Jump to content

ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
No edit summary
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Advert|date=September 2022}}
{{Advert|date=September 2022}}
{{Short description|Subscription based education program for kids 2–8}}
{{Short description|Subscription based education program for children 2–8}}
{{Infobox dot-com company
{{Infobox dot-com company
| name = ABCmouse.com
| name = ABCmouse.com

Revision as of 21:35, 4 November 2022

ABCmouse.com
The ABCmouse.com logo and Doug Dohring in 2011.
Type of site
Education
HeadquartersGlendale, California, U.S.[1]
Area servedWorldwide
IndustryEducation
ParentAge of Learning, Inc.
URLwww.abcmouse.com
AdvertisingYes
Launched2010; 14 years ago (2010)
Current statusActive

ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy is a subscription-based digital education program for children ages 2–8, created by Age of Learning, Inc.[2][3] Subscribers can access learning activities on the ABCmouse.com website or mobile app.[4][5][6] Subjects covered include reading and language arts, math, science, health, social studies, music, and art.[7][8][9]

The content on ABCmouse currently consists of more than 10,000 learning activities and 850 lessons.[9] The program, with e-books, printouts, games, and progress tracker, can be used online or offline.[10] The program added an ABCmouse Classroom Live! feature in September 2020 that offers a daily interactive virtual classroom experience led by teachers offering curriculum-based activities for pre-k and kindergarten-aged children.[11]

In 2020, ABCmouse parent company Age of Learning, Inc., without admitting guilt, agreed to pay $10 million and settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging that some of its past marketing and billing practices were unfair.[12][13]

Age of Learning, Inc.

ABCmouse.com is produced by Age of Learning, Inc., a privately owned education technology company. Headquartered in Glendale, California, the company was founded in 2007 by Doug Dohring and is currently led by CEO Paul Candland.[14][15] Age of Learning launched ABCmouse.com in 2010 after three years of development, guided by a team of educators, and following testing by 10,000 families.[16] The company has obtained several patents including the original patent for a vertically integrated educational system.[17]

Members of Age of Learning's Curriculum Board include 2006 National Teacher of the Year Award recipient Kimberly Oliver Burnim,[18] 2014 National Teachers Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Rebecca Palacios,[19][20] NORC Research Scientist Marc Hernandez,[21] and Science Writing Award-winning writer Stephen M. Tomecek.

In 2014, at the White House Summit on Early Education, Age of Learning pledged to the Invest In Us campaign to provide services valued at more than $10 million to preschool, pre-k, and Head Start classrooms over two years.[22] In 2015, the company partnered with another White House initiative, ConnectHome, to provide ABCmouse.com for free to families living in public housing in 27 cities and one tribal nation, serving up to 65,000 children.[23][9]

In 2016, it was reported that Age of Learning raised $150 million from ICONIQ Capital, giving the company a $1 billion valuation.[24][25] Age of Learning also launched ABCmouse for Schools in 2016;[26] the enterprise-level solution won an ISTE Best of Show Award at the annual edtech conference.[27]

In 2015, the company collaborated with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago to develop a series of web-based assessments.[28] The Assessment Center includes over 8,500 items[29] via 300 assessments.[30]

In 2018, the company partnered with Tencent to launch the ABCmouse English Language Learning program in China.[31][32][33]

In 2019, the company launched Adventure Academy, an educational app and game for children ages 8-13. It is an MMO with three-dimensional and multi-platform support, along with a core curriculum taught in schools and thousands of education activities.[34][35]

In January 2020, it launched The Age of Learning Foundation, a charitable organization that works with governments, NGOs and UNESCO's Global Education Coalition to provide the company's digital learning products at no cost to children worldwide.[36] In September 2020, the company agreed to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging that some of its past marketing and billing practices were unfair or deceptive. The complaint focused on the 2015 – 2018 time period and affected tens of thousands of consumers, which the company claimed to be less than 2 percent of ABCmouse subscribers. The company did not admit guilt but agreed to pay $10 million to settle the charges and avoid a prolonged legal dispute. They also agreed to a number of marketing, billing, and cancellation practices specified by the FTC, many of which the company claims had already been implemented years ago.[12][37]

In June 2021, Age of Learning announced its new Schools Division and rollout of its first product offering, My Math Academy, a personalized, adaptive math program for Pre-K through second grade, which has been tested in several school districts in the U.S.[38][39]

On June 29, 2021, it was reported that Age of Learning closed a $300 million round of funding—led by TPG, along with the Qatar Investment Authority, Madrone Capital Partners, and Tencent Holdings Ltd.—which valued the company at $3 billion. CEO Paul Candland was quoted by Bloomberg as saying the funding would be used for the company’s international expansion and development of new products.[40]

