Comments on: I Cosmeo, I can http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/ Education and Technology by Steve Dembo Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:19:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: web designer Kathaperumal http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-127707 web designer Kathaperumal Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:17:37 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-127707 You have recommended but some comments here are very discourage in nature. What we have to do? please extend this article with new and more information regarding this You have recommended but some comments here are very discourage in nature. What we have to do? please extend this article with new and more information regarding this

]]> By: Kristi Gilleland http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-127161 Kristi Gilleland Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:07:06 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-127161 Cosmeo is ok, and I grab a subscription about once a year for my son to play the games with. We get the video content free through united streaming - it is paid for by GPTV and I like that better, because we get the lesson plans and stuff too. Cosmeo is more fun though, and my son likes the games ok and will play them for a bit and then get bored. the fact that you can't cancel online really upsets me - I don't remember this from last year and I'm stuck with a broken ankle and no phone trying to get my account cancelled. They should change that - whenever a company lets you sign up but not cancel online, it really comes across as deceptive and tricky and I think most online users get a bad view of the company for it. AOL did that - look how far it got them. That is my only complaint. Cosmeo is ok, and I grab a subscription about once a year for my son to play the games with. We get the video content free through united streaming - it is paid for by GPTV and I like that better, because we get the lesson plans and stuff too.

Cosmeo is more fun though, and my son likes the games ok and will play them for a bit and then get bored.

the fact that you can’t cancel online really upsets me - I don’t remember this from last year and I’m stuck with a broken ankle and no phone trying to get my account cancelled.

They should change that - whenever a company lets you sign up but not cancel online, it really comes across as deceptive and tricky and I think most online users get a bad view of the company for it. AOL did that - look how far it got them. That is my only complaint.

]]> By: Robert Duval http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-78871 Robert Duval Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:47:42 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-78871 I think that every resource adds something to offer. In this case, Cosmeo among many others play an important role. Design is not all that revelant for some people, but it is for some other and that is valid. In the ned, like I said before, it all goes to enrich the spectrum of opportunities to provide the kids with more sources of homework help I think that every resource adds something to offer. In this case, Cosmeo among many others play an important role. Design is not all that revelant for some people, but it is for some other and that is valid. In the ned, like I said before, it all goes to enrich the spectrum of opportunities to provide the kids with more sources of homework help

]]> By: kurt http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-58649 kurt Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:59:54 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-58649 let's separate the issues. Cosmeo is ok - it'll be great when it grows up. The monthly fee should be lower while they improve and then increase year 2.If I really like it we'll stay for a while( with a 2nd and 4th grader) Now as for Discovery’s poor marketing practices. The offer for a free 30 days without obligation has a major obligation. It must be cancelled before the 30 day period or you will be charged. If you’re a day late, too bad - no refunds. You can buy it online but you can't cancel online. You must call them-BAD! The information is in the small print (of course) on the terms. Discovery does NOT let you cancel Cosmeo online. You'd think Discovery would do better for your customers. let’s separate the issues. Cosmeo is ok - it’ll be great when it grows up. The monthly fee should be lower while they improve and then increase year 2.If I really like it we’ll stay for a while( with a 2nd and 4th grader) Now as for Discovery’s poor marketing practices. The offer for a free 30 days without obligation has a major obligation. It must be cancelled before the 30 day period or you will be charged. If you’re a day late, too bad - no refunds. You can buy it online but you can’t cancel online. You must call them-BAD! The information is in the small print (of course) on the terms. Discovery does NOT let you cancel Cosmeo online. You’d think Discovery would do better for your customers.

]]> By: Steve http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-54277 Steve Mon, 04 Dec 2006 16:36:56 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-54277 9.95 per month or 99.95 for a year's worth. 9.95 per month or 99.95 for a year’s worth.

]]> By: debby http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-54114 debby Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:33:28 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-54114 what is the cost? monthly one time? what is the cost? monthly one time?

