Math, math, math. It’s often one of those subjects. You know, the one that is often difficult to teach, often difficult to learn. It is the nemesis of many a parent and student (teacher too!).
But math is very important and most people understand that. There are even some who enjoy math. I think I would be correct to say that Professor Weissman is one of those individuals. He has been teaching math since at least 1963. He created a program for those who are serious about math. Enter…Math 911. The program has been used in schools since 1989.
Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew I have been reviewing the Math 911 program. We were given a download of the Introductory Algebra course (that is a free download on the website) as well as codes for the Premier / Premier Password/ Network Password versions ($49.95 for all 3), that include :
- Introductory Algebra course
- Intermediate Algebra Course (or Algebra 2),
- PreCalculus topics,
- Trigonometry topics,
- and Introductory Statistics Course.
You can see screenshots at the website.
* Mastery Learning approach.* All problems are algorithmically generated. * 10 minute learning curve. * Step by Step solutions. * Only Free-form answers. * Dynamic Grade reports on all screens. * Needs no internet connection. * Can be networked. * Free Home Use For Teachers * Free Upgrades * Free Install on New PCs *
So… that’s what is included but what’d we think? I’ll be completely honest –yes, I usually am –I didn’t let my kids actively use this. Why not? Because I had a difficult time figuring it out for quite awhile and then… because I was using it. I want so much to show you images of this program in action but one of the reasons I had a difficult time figuring it out was that it wouldn’t work on my Vista laptop. I had to install it on my XP netbook. I’m on my laptop, it’s on my netbook. I am going to direct you to some reviews that have screenshots of this program in action: look at Angie’s post here, or Karen’s post here.
What didn’t ‘work’ for me:
- not terribly user friendly- it took me what I think is a bit long to figure out how to find the step-by-step or how to switch courses, there is no how-to manual
- had no luck with getting it to work with my Vista larger screen laptop, even using ‘run as admin’, and multiple attempts with help of tech support
- the colors of the program- it’s just rough on my eyes.
- cluttered- on the netbook it is crammed into the small screen space.
- switching between courses requires restarting the program
- doesn’t ‘teach’ new concepts; definitely need to be a motivated math student to use this independently
- nothing is marked as incorrect (but the number of the problem turns red) so a couple times I didn’t notice that I didn’t master the concept (which led to, “Why can’t I move on??”)
- mastery approach- I appreciated that it continued to present concepts until they are mastered; it won’t move on
- limited number of problems for each section- there aren’t 50 problems to work on right then, each section that I went through had between 3-10 problems
- grading is built in
- doesn’t require the internet
- step-by-step on every problem if needed (on the screenshot above, to the right, there is a button, in green, that says See Next Step –keep clicking that to see it step-by-step)
- upgrades are included in the purchased download
- good for practice to keep math fresh
- customer service is SUPERB; quick and ready to help
- definitely no ‘frills’ math program but not very much ‘fun’ –I’m torn on whether I ‘like’ that or not
All in all, I do think this is a beneficial program –now that I have it figured out. If I were to have had my kids use this (neither of which are very math inclined) their frustration level would have been at an all time high. BUT I’m taking into account the cost of this program ($49.95 for Premium) and what is included. I’m going to be continuing using this for myself. I will use it for my kids as well when they need more practice.
Math911 also is the maker of “Algebra in a Flash”, which is the same program on a flash drive. At the bottom of the website you can find a code that will allow you to purchase this for $9.95, normally $40.00
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Professor Weissman's Software246 Crafton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10314
Make sure to read other reviews by other Schoolhouse Review Crew members.
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