Content and structure

ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy content currently consists of more than 10,000 learning activities and 850 lessons.[9] The preschool through second grade curriculum is laid out in a sequence called the “Step by Step Learning Path.”[41] Parents can register up to three children and set each one at his or her own level based on age and ability.[42] Children can also use any of the content outside of the set learning path. Activities include videos, coloring activities, learning games, poems, puzzles and songs that cover reading and writing, math, art, music, social studies, science, and health.[43] There are also more than 1,000 digital books, including over 100 Stepped Readers.[44] The same content is available whether children log on using their computer or mobile device (iOS, Android, Kindle).[45][46][47][48]

To some,[according to whom?] the amount of content “seems almost endless” but can be “almost overwhelming,” suggesting children will “likely need help navigating the site.”[49] Others[according to whom?] have judged it “easy enough for even the youngest computer users”[46][50] and “well designed for children to use” with an “interface that is intuitive for them.”[51][52][41]

Children navigate the site with the aid of “voice-overs, images, and text,” but younger children may need help.[53] Children earn tickets each time they complete a learning activity, which they can use to shop at virtual stores to decorate their room or “buy” things for their pets.[54][55]

Products

The ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy curriculum can be accessed on tablets and smartphones using apps from the Apple App Store,[56] Google Play,[57] and the Amazon Appstore for Android.[58] Age of Learning also launched ABCmouse Language Arts Animations, ABCmouse Mastering Math, ABCmouse Mathematics Animations, ABCmouse Science Animations, ABCmouse Music Videos, and ABCmouse Zoo apps in the same app stores. These apps can be used online or offline and are available to ABCmouse members.[59][60][61]

ABCmouse.com is also made available at no cost to teachers,[62] Head Start programs, public libraries,[63][64][65] public housing authorities, and other community organizations.[66]

As of 2016, ABCmouse for Teachers was used in more than 65,000 classrooms and ABCmouse for Libraries was available at one-third of U.S. public libraries,[67][26] including all branches in Los Angeles,[68] Chicago,[69] Houston, and Brooklyn.[70]

ABCmouse for Schools, a product designed for school districts or chains of schools, launched at the 2016 ISTE conference.[71]

Some Age of Learning apps, such as its Aesop's Fables series and Beginning Reader series, have been discontinued and are instead available on the ABCmouse.com YouTube channel.[72][73]

Educational value

In 2017, a two-year longitudinal study published in the Journal of Applied Research on Children concluded that the use of ABCmouse Early Learning Academy improved school readiness and accelerated students’ learning gains in math and literacy skills.[74] Several randomized controlled trials have been conducted on ABCmouse showing gains to reading and math.[75]