]]> By: Dena http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-53536 Dena Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:02:27 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-53536 I'm VERY impressed with Cosmeo for both my middle and high school students. My high school (10th grade)son's Algebra II book is one of the textbooks for Cosmeo, so that has been very helpful. Even though my 8th grade daughter is using Saxon Algebra 1/2, and that textbook (sadly) is not listed, we have found that the "generic" Nutshell Math covers the topics well. She has gone from hating math to saying "this is easy" and "I get it now!" As a part-time homeschool/part-time public school parent and teacher, I am very excited about using Cosmeo with my students! I have previewed many of the other sections, and they are awesome too. My only negative...I absolutely HATE services which will not let you cancel online. If you can subscribe online, you should be able to unsubscribe online. I definitely think this is a possible Atty. General issue....AOL does the same thing. Please Cosmeo, don't let this great service get a negative reputation because of the "hardsell" billing issues. Also, we only have dial up service at home, but we can still access the math video tutorials. We do have to access broadband for the other videos. Hopefully our area of our island will get high speed access soon! I’m VERY impressed with Cosmeo for both my middle and high school students. My high school (10th grade)son’s Algebra II book is one of the textbooks for Cosmeo, so that has been very helpful. Even though my 8th grade daughter is using Saxon Algebra 1/2, and that textbook (sadly) is not listed, we have found that the “generic” Nutshell Math covers the topics well. She has gone from hating math to saying “this is easy” and “I get it now!” As a part-time homeschool/part-time public school parent and teacher, I am very excited about using Cosmeo with my students! I have previewed many of the other sections, and they are awesome too. My only negative…I absolutely HATE services which will not let you cancel online. If you can subscribe online, you should be able to unsubscribe online. I definitely think this is a possible Atty. General issue….AOL does the same thing. Please Cosmeo, don’t let this great service get a negative reputation because of the “hardsell” billing issues.
Also, we only have dial up service at home, but we can still access the math video tutorials. We do have to access broadband for the other videos. Hopefully our area of our island will get high speed access soon!

]]> By: Vicki http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-51671 Vicki Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:56:13 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-51671 I was just looking over the site and I wish there was a feature to review what books (ex. math) you can work from. Meaning, if the math book that my kids use isn't utilized by cosmeo, not much help in the homework department then. It seems that cosmeo could be fun and helpful, and I understand it can not utilize every school book around; but it would be nice if there was a way to check if the book your child uses is available...kind of like seeing if you have a useable phone number for a dial-up connection...make sense?? I'm still researching a bit and may just give it a shot... I was just looking over the site and I wish there was a feature to review what books (ex. math) you can work from. Meaning, if the math book that my kids use isn’t utilized by cosmeo, not much help in the homework department then. It seems that cosmeo could be fun and helpful, and I understand it can not utilize every school book around; but it would be nice if there was a way to check if the book your child uses is available…kind of like seeing if you have a useable phone number for a dial-up connection…make sense??
I’m still researching a bit and may just give it a shot…

]]> By: Steve http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-43535 Steve Wed, 07 Jun 2006 18:37:51 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-43535 Yikes! I certainly hate to hear that. I'd be curious to hear more about some of the issues you experienced, particularly around the practice problems. From my own explorations, I thought that there were an immense number of math problems (I spent some time teaching myself a little calculus!) I think one reason that Cosmeo has appealed to so many people is that even though there is similar content available for free on other websites, there isn't any other site that has so much of it aggregated together in one location that is SAFE for children. What other site has 30,000+ video clips and 200+ educational games that are guaranteed to be child safe with parental control over specific content? That's part of its great appeal to many parents. As to the problem you experienced with the free trial, I'm not sure you're being fair to the company. I think that most people would agree that the idea of a 30 day free trial is pretty standard. I know how frustrating it can be if you forget to cancel, I've done it myself on several occasions with other sites, but is that really Discovery's fault? Thankfully since Cosmeo is only 9.95 per month, it wasn't too costly a lesson. Thanks for trying it out though! You never know if a site like this is right for you and your family unless you try it yourself. Yikes! I certainly hate to hear that. I’d be curious to hear more about some of the issues you experienced, particularly around the practice problems. From my own explorations, I thought that there were an immense number of math problems (I spent some time teaching myself a little calculus!)

I think one reason that Cosmeo has appealed to so many people is that even though there is similar content available for free on other websites, there isn’t any other site that has so much of it aggregated together in one location that is SAFE for children. What other site has 30,000+ video clips and 200+ educational games that are guaranteed to be child safe with parental control over specific content? That’s part of its great appeal to many parents.

