"I want to do more"

Remember last week all the younger kids had a day of not remembering basic math?  Well Monday Dude decided it was his turn.

I had meant to check out Aleks math awhile back when a friend of mine posted their free three month trial.  I did the sign up, but hadn't gotten around to registering the kids.

Monday I happened to receive a 'last chance email' from them.  Perfect timing!  I logged on choose algebra for Dude, and let him take the initial assessment.  The program first runs through basic 'how to answer' by pointing out fraction buttons, and showing him how to make exponents.  It also shows how to use the calculator.  But the calculator button wasn't lit up.  So we had to reload to get by that question.

Then it asks questions on a variety of subjects. Probability, solving equations, order of operations.  There is a pretty list on the site, but basically it covers everything!  Including statistics. (In case you wondered, I learned the difference, because it is mean to compare anyone to average (mean = average) plus Median = middle, Mode =most.  The kids like this song Mean, Median and Mode.  )

After the assessment it shows you a pretty pie chart divided into sections with dark colors being 'what you know' and the rest light for what you need to learn.  Each section has a small arrow if you have any work in there you are ready to do.  Some topics require work in other areas to 'unlock'. Which is pretty nifty, it leaves the 'what to work on' up to the kid, while keeping things partly in order so no one tries to understand graphing equations before they can simplify them.

While working to fill the pie, if you don't understand a topic you can click 'explain' and it comes up with the problem, the explanation, and the answer.  Then you can go practice on similar problems.  So far the kids have come to me and we have read the explanations together.  Not exactly self teaching, but maybe by the end of the trial they will read on their own.

Apparently Dude can do 24% of the total work offered for algebra.  I have no idea if that is good or not.  I did notice several of the problems he got wrong were of the 'not thinking' variety (like 8x + 4x = 11x..really you can't add?)  Others he really hasn't learned (scientific notation)

Princess took her assessment  on Tuesday and scored the exact same, though not in algebra!

We figured since they have 3 free months (and there is no possibly way I would pay $100 for only 6 months, per student!) Their goal should be to get the remaining 76% done.  Roughly 25% a month means around 7% a week.  I plan on re-evaluating that goal as they get further in, if things seem a bit hard, then I don't mind them not finishing so long as they are putting a good effort each day.

Today Dude was rather excited to show me he was at 31%, I said it was good enough and he could stop; 'But I want to do more".  Umm ok.

Princess voluntarily choose to do her math first thing this AM, even before she did typing!  (more on her typing later).

I don't know how long this will last, but for now I am loving it.