The Standard Deviants - Algebra, Parts 1 & 2 | 
| Actor: Standard Deviants
Studio: Cerebellum Corp
Category: Video
List Price: $33.99
Buy New: $27.95
You Save: $6.04 (18%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 44045
Format: Color, Ntsc
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 205
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6305217092
UPC: 631865005536
EAN: 9786305217091
ASIN: 6305217092
Release Date: April 4, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New in Factory Shrink Wrap. No Waiting-In Stock & Ships Immediately. Fulfillment by Media Shops. Not eligible for Prime Shipping.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Making algebra entertaining seems like a hopeless, if not downright insane, task, but that doesn't stop the Standard Deviants. A youthful cast of performers, who believe no joke, skit, or costume is too corny as long as it helps a student remember something important, throw themselves into "The Adventurous World of College Algebra" by beginning with a spoof of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Inside a cave, two Indiana Jones wannabes search for, you guessed it, x. Despite the lighthearted approach, this is a serious algebra review course, compiled under the direction of academic advisers. The lessons begin by answering, "What is algebra?" and quickly move into quadratic roots and factors and a section on linear equations. A wacky sense of humor stays a constant, with spoofs of pop culture programs as well as flashy computer graphics appearing to illustrate essential concepts. At the end of each lesson a quiz appears (which the student can take or skip), and the DVD also contains the "Algebra Adventure," a multiple choice test taken by using the DVD player's remote control. A "Quick Review" segment provides a fast overview of the contents. This is an innovative approach to what has often been a daunting and dry subject. --Robert J. McNamara
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| Customer Reviews:
Entertaining and educational. Not sure if education will dominate the entertainment. June 22, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is the strangest educational video that I have ever seen. The creators use a character called Idaho Jones that is "modeled" on the screen adventurer Indiana Jones. It starts with a scene similar to the opening one of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Idaho is with a woman in a cave and has discovered a golden X. He replaces it with an algebra textbook, but it is too light, causing all the traps to be triggered. After he avoids the traps, a character modeled after the sadistic Nazi in the "Raiders" movie takes the X from him.
Throughout the remainder of the tape, there are occasional short segments of Idaho as he continues the search for the golden X. Since this is a low budget film, the acting, accents and special effects are all REALLY bad. I laughed in spite of myself. There are other characters used, including parodies of a Chinese guru, a real estate agent for Algebraic Properties Inc. and a stuffy scientist with the voice of a man with severe nasal congestion.
Underlying all of this amusing nonsense, there is some serious mathematics education going on. When they are concentrating on mathematics, the explanations are very good and the animation of the algebraic rearrangements makes them easy to follow. The first subject covered is a brief history of algebra and the concepts of relations and functions. While there are occasions when more complex functions are included, the concentration is on linear functions. They are graphed, described, rearranged and inverted, and all are visually displayed when explained. All of the properties of linear equations are covered, including their roots.
While I liked the way the mathematics was presented, the other stuff is so silly that I don't know how to evaluate it. There is no doubt that the tape can be used to teach high school and college students algebra. They will certainly get some laughs from it, I just do not know if the silliness will dominate the math. Humor is such a matter of personal taste that I wouldn't presume to say anything more than while I laughed, it was all of the groaner variety. One thing is certain; students will not consider the tape boring.
Published in Mathematics and Computer Education, reprinted with permission.
Very good April 22, 2003
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I recommend this to anyone having trouble in Algebra. It walks you through problems and gives you the terminology of the subject. Great for reviews.
Savior December 26, 2001
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
I found the tapes helped me a great deal, considering I have been out of school for 20 years and never learned algebra in high school. The animations are wonderful and most of the time very clear. Of course with anything, you have to do it over and over again until you retain the information, but I will definitely say "Do not start school with out the tapes." There's only one catch, Standard Deviants recorded the tapes so that they build upon one another and you'll need to buy the entire math collection if you want a totally clear understanding. I live by Standard Deviants. Good Luck...
Pretty good overall for beginners or if having difficulty May 16, 1999
53 out of 59 found this review helpful
I am a High School Freshman just finishing Algebra I & II. I found the tape boring, since it was all review. The little skits reinforced things I already knew. They misrepresented the length. At the beginning of the tape, they said "Part I" would be two hours, but it was only one hour and twenty minutes. If it was all new to me, I would consider it pretty good, since it covered everything, and showed me short-cuts I already knew. The animation was very good. It would probably be very useful to someone who was having problems in Algebra, or just beginning in Algebra.
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