of the speculative claims
currently being made about Saxon Mathematics, we still think it is the
best math curriculum available. To find out why, click
here to read more (Acrobat
Reader required).
D.I.V.E. is not affiliated
with Saxon Publishers. While D.I.V.E. CD's are designed to enhance the
effectiveness of the Saxon textbooks, they can be used with other curriculum
as well
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