As to the problem you experienced with the free trial, I’m not sure you’re being fair to the company. I think that most people would agree that the idea of a 30 day free trial is pretty standard. I know how frustrating it can be if you forget to cancel, I’ve done it myself on several occasions with other sites, but is that really Discovery’s fault? Thankfully since Cosmeo is only 9.95 per month, it wasn’t too costly a lesson.

Thanks for trying it out though! You never know if a site like this is right for you and your family unless you try it yourself.

]]> By: Ernie http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-43486 Ernie Wed, 07 Jun 2006 03:20:41 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-43486 I too had a bad experience with Cosmeo. I and my kids are very computer savvy and found the web site to be very poorly designed and hard to navigate. The video content was interesting, but there is a noticable lack of practice problems for math and science. The materials in the english section are pretty anemic for my middle-schooler. Overall, most of the materials that are on Cosmeo can be found free of charge at many other web sites and quite often those free sites will have better quality and coverage than Cosmeo. What really ticked me off though is Discovery's deceptive marketing practices. The offer for a free 30 days without obligation really has a very major obligation. It must be cancelled before the end of the 30 day period or you will be charged. If you're a day late, too bad - no refunds. This information is hidden in the small print of the terms of service. And just to make THAT much harder, Discovery does NOT let you cancel Cosmeo online. You must call to cancel. My advice, don't bother. Discovery is marketing this site deceptively and you can get all the homework help you need for your kids from other free and better sources. I too had a bad experience with Cosmeo. I and my kids are very computer savvy and found the web site to be very poorly designed and hard to navigate. The video content was interesting, but there is a noticable lack of practice problems for math and science. The materials in the english section are pretty anemic for my middle-schooler.

Overall, most of the materials that are on Cosmeo can be found free of charge at many other web sites and quite often those free sites will have better quality and coverage than Cosmeo.

What really ticked me off though is Discovery’s deceptive marketing practices. The offer for a free 30 days without obligation really has a very major obligation. It must be cancelled before the end of the 30 day period or you will be charged. If you’re a day late, too bad - no refunds. This information is hidden in the small print of the terms of service. And just to make THAT much harder, Discovery does NOT let you cancel Cosmeo online. You must call to cancel.

My advice, don’t bother. Discovery is marketing this site deceptively and you can get all the homework help you need for your kids from other free and better sources.

]]> By: Steve http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-42311 Steve Wed, 24 May 2006 15:00:33 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-42311 Wow. That sounds like a horrible experience. Thankfully, I don't think that's the norm for most people. I've heard quite a bit of positive feedback from people. However, I know how frustrating it is to have trouble getting out of a site. I'll forward your story on to some people within the company and find somebody to help you out. Perhaps more importantly, I want to make sure that we understand what led to such a negative experience for you and address those issues to ensure a more positive experience for other people! Wow. That sounds like a horrible experience. Thankfully, I don’t think that’s the norm for most people. I’ve heard quite a bit of positive feedback from people. However, I know how frustrating it is to have trouble getting out of a site. I’ll forward your story on to some people within the company and find somebody to help you out. Perhaps more importantly, I want to make sure that we understand what led to such a negative experience for you and address those issues to ensure a more positive experience for other people!

