App Reviews

REVIEW

Content Standard Being Addressed in both games (4th Grade):

Build fractions from unit fractions.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3
Understand a fraction a/b with a > 1 as a sum of fractions 1/b.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3.A
Understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts referring to the same whole.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3.B
Decompose a fraction into a sum of fractions with the same denominator in more than one way, recording each decomposition by an equation. Justify decompositions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. Examples: 3/8 = 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 ; 3/8 = 1/8 + 2/8 ; 2 1/8 = 1 + 1 + 1/8 = 8/8 + 8/8 + 1/8.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3.C
Add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators, e.g., by replacing each mixed number with an equivalent fraction, and/or by using properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3.D
Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole and having like denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem.

Standards-Based Interactive Game: PRODIGY GAME

      I would rate prodigy a 5 star application. This app is an adaptive tool that focuses on math content from grades 1-8. I currently use this interactive game in my classroom and students are ranging from grade level 1 through 6 and I teach 4th. Unlike my textbook provided the district, this program adapts the curriculum to their individual needs. While some are working on basic 2 digit addition, others are being challenged on 6th grade material like identifying slopes. Below I give details about the quality of the content, effectiveness as a teaching tool, ease of use, and help features. 

►  Quality of Content:  The app models the skill in a differentiated manner, which I find very useful. Students click on a question mark to receive hints of how to solve the problem. This allows students to receive the amount of help they want/need. The help information is very clear and easy to follow. One of my fourth graders was able to self learn long division just by using the hints in prodigy. In addition, if a student continues to make mistakes on the same  type of problems, the program changes the help information given in order to better meet the students needs. The content is very accurate and I have not come across any errors in the problems presented to the students. The content is appropriate for the students. As noted in this weeks lecture, "Digital games can teach the content standards at varies levels of complexity and differentiate activities for students’ readiness levels." Because it is differentiated, it makes it appropriate for all learners. 

      ►  Potential Effectiveness as a teaching-learning tool: Prodigy is an effective teaching tool. First, students love this program. Students in my classroom choose to play it even during rainy day recess and lunch. Kids just can't get enough. They even play it at home, even when it hasn't been assigned. They are learning without even realizing it because they are so engrossed in the game. Students can only "battle and win characters" when they answer math questions. It is incredibly engaging. The students are being engaged effectively in the content. According to this week's lecture, "students remember 90% when they do something or perform a simulation." Because they are so engaged in the content while using prodigy, they are retaining at a level than from they would have heard me say during a lesson. They would remember only 20% of what they hear. If a visual was included, they would remember 30% more. Even with both of those combined, they would only remember 50%, far less than what an interactive game could provide. In addition, students receive immediate feedback when they answer a question. If they answer correctly, "congratulations" pops across the screen. However, if they answer incorrectly, it reteaches they how to solve the problem. They then get another opportunity to solve another like problem. 

      ►   Ease of use: The application is incredibly easy. It walks you through each step, one by one. Even in the beginning, it walked the kids through the login process. A screen popped up telling them what to do next. In addition, it continually tells them about characters around them, how to get to different realms, and how to change characters. In fact, I never had to tell my students how to use the program; it completely walked my students through the process. This is one website that I didn't have several hands up asking for help. 

      ►  Help and documentation: As mentioned earlier, the help feature is incredible. I love that the help builds on the last information provided. For instance, if a student misses a question twice, it will not provide the same help that was given when the student missed it the first time. I like this because that "help" may not have made sense to them, so by giving the student new information, it allows the student another chance to solve it. The student may have been able to make sense of the help that was provided the second go-around. 

                         Assistive Technology App: Fractions Bars

►  Quality of Content:  Fraction Bars by Math Learning Center very accurate. It

provides the correct sizing for fractions and the parts. It also accurately identifies the

fraction represented. 

      ►  Potential Effectiveness as a teaching-learning tool: This application is effective as a teaching tool as it provides students with manipulatives, so students can build conceptual understanding. It also is effective because students are able to visual see fractions without spending an insane amount of time counting paper to create fractional parts. With the amount of time saved from cutting, students are able to practice the skills more. In addition, they were engaged. As noted in this week's lecture, "Students spend more time on task" when using digital educational games. I found students to be much more focused when using virtual manipulatives than when they created fraction bars from paper. The students could relate to the online resource as it is what their generation is used to. In fact, at home, students spend the majority of their day online at home. 

      ► Ease of use: The app is user friendly. Students were able to quickly create fractional bars and fill in parts. I appreciated that the app wasn't cluttered with a lot of stuff. This made it easy to learn. The only area I would say it needs improvement is being able to shrink the text. For example, when my students were trying to label all of the 1/16, as shown below, it didn't fit as nicely. 

      ►   Help and documentation: The help section for this app is useful and since there isn't a lot of buttons on the main-screen, the help button identifies how to use each button. While this is a simple app, it successfully helped my students conceptually understand fractions whereas they struggled greatly with it until I introduced to them to this app. 

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