Thursday, 21 February 2013

A+ Interactive MATH {Review Grade 1 * Online}


A+ TutorSoft has been expanding their product line to include a Homeschool Edition for their A+ Interactive MATH. Sir N and I have been using the home school Grade 1 math for nearly six weeks now and so far we have been enjoying our journey.
How does it work ?
  • You the parent create an account with the company.  
  • You log in and set up the student account and password for the student.
  • The student logs in using this pre-created account.
  • Choose the next lesson from the table of contents.
  • Watch a video presentation of the days topic which auto starts when clicking on a topic in the table of contents.
  • Chose to do an interactive Q&A session or go straight to do an online worksheet where the student answers an average of 10 questions. 
  • Upon completion you can select to review your work or finalize the worksheet at which time you have instant feed back. (Number of questions answered, number correct, number incorrect, percentage)
  • Sign out of the program.
  • Each Monday a certificate is generated showing the past weeks tests and worksheets completed.
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Our Experience
  • It is easy and straight forward. The program does not use a spiral approach to teach math but a linear one.  Once a student has done a lesson they do not revisit the concept they move onto the next one, this could prove to be troublesome to a student who is struggling with math as they will not revisit the topic in future lessons.
  • The lesson videos are clearly presented with clear demonstrations of the concept being taught. There are no interactive points available here. The use of colour to illustrate a point is very well used and is helpful when explaining some of the more technical aspects of a lesson.  
  • The interactive Q&A gives immediate feedback whether the answers are correct via a little frog which Sir N loved hearing croak when he got the answer correct.
  • Sir N had some trouble with the graphics being too small and not easy to count on the screen. I think this could be eliminated by using slightly 'chunkier' graphics grouped in groups of five or ten.
  • We found the Table of Content part of the program to be very clear and easy to navigate since it is laid out in a typical computer file explorer system. The only hiccup we had was we got a little "lost" when we logged in and tried to remember which lesson we had completed and which one to start for the day. This aspect could be improved if TutorSoft added in a tick or some form of notation when a lesson is complete.
  • We used the Online Worksheets and Exams which made the progress tracking automatic. You do have the option to print these off and manually input the results for program tracking.  You also have the choice of using both options and seeing individual progress on either via selecting the appropriate mode.
  • Each Monday (USA 12:00 AM EST time) the system generates a progress report in certificate form from the previous weeks completed worksheets and exams.  Sir N delighted in these and they were the highlight of his week and he loved showing Paul what he had accomplished in his maths the week before.

Product Information
Customer Service
  • We had a couple of technical issues come up while using the program. I used the Support button on the home screen and was impressed with the prompt service and help I received via email.
  • We had a glitch happen with our certificates and this was corrected within 12 hours with a friendly explanation of how the system works.
  • The response was always polite and all issues were fixed straight away.
Cost**
  • Grade 1 - 6, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1  Online Homeschool Edition
    Annual Subscription  $149.99
    Quarterly payments of $49.99
    Monthly payment plan $19.95
  • A full year program on CD $99.00
  • There is a one month FREE trial available before you purchase
  • There are books available for purchase

** All prices are in US $.
Prices are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change with out notice. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to confirm pricing before finalizing any purchases.

What others are saying on the www
A+ TutorSoft can be found on Facebook and they have a Math Freebies page where they share their promotions.
Over all Sir N and I have enjoyed using this product and the support has made it an excellent math product to use.  Most math programs all have the same scope but the sequencing is often times different so changing over has been easy as we have been able to choose which lesson we would like to do. The suggested lesson plan has been helpful for me to understand how to pace ourselves.  A second advantage to being able to choose where in the program to work via the table of contents is that if Sir N had not grasped a concept we could go back and watch the lesson again and do more practice.
  
Blessings
Chareen


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This post is part of and linking with the Schoolhouse Review so don't forget to pop on over and read what others are saying about A+ Tutorsoft.
 
This post contains NO affiliate links.
 
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of 1st Grade A+ Interactive MATH from A+ TutorSoft for free through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

    Wednesday, 20 February 2013

    Homeschool Liebster Blog Award

    Home Schoolers love to encourage one another and this is true as well when it comes to blogging homeschoolers. They give each other awards to encourage each other to keep up blogging about our adventures.

    Last week Joelle from over at Homeschooling for His Glory blessed and encouraged me with this award.  Thank you Joelle for Awarding me The Homeschool Liebster Blogging Award!



    Awards come with rules
    1. List 11 facts about yourself.
    2. Answer 11 questions given to you.
    3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.
    4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.
    5. Go to each blogger page and let them know about the award.
    6. Thank the person who nominate you and link back to their blog.
    11 Facts about me
    1. I enjoy taking a picnic to anywhere.
    2. I speak two languages (English and Afrikaans)
    3. I love peppermint chocolate ♥♥♥
    4. I have just started learning to play the piano
    5. I've owned a piano I can't play yet for nine years! see point four.
    6. I own five hermit crabs.
    7. I don't like bees.
    8. I'm afraid of sharks in the sea and crocodiles in rivers.
    9. I have a personal library of over 2500 books (that's NOT because I homeschool that's because I ♥ books!)
    10. If I had money I would travel the world.  In fact I think I would love to work traveling the world and blogging about the experience as I went.  So if you know of a travel company looking for some one to do that send them my email address. 
    11. I love taking photo's and normally take way too many! (On Sunday I took 300 at the zoo....)
    Joelle's Questions Answered

