Cell Zone®, LLC was
formed with a mission to make Universal Design for Learning (UDL) biology products
available to more classrooms so that more students can learn about
biology. All of our products have been classroom tested and work with a
very wide range of students-- from 5th graders or middle schoolers
through college science majors. Because our products reach students with diverse learning styles regardless of ability/disability, they are ideal for any classroom. In addition, students get to interact and participate in a student-centered approach when they use Cell Zone products, so they have more fun learning about biology.
It was our decision to form a company and sell directly to schools in order to keep the pricing of our products as low as possible. For example, one kit of our Dynamic Cell Models enable a class to model at least two unique eukaryotic cells at a time; meanwhile, a standard, quality, static model of a single eukaryotic cell typically costs more than our entire kit. With the Dynamic Cell Models, though, the students can continually change the cells that they are creating for endless variety and applicability. So although $399 may seem like a significant sum of money for many schools, this is relatively inexpensive for models. It is important to keep in mind that because the development of the Dynamic Cell Models was funded by the National Science Foundation, the costs of initial development and production did not have to get added into the cost to the teacher. We also received help from colleagues in creating our CAD designs, so that cost does not have to get passed to the teachers, either.
At Cell Zone®, LLC, our goal is for science to be accessible to all students, not just the "science-types." As well, students should be learning and experiencing science rather than just memorizing information. It is for this reason that we incorporate a UDL approach in all of our products.