]]> By: DOREEN SALAZAR http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-42309 DOREEN SALAZAR Wed, 24 May 2006 13:02:13 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-42309 I HAVE WATCHED DISCOVERY CHANNEL SINCE 1985. WHEN A SITE CAME UP TO ASSIST MY DAUGHTER'S LEARNING, I WAS INTRIGUED WITH COMMERCIALS. I WENT ON AND SIGNED UP BECAUSE OF MY FAITH IN DISCOVERY- NITE MARE BEGINS. GAVE INFO FOR ACESS TO 30 DAY TRIAL. NOT BEING VERY COMPUTER SAVY, I FOUND VERY HARD TO NAVAGATE. HOW CAN I EXPECT MY 7 YR OLD TO? CANCELLED NEXT WEEK (DURING TRIAL) THOUGHT THAT IS THE END?! NO, THEY CHARGED ME, PENALAZED ME $49. AND ALL FOR 4 DAYS OF TRYING TO USE SITE DURING TRIAL. I'M SORRY THAT I'M SUCH A FAN. I AM LETTING EVERYONE I KNOW TO NOT FALL IN THE TRAP. NEXT STEP IS ATTORNY GENERAL. TO SAY THAT I'M UPSET IS MILD. MAYBE IN A FEW YEARS THIS SITE WOULD BE GOOD. REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME HAVE MADE DISCOVERY WHAT IT IS- WHAT A SHAME TO HAVE YOUR FAITH DESTROYED. BARNUM SAID " THERE IS A FOOL BORN EVERY MINUTE". MINE WAS IN '53 I HAVE WATCHED DISCOVERY CHANNEL SINCE 1985. WHEN A SITE CAME UP TO ASSIST MY DAUGHTER’S LEARNING, I WAS INTRIGUED WITH COMMERCIALS. I WENT ON AND SIGNED UP BECAUSE OF MY FAITH IN DISCOVERY- NITE MARE BEGINS. GAVE INFO FOR ACESS TO 30 DAY TRIAL. NOT BEING VERY COMPUTER SAVY, I FOUND VERY HARD TO NAVAGATE. HOW CAN I EXPECT MY 7 YR OLD TO? CANCELLED NEXT WEEK (DURING TRIAL) THOUGHT THAT IS THE END?! NO, THEY CHARGED ME, PENALAZED ME $49. AND ALL FOR 4 DAYS OF TRYING TO USE SITE DURING TRIAL. I’M SORRY THAT I’M SUCH A FAN. I AM LETTING EVERYONE I KNOW TO NOT FALL IN THE TRAP. NEXT STEP IS ATTORNY GENERAL. TO SAY THAT I’M UPSET IS MILD. MAYBE IN A FEW YEARS THIS SITE WOULD BE GOOD. REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME HAVE MADE DISCOVERY WHAT IT IS- WHAT A SHAME TO HAVE YOUR FAITH DESTROYED. BARNUM SAID ” THERE IS A FOOL BORN EVERY MINUTE”. MINE WAS IN ‘53

]]> By: Teach42 - Education and Technology, by Steve Dembo » Cosmeo in the news http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-39184 Teach42 - Education and Technology, by Steve Dembo » Cosmeo in the news Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:45:50 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-39184 [...] That new website I wrote about, Cosmeo, was reviewed in the Wall Street Journal today.  Pretty positive review too!  They did have a few technical issues playing some of the videos in pesky browsers like Firefox (my browser of choice), but that didn’t hold them back from giving it a thumbs up.  "Though Cosmeo is heavy on videos, it offers much more, including encyclopedia articles, links to related material on the Internet, and what it calls Brain Games, like hieroglyphic translations and building a volcano.  And most of the material comes from educational sources.…Though we ran into a few technical problems here and there, we found the service to be  a useful and engaging learning tool that can help sutdents study at their own pace, in the comfort of their own homes.  What’s more, parents can learn how to help their kids." Technorati Tags: discovery cosmeo homework help educatoin [...] […] That new website I wrote about, Cosmeo, was reviewed in the Wall Street Journal today.  Pretty positive review too!  They did have a few technical issues playing some of the videos in pesky browsers like Firefox (my browser of choice), but that didn’t hold them back from giving it a thumbs up.  "Though Cosmeo is heavy on videos, it offers much more, including encyclopedia articles, links to related material on the Internet, and what it calls Brain Games, like hieroglyphic translations and building a volcano.  And most of the material comes from educational sources.…Though we ran into a few technical problems here and there, we found the service to be  a useful and engaging learning tool that can help sutdents study at their own pace, in the comfort of their own homes.  What’s more, parents can learn how to help their kids." Technorati Tags: discovery cosmeo homework help educatoin […]

]]> By: Devon http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-39131 Devon Wed, 29 Mar 2006 01:58:08 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-39131 What do you mean its your company? Do you work for Discovery? What do you mean its your company?

Do you work for Discovery?

]]> By: Educational Technology and Life » Blog Archive » I Cosmeo, I can http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-39121 Educational Technology and Life » Blog Archive » I Cosmeo, I can Tue, 28 Mar 2006 04:43:50 +0000 http://www.teach42.com/2006/03/13/i-cosmeo-i-can/#comment-39121 [...] I Cosmeo, I can (Via Teach42.): “It’s a subscription based service for children at home… it has 30,000 video clips in it, a ton of academic games, content aligned to state standards, activities and more.” [...] […] I Cosmeo, I can (Via Teach42.): “It’s a subscription based service for children at home… it has 30,000 video clips in it, a ton of academic games, content aligned to state standards, activities and more.” […]

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