References

  1. ^ "Ed-tech start-ups envision L.A. as a hub for the growing sector" Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  2. ^ "NAPPAawards.com". NAPPAawards.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  3. ^ "Website offers ad-free learning activities for kids" USA Today. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  4. ^ "3 learning apps ease kids back to school" USA Today. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  5. ^ "The Upgrade: 4 Apps to Download Before Your Next Trip with Kids" Essence. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  6. ^ "ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy - The National Parenting Center". The National Parenting Center. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  7. ^ "10 educational websites to develop your kids' minds" Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  8. ^ "Site Review: ABC Mouse". www.educationworld.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  9. ^ a b c d "ABCMouse". ConnectHome Nation. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  10. ^ Ireland, Sophie (19 October 2020). "These Are The Best Online Schools To Educate Your Kids At Home". CEO World magazine.
  11. ^ Watanuki, Sam (22 September 2020). "ABCmouse Launches New Pre-K & Kindergarten Virtual Interactive Learning Experience". TheGamer.
  12. ^ a b "Children's Online Learning Program ABCmouse to Pay $10 Million to Settle FTC Charges of Illegal Marketing and Billing Practices". Federal Trade Commission. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  13. ^ Singletary, Michelle. "Perspective | Learning app ABCmouse pays $10 million to settle FTC complaint it trapped parents in subscription they couldn't cancel". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  14. ^ "Age of Learning, Inc.: Private Company Information - Businessweek". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  15. ^ "Age of Learning appoints former Disney exec Paul Candland as CEO". VentureBeat. 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  16. ^ "ABCmouse.com Will Teach Your 2- to 6-Year-Old Their ABCs (And 'Thank You' & 'Please!') -- All Online!". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  17. ^ "Vertically integrated mobile educational system patent". Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  18. ^ "Wilmington University News Release - 2006 National Teacher of the Year Speaks at Wilmington University's Student Teacher Orientation". www.wilmu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  19. ^ "Two AFT members to enter Teachers Hall of Fame". American Federation of Teachers. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  20. ^ "Dr. Rebecca A. Palacios « The National Teacher Hall of Fame". www.nthf.org. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  21. ^ "Marc Hernandez" NORC. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  22. ^ "Invest in US: President Obama Convenes the White House Summit on Early Education". whitehouse.gov. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-29 – via National Archives.
  23. ^ "White House Partnership to Provide Early Learning Curriculum to Low Income Families". www.educationworld.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  24. ^ Lunden, Ingrid. "Age of Learning, a quiet giant in education apps, raised $150M at a $1B valuation from Iconiq". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  25. ^ "From Mouse to Unicorn: Age of Learning Raises $150M at $1B Valuation, Eyes Expansion Into Schools (EdSurge News)". EdSurge. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  26. ^ a b "ABCmouse launches school-centered platform for K-2". eSchool News. 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  27. ^ techlearning.com, Classroom Technology News | Educational Apps | Bloom's Taxonomy |. "ISTE 2016 BEST OF SHOW TECH&LEARNING". Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  28. ^ "Online Assessment Tools Support Parent Engagement in Their Kids’ Education" NORC. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  29. ^ "13 Classic Toys Upgraded for Today's Kids to Enjoy" Parents. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  30. ^ "ABCmouse Assessment Center" EdTech Digest. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  31. ^ "Tencent partners with Age of Learning for English learning apps in China" Venture Beat. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  32. ^ "Tencent and education startup Age of Learning bring popular English-learning app ABCmouse to China" Tech Crunch. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  33. ^ "ABCmouse Creator, Age of Learning Taps Tencent to Lead Its Expansion in China" EdSurge. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  34. ^ Graham, Jefferson (May 1, 2019). "Gaming school: Age of Learning aims to hook 'Fortnite' generation with new educational app". USA Today.
  35. ^ Petite, Steven (24 May 2019). "Adventure Academy is an MMO for kids that combines learning with fun". Digital Trends. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  36. ^ "The Age of Learning Foundation". globaleducationcoalition.unesco.org.
  37. ^ Bradley, Brian (3 September 2020). "FTC Reaches $10 Million Settlement With Age of Learning". Market Brief.
  38. ^ "Age of Learning Enters Schools Business—Launches Personalized, Adaptive Early Learning Math Program, My Math Academy". www.businesswire.com. 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  39. ^ "My Math Academy Improving Early Childhood Math Skills". GovTech. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  40. ^ "ABCmouse Creator Valued at $3 Billion With TPG-Led Funding Round". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  41. ^ a b "NAPPAawards.com". NAPPAawards.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  42. ^ "ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy | Children's Technology Review". childrenstech.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  43. ^ "Summer Literacy Resources - Language Magazine". Language Magazine. 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  44. ^ "Summer Literacy Resources - Language Magazine". Language Magazine. 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  45. ^ "3 learning apps ease kids back to school". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  46. ^ a b "Apps to Bring Math and Science Skills Back After Summer's Slide". Motherlode Blog. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  47. ^ "Review: ABCMouse Learning Academy is my toddler’s favorite app" The Next Web. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  48. ^ "Is ABCmouse Good For Teaching Kids How To Read? The Popular Website Has A Lot Of Benefits" Romper. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  49. ^ "ABCmouse for Teachers". www.CommonSense.org. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  50. ^ "Best Android and iPad tablet apps: 2015 Tabby Awards Winners". tabbyawards.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  51. ^ "ABCmouse.com". Parents' Choice Foundation. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  52. ^ "Tillywig Toy Awards - ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy". www.tillywig.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  53. ^ "ABCMouse.com - Website Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  54. ^ "Site Review: ABC Mouse". www.educationworld.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  55. ^ "ABCmouse Early Learning Academy: Review". Smart Apps For Kids. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  56. ^ "ABCmouse.com - Early Learning Academy on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  57. ^ "ABCmouse.com - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  58. ^ ABCmouse.com - Early Learning Academy.
  59. ^ "Age of Learning, Inc. - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  60. ^ "Age of Learning, Inc. Apps on the App Store". iTunes. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  61. ^ "Amazon.com: Age of Learning, Inc.: Apps & Games". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  62. ^ "K-2 Resources to Support Tech Literacy in Young Students" (PDF). September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2015 – via Michigan Department of Education.
  63. ^ "Early literacy supporters look to get on same page as 3rd-grade requirement looms" Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  64. ^ "Free Online Curriculum: ABCMouse.com for Libraries Launches at ALA | ALA 2014". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  65. ^ "ABCmouse.com at Los Angeles Public Library" Lapl.org Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  66. ^ "Choice Neighborhoods e-Newsletter" (PDF). January 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  67. ^ "From Mouse to Unicorn: Age of Learning Raises $150M at $1B Valuation, Eyes Expansion Into Schools - EdSurge News". EdSurge. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  68. ^ "New Resources" Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  69. ^ "ABCmouse.com". Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  70. ^ "Learning Resources | Brooklyn Public Library". www.bklynlibrary.org. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  71. ^ "Age of Learning Debuts Elementary School Resources -- THE Journal". THE Journal. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  72. ^ "ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy". YouTube. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  73. ^ "Animated Fables and Beginning Readers - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  74. ^ K.P., Thai Ph.D.; Leslie, Ponciano Ph.D. (2016). "Improving Outcomes for At-Risk Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Students with a Digital Learning Resource". Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk. 7 (2). ISSN 2155-5834.
  75. ^ "Mastering Math Significantly Accelerates Early Mathematics Learning" Age of Learning Research. Retrieved 2019-07-19.

External Reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ABCmouse.com_Early_Learning_Academy&oldid=1120054489"