Tuesday, June 10, 2014

IXL Math Website review (Eden)

My daughter Eden skipped 2 math grades and still has the top grades in math this review was written by her.

 IXL is an online program that teaches math for anyone from Kindergarten to Grade 11. The program consists of units that each have a quiz associated with them. The program corrects you when you get your answers wrong, and encourages you to get the answers right. I do have one strong criticism about the program: it is for practise, not teaching. If you are trying to learn something new, IXL is not the way to go. If you want to build on what you already know or practise something you are unsure about, IXL is for you.
There are two ways to access the program: demo or paid. If you use the demo version, you are able to access any of the quizzes for free, just by going onto their website and clicking on the quiz that you want to take, but you get cut off after answering 20 questions, and to be able to continue using the program, you need to clear the cookies from your browser. The full version is $79/year, but you have the advantage of unlimited access to the quizzes without getting cut off, the ease of not having to clear cookies, as well as access to the “award” system (basically you unlock a new image that you can use as your account icon every time you achieve a certain goal).
I have personal experience with this program using both methods. Obviously, the paid version is A LOT better than the free version, but really you have to weigh the benefits versus the drawbacks for you specifically. Ask yourself, would my child find the digital sticker system rewarding? Does my child have the patience, or the ability, to delete the cookies every 20 questions? It is very individual, but either way, IXL is a superb program and I highly recommend it.





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