computer

I Know It: A TOS Crew Review

September 24, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

I’m always on the lookout for supplemental materials, especially for math. My daughters do well in math., but often feel frustrated with traditional teaching methods. I find traditional curricula to be the best way they learn after trying a few other ways, but still they need something to help them see the fun in math. I Know It has been an incredibly fun way to supplement our math lessons each day!

I Know It Interactive Math Lessons K - 5 grade

This program comes from the same people behind Super Teacher Worksheets. My daughters usually have daily drill practice for math facts which they enjoy, but they were pretty excited to try something different! You can use I Know It on either a computer or tablet, you just need to have access to a web browser.

Once you as the parent are signed in you will be able to create accounts for each of your kids. They have adorable little character icons so each child can have a different picture. This is great for younger children, but even my kids enjoyed having a different animal represent them! You will also set a grade level for each child as well. This can change so if you find the first chosen level to be too easy or too hard. I really like this option. While homeschooling it is easier to pinpoint missed content which may need reviewed.

Another fun feature allows you to assign specific tasks for each child. This again is a great way to make sure they are working on areas that need shoring up. One of my kids does very well in math…until she doesn’t! She will spend hours working out problems she understands happily, but as soon as she stumbles, she doesn’t want any part of it. With this online practice I have opportunity to guide exactly what skills she will focus on each day. I love that I can see their progress and they can track their progress as well! They can see what answers were wrong and track their improvement as well. Many online programs allow the teacher to see this, but not the student so I find this to be a unique and helpful tool.

On this exercise Beth could see both correct and incorrect answers. I can down with her and see the same problem she saw, help her understand it, and allow her to try again!

For the most part I allowed my daughters to choose what skills they wanted to practice each day. I did guide both Rose and Beth to choose word problems because that is a current area of trouble for them both. All three girls couldn’t wait to work with this each day. They enjoyed using our iPad (2nd generation) instead of the computer and would often ask if they could do more than their assigned time to work!

Rose wanted to make sure I included her thoughts in my review! She said this was one of the most enjoyable supplements she has worked with for math. She is in 8th grade, but worked with the 5th grade material. She is one who often has to review a concept multiple times before it sticks, so giving her an opportunity to succeed, even on a lower level, is incredibly valuable. It isn’t a waste of time for her as she processes more simply worded problems because she can apply the same concepts to more complex problems. Both Grace and Beth also thoroughly enjoyed working with I Know It although I think Rose is the one who liked it best.

We definitely intend to continue using this throughout the year and I think the price per child quite reasonable for a year’s subscription. I see this as being valuable for students who are right on target and can use it to supplement their current work, wish to move ahead and learn new concepts as they quickly master what they are given, and as remediation for those who may have missed steps and concepts along the way. I really think this can be used by just about anyone no matter where your child stands with math. My only disappointment is that it ends with 5th grade math. I do hope they continue to create content which could be used up through middle school as I think they have done a quality job with what is available.

If this sounds like a great program to you too, there is a free 60 day trial to interested homeschoolers and teachers! The free trial page is here:
https://www.iknowit.com/sign-up.html

Check out what my Crewmates have to say!

K5 Learning Online Program: A TOS Review Crew Review

June 6, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

My daughters are just like every other child of this century. They adore their technology! I’m often quite hesitant when it comes to including technology as a part of our regular learning program because I am well aware of the dangers posed online. That being said, I’m not against technology completely. I am just extremely picky about what technology we use and how we use it. I was very excited for my girls to have the opportunity to try out the online program from K5 Learning. We used this delightful program as a supplement to our regular studies.

There are three subject areas covered within the program: Math, Reading, and Spelling. Prior to beginning the program students take an assessment to determine their course of learning. Each student will have their own accounts and a unique course of study. All three of my daughters have been using the program and it has been a lot of fun for each of them!

The assessment results are easy to understand, and I appreciate that the program sets itself for each students needs. This means if you have any gaps in your child’s learning you’ll quickly identify it and they can work on these specific areas where they need it most. I also really like the feature which allows the parent to create spelling lists. Even if you currently have a spelling program which you are happy with this will allow for a different way of reviewing the words.

The girls would ask to be the first one to do their computer work each day. This tells me they truly enjoy it! The lessons are short and simple, but clear. They are presented in a fun, story-like way that kept my girls engaged. The lessons’ brevity did not keep them from wanting to work more. The graphics are not the most modern, but I personally appreciate this. I tend to appreciate less distractions or my girls where technology is concerned. They thought the stories and illustrations were fun and I typically had to pull them away from their work each day because they were enjoying it so much.

The most helpful thing for me was seeing where the girls placed in math and reading with the assessment tests. They were at the points where I thought they were, which was affirming, but more than that I am pleased that they are getting specifically directed instruction to fill in those gaps. Math seems to be the area where gaps happen most often. One thing I did realize was that some of the perceived gaps are not always actual gaps. Math curriculum often varies in its sequence even if the scope remains the same. The problem is many standardized tests to not account for this. While many recognize this and some are trying to address it, there will always be some differences between curricula and this is a great way to not only assess the issues, but have a practical solution to them. While this is not a full curriculum, the program is intended for children of all educational backgrounds and I highly recommend it as a supplement no matter how your child is learning. Subscriptions are available monthly or annually. We will be continuing to use the program and the girls couldn’t be happier! Check out what my crewmates have to say!

IXL.com: Review

November 2, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

$IXL Logo photo ixllogofixed.png$

What do my girls work hard for each day? Computer learning time! They know they must wait for my permission, but usually at some point during the day, unless they have lost the privilege, the girls get to play learning games on the computer. I am not a fan of a full computer-based curriculum for our studies, but I do like for them to have opportunities to learn on the computer. My girls have learned far more computer skills than I would have imagined at their age! I was eight when we got our first computer, an IBM, and I was one of the first in my grade-school class to turn in a typed assignment. Now children take computers for granted as part of learning, so I am always on the lookout for high quality programs.

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IXL.com is a website dedicated to enhancing math and language arts learning for students. Their math site is for pre-K through 12th grade and language arts is for 2nd-4th grade. We were blessed to review the math portion of the site. A subscription to IXL is $9.95 for math only, $9.95 for language arts only, or $15.95 a month for both. If you purchase a yearly subscription it is $79.00 for either math or language arts, and $129.00 a year for both subjects. Each additional child is only $2 per month, or $20 per year.

Screen time has been a hot commodity since our family acquired an iPad. Rose really loves the IXL app and I love that she is able to further master certain skills like multiplication. I love having so many options of activities for her to choose from and that I am fully aware of what they are working on. Rose’s goal was to get everything under her name checked off!

Grace also thoroughly enjoyed the app! She loved being able to sign in on her own. Each of the girls had their own unique symbol and they signed in with a password they would remember. The parent must be logged in first, but then the kids are able to access it on their own.

A feature which is really nice, especially for preschoolers, is that each question can be read aloud. It took her a little while to figure out what some of the questions were asking, but she soon mastered many of the preschool skills. She has completed the most of any of the three girls. She has really enjoyed growing in her math skills. I appreciate that even though it is fun, it is still more traditional math practice rather than games. It checks their knowledge directly rather than using flashy pictures and cartoons which in my opinion can sometimes distract from the skill. While it is very colorful, unneeded background scenery and distracting music is blissfully absent. I never once had to ask any of the girls to turn the volume down because it was distracting to the others.

I do hope that a language arts app is in the works. I have found that learning and play is much easier for the girls, especially Grace, on the iPad. She doesn’t waste time and get frustrated with the mouse. I’m so glad IXL has this app available so she can have a better experience.Click below to see what my Crewmates had to say!