GETIT  Grades 6-12

Teacher Reviews:

My students responded quite positively to the program.The graphics and interactive activities provided the students with a source of education that was also entertaining.One of the biggest benefits was that many activities on the CD covered information that I am already teaching.It was not a stretch for me to implement the program. For example, there was a lot of information on Energy and how it is converted from one form to another. It was a good tool to help reinforce the proficiencies I am trying to teach. A final benefit was that the program hit a lot of different ability levels.  My higher end students were challenged and when they were done with an assignment they could go and explore the program.  Some of my lower ability students benefited because it was a good visual learning tool for them. - Jim Olsen, CO

It is great! ... my kids gasped "Woo-ooh!" when it first came up on the screen.  We were using it yesterday to look at the different types of volcanic eruptions. It was just what we needed, because the descriptions in the books we had, came close, but just didn't quite do the trick. The kids also really enjoy Professor Exactomundo. I think other homeschoolers could really integrate this well into their curricula. It's great as a supplement to textbooks, but also as a primary source of information. - Tricia Jacovone, Home Schooling Teacher

"Just HAD [Ms. Reim's emphasis] to write and share this with you. We just finished 4 days of Final Exams at Delsea.As one of the essay questions on my exam, I asked the students what activity they enjoyed the most and what did they learn from it? With all the hands-on labs/activities, computer activities, etc. that we did this year, approximately 75% of the students singled out the GETIT program as being their favorite and were able to relate relevant concepts learned through participating in the pilot... Several of the students have also asked me if they could come after school next year ... !" - Diane Reim, teacher, Delsea Regional High School, Franklinville, NJ

"It's my opinion that Cambrian Systems' GETIT program is innovative and presents earth science in the most exciting format I've ever experienced. The authors of the program have capitalized on a technological format that students enjoy and without a doubt learn from. ....I can say without a doubt, this is a program that earth science teachers will like." - Renn C. Karl, teacher, North Lakeland Elementary School, Manitowish, WI

"As a former earth science teacher who came of age under ESCP[Earth Science Curriculum Project], I am glad to see that Inquiry is being built into this generation of interactive software. So much of what is out there in the schools is nothing more than a worksheet on a screen!"- Dr. Mark. W. Ness, Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Foundations, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA

"I was mystified and certainly will change my teaching presentation as a result [of using GETIT]... the GETIT program lends itself well to supplementing the lessons and adds to the teaching of the lessons through interactive experiments I can't perform in the classroom." - Alan Roth, teacher, Washington State School for the Blind, GETIT Pilot June 1997

"BRAVO!"[Ms. Hall's emphasis] I think this combination of interactive software and hands-on experiments is outstanding... I showed the Exactamundo video on the class TV, hooked to the computer by Scan-It. The kids absolutely LOVED [Ms. Hall's emphasis] this video, and every single [again, Ms. Hall's emphasis] student was able to answer questions about the pressure in different layers of the Earth and the effect it had on rock." - Aimee Hall, JFK Middle School, Northampton, MA

"The students were given the opportunity to record real data, plot points, manipulate line segments to achieve a best fit line, manipulate the balance and graduated cylinder without clicking a "create" button and the computer doing it for them. These were true inquiry/discovery activities."- Dorothy Ringer Sumner, teacher, C.R. Drew Fine Arts, Math and Science Academy, Spring, Texas, GETIT Pilot June 1997

"The program also gave my students access to situations that I would be unable to provide in class labs. For example, the microscope look at rocks, melting point of rocks, visuals of different types of eruptions." - Judith Arvidson, teacher, Lewisville Middle School, Battleground, WA

THIS IS ANOTHER AWESOME ACTIVITY [Ms. Miller's emphasis and refers to the activity: Influence of pressure on melting temperature]. I also like the fact that the students compare their data with the data that scientists have collected over a period of time. It is an excellent way for the students to "check" their answers and also see that the scientific community works by peers comparing data over time.
"I LOVE this activity! [in the activity entitled: Compositional influence of melting temperature] The kids love to melt the rocks ! It is a "hands-on" activity that would be impossible in a typical middle school science laboratory. By using this software, the students can conduct the experiment and see the results as if they were using the real equipment."
"I have tried and tried to get the students to understand the concept of the best-fit line !!! They ALWAYS want to connect the dots; this software ... does not allow for that to happen, and, as a result, students finally grasp this concept !!!They were even talking about best-fit lines DAYS after this activity ! EUREKA!!!" - Shannon Miller, Burnet Middle School, Burnet, TX