    1. What is the thing you like the least about homeschooling?
      Washing the dishes :)
    2. What is your biggest motivation to keep homeschooling?
      Enjoying the company of my children. Some days that's so easy and it's the memory of those days that inspire me on days when I don't like their company! The second thing that inspires me is all the wonderful resources out there as I am so looking forward to learning and doing with Sir N
    3. What is your favorite part of the year?
      Definitely Advent/Christmas
    4. What is your favorite food to cook?
      Dinner for guests when they come over. Chicken
    5. What is your favorite thing to do with your kids?
      Cuddle on the couch and read a good story or watch a great movie oh and go on picnics.
    6. What would the perfect vacation look like for you?
      One where I did not have to plan or cook any meals. Have lots of time to read and enough money to explore.
    7. What is your favorite Bible passage?
      I have a few of those ! I like Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
    8. What is your favorite Praise and Worship song?
      Mmmm this one is hard as I love worship.  Gentle heartfelt worship.
    9. What is the #1 curriculum you would recommend?
      Sonlight
    10. What is your favorite attribute of God?
      His Mercy
    11. How often do you meet with other homeschoolers?
      Sometimes daily :) Our regular days are once a week on a Wednesday and fortnightly on a Monday afternoon.
    11 Questions to answer
    1. Can you speak a second language, if so what is it ?
    2. What's your favourite book ?
    3. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go ?
    4. What do you use to teach a second language ?
    5. What's your favourite day of the week ?
    6. How long have you homeschooled ?
    7. What's your favourite worship song ?
    8. What's your favourite Christian DVD ?
    9. Do you use a curriculum or mix and match ?
    10. Are you on Pinterest ? If so what's your page address ?
    11. How long does it take you to write a blog post ?
    I nominate
    1. Vicky at Creating with Wisdom
    2. Brandi over at Autumn Fawn Lane
    3. Michele at Family Faith and Fridays
    4. Kiristi at The Potters Hand Academy
    5. Sarah at Delivering Grace
    6. Our Homeschool Studio
    7. April from Coffee, Cobwebs and Curriculum
    8. Me Momma over at  Schooling in the sun
    9. Our Happy Homestead
    10. Bethany over at Little Homeschool Blessings
    11. Mama Bird over at All my Baby Birds
    12. Linda at All The Rivers Run

    Blessings
    Chareen

    Monday, 18 February 2013

    Wet-Dry-Try Review

    Wet-Dry-Try is a new addition to the Handwriting without Tears product line. It is a digital version of the popular Handwriting Without Tears® Slate Chalkboard activity which is used to practice Capital Letters and Numbers.

    I was looking for something to use with Sir N as his hand writing is not the best and I have chosen this year to work on his letter formation as he tends to write some of his letters in the incorrect 'order' as well as reverse some of his numbers when doing math.  He loves playing on my Galaxy Tab2 so decided to try out the Wet-Dry-Try app.

    At first he was a little frustrated as I had set the stroke tolerance on challenging. Using the app on this setting made him slow down and be more particular in forming his letters which is what I really needed. Within a couple of days I already noticed an improvement in his handwriting.  He started forming his letters a lot neater and with more care. Once he realized he needed to slow down and take care he enjoyed unlocking cards.

    How it Works
    1. The 'teacher' draws the letter while coaching the student on the order of the stroke
    2. The student uses the 'wet' sponge to wipe away the letter.
    3. The student uses the tissue to dry the board
    4. Now the student writes the letter using the chalk
    Children can only work on one letter at time. They are not able to reverse letters and the smiley face in the left corner shows the children where to begin their letters.

    Why Handwriting ?  
    Some people ask why should we work on hand writing skills in an era when typing seems the way to go? Good question. I did some research and found an interesting article on How Handwriting Trains the Brain and impacts brain function published in The Wall Street Journal in 2010. The article spoke about studies are showing that writing by hand
    • engages the brain in learning
    • the specific movements memorized when learning how to write aid visual identification
    • activated massive regions involved in thinking, language and working memory—the system for temporarily storing and managing information.
     I have found over the years that copy work is a great way of growing my children's vocabulary and spelling skills so consider writing to be an essential skill.

    About the App
    • Three levels of learning for each letter and numeral
    • The ability to lock in a level of play/learning
    • Visual and auditory feedback for each level. 
    • Parental settings allow you total audio control (Background Music, Voice Instruction, Sound Affects)
    • Instant feed back and gentle consistent coaching.
    • The ability to set the sensitivity level (two levels: challenge or easy)
    • Two modes
      1. Pick and Practice- In this mode the student chooses the letter / number they want to work on.
      2. Winning Order - This mode organizes the letters in HWT developmental teaching order.
    • A personal instructor coaches the student through the order of writing each letter.
    HWOT Wet/Dry App Title pageHWOT Wet/Dry App Winning OrderHWOT Wet/Dry Pick and Practice

    Where to purchase**
    • for your iPad over at iTunes for $4.99
    • for your Android over at Google play for $4.99 
    ** All prices are correct at time of publishing this post.  It is your responsibility to check the price before purchasing any items.
    Prices are shown in US $
    What others are saying
    We have really enjoyed using this app and hope that the team are able to produce a lower case app. So if you are looking for an app that trains correct letter formation I highly recommend this one. We downloaded a few others to play with and Sir N's comment to me was "Mom these are silly because they don't help you stay in the lines." You can use Wet Dry Try with confidence.

    BlessingsChareen


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    This post is part of and linking with the Schoolhouse Review so don't forget to pop on over and read what others are saying about Schoolhouse Teachers.com.
     
    This post contains NO affiliate links.
     
    Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.