Highly Anticipated Online Course Teaches Through Songs, Video, and Games

San Diego, Aug 19, 2009 – Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of students like the words “algebra class”.  A large percentage of students fail to learn algebra from traditional lectures, textbooks, and homework.  Now students and their instructors have another path to algebra success: the new Algebra Upgrade® online course from Learning Upgrade.

Algebra Upgrade features 60 interactive lessons with music-videos that offer clear step-by-step instruction.  Students solve algebra problems visually using drag-and-drop activities until they master each lesson.  Teachers and parents track progress using web-based assessment reports. The combination of songs, video, and games keeps students engaged and motivated. The goal is to help each student overcome algebra anxiety and make a breakthrough in algebra.

In testing this summer, over 1,000 students were enrolled in middle schools, high schools, and colleges.  A highly-engaged group of at-risk 8^th grade students in San Diego mastered all 60 lessons to prepare for Algebra 1 success in the fall.  Students at a New Jersey university completed Algebra Upgrade and then tested out of Basic Algebra I, jumping ahead to higher math courses.

Algebra Upgrade is available as a student course or a teacher whiteboard course.  Students complete the student courses individually using a web browser on a computer at home or at school.  Instructors use the teacher whiteboard courses for interactive classroom lectures using a data projector, Smartboard®, or Activboard®.  Algebra Upgrade covers the material in middle school and high school Algebra 1 classes and college Basic Algebra or Elementary Algebra courses.

Students can sign up for a free trial of Algebra Upgrade at learningupgrade.com.

School teachers and college instructors can visit learningupgrade.com to learn how the course integrates into their classes and to sign up for a free trial course.

About Learning Upgrade

Learning Upgrade is a creative team of teachers, musicians, artists, and programmers based in San Diego, California.  The company produces reading and math online courses featuring songs, video, and games to engage today’s media-savvy students. Over 200,000 students in over 40 countries have enrolled in Reading Upgrade, Comprehension Upgrade, and Math Upgrade.  Learning Upgrade’s goal is to help each student make a learning breakthrough.

Many students are prepared and excited to do well this year: Bags packed, summer reading list checked off, and visions of A’s and B’s on the refrigerator. There are, however, thousands of students starting the year already behind; sometimes by 2 or more years in reading and math. To the rescue is San Diego based Learning Upgrade who has fine-tuned its popular online courses, Reading Upgrade and Math Upgrade, to help students get a head start on the school year.

A key consideration is how to motivate students that need a boost. They may already be struggling and new pressures make it increasingly difficult to retain an optimistic and encouraging outlook for the year.

Learning Upgrade’s Math and Reading programs work where other online courses fail because they are able to fully engage the student and make learning fun. They incorporate music, video, interactive games and randomization of questions to create a fun, engaging and highly effective learning tool for all students and adult learners.

With praise from parents, teachers and students worldwide, Learning Upgrade provides online intervention courses for rapid Catch Up and Keep Up:

• In 8 to 12 weeks, students can complete a course to bring them up to proficiency
• Courses are engaging and motivating through songs, video and games
• Detailed student tracking and web-based reports keep students from falling behind

Goal: Within one semester, turn around failing students

Since 2001, Learning Upgrade has been providing students and schools with online learning games that show results. More than 50,000 students from 40 countries around the world have used the online courses to improve test scores, jump grade levels and to study for standardized tests.

Recently, Knight Middle School in Louisville Kentucky worked with Learning Upgrade to establish a new 1-semester course for students entering school behind in math. The plan will include the Math Upgrade online course to tutor each struggling student one-on-one. Students will rotate through teacher lectures, the online course, and practice on paper.

Outside of school, Learning Upgrade is making a difference. Roy K. writes: “My [8th grade] son has spent hour after hour on your program trying to get himself caught up this summer.” The online courses are engaging to students and make them want to learn.

While most students will carry some amount of worry going into the school year, there are still ways to ease this experience and get prepared for a successful year. Learning can be fun whether you are trying to get a head start or need to play a little catch up. After all, it’s amazing what can happen when students enjoy learning.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) July 3, 2007 — Based on the results and feedback of thousands of students, teachers and parents around the world, Learning Upgrade has fined-tuned its popular online reading course, Reading Upgrade, to help students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities overcome reading blocks and effectively learn how to read.

Learning Upgrade found one of the keys to teaching students with dyslexia is to prevent the use of traditional coping methods such as memorization and guessing, which provide short term fixes rather than real, sustainable results.

Reading Upgrade Version 2 incorporates music, video, interactive games and randomization of questions and answer choices to create a fun, engaging and highly effective learning tool for all students and adult learners. Students with dyslexia, ADD and other special needs find that Reading Upgrade works where other methods fail because Reading Upgrade is able to fully engage the student and make learning fun.

Randomly switching the order of questions and answers has proven to be a particularly effective strategy for students with dyslexia. Memorization, a favorite coping method, is rendered ineffective. Students can no longer simply repeat the tests over and over until the order is memorized. Guessing is reduced through the use of restructured sentences specifically designed to encourage more focused reading. Students learn flexible reading strategies which can be applied in the classroom and the real world.

Reading Upgrade Version 2 features:

• A more robust online reading course (more words, sentences, passages)
• Innovative techniques to help with special needs education
• Reduced memorization (improves results for students with dyslexia)
• Updated songs, videos, games focused on clarity and improved learning
• Reduced guessing (questions restructured to increase motivation to read accurately)
• A new final challenge that gives students a true sense of accomplishment

Reading Upgrade is a research-based course, modeled after the results of the National Reading Panel’s April 2000 Report. The course aligns to state curriculum standards for Language Arts and is rooted in effective learning strategies that work.

Pop songs, videos, games and a fast-paced interactive atmosphere keep things light and fun, giving students the true motivation they need to learn reading. Students say it feels more like playing than doing homework so they actually look forward to learning.

“Our challenge was to improve the course and still keep the fun stuff,” said Vinod Lobo, CEO of Learning Upgrade. “We received feedback from teachers, parents and students from around the world. The result is a course that is even more engaging with songs, videos and games and is better suited to help struggling readers find reading success.”

Learning Upgrade’s online education courses have been providing consistent positive results to students and adult learners since 2001. More than 50,000 students from 40 countries around the world have used the online courses ( Reading Upgrade, Comprehension Upgrade and Math Upgrade) to improve test scores, jump reading levels and to prepare for standardized tests including entrance exams for teaching and nursing school.

The course is for students of all ages (including adults). It takes between 3 to 8 weeks to complete and reading skills can improve by 1 to 2 grade levels or more. At just $99.95 per student, Learning Upgrade’s online courses deliver highly effective results for thousands of dollars less than expensive tutoring programs.

Enroll for a free 7-day trial of Reading Upgrade Version 2 (no credit card required) and learn more about how the course helps students with dyslexia, special needs, adult learners or anyone who wants to improve the reading skills of their child, their student or themselves.