Peer Review

MathBoard App for iPad

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Reviewed:: Oct 24, 2021 by Teacher Education

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

MathBoard is a lightweight app to help young learners practice basic computational mathematics. Multiple language support makes this useful within language instruction as well as math.

"MathBoard is a stunning app for teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. The number of customization options available make this a brilliant app for making math fun for elementary school children. -www.androapple.comMathBoard has charm without losing track of its fundamental purpose (Arithmetic drills). - MacWorld (4 out of 5 mice)MathBoard is a fantastic math learning tool for your iPad. -- MathBoard is appropriate for all ages from kindergarten (with simple addition and subtraction problems) to elementary school where learning multiplication and division can be a challenge. You can control the range of numbers you want to work with, the amount of questions you want to answer and even assign a time limit per quiz. MathBoard will make learning math fun. MathBoard features:- Random problem generation (up to 250 questions per quiz). - Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Squares, Cubes and Square Roots- Includes One Step Equation style problems. e.g (6+x=12; x-8=2; 5x=25;)- Number ranges are configurable from -9999 to 9999, including the ability to require certain numbers to be in each problem.- Intelligent "wrong" answer generation makes guessing more difficult. Includes the ability to omit negative answers.- A quiz can be timed, and timing can be set as a countdown timer or elapsed time.- A quiz can be saved making it simple to replay a similar quiz or the same quiz at a later date.- Wrong answers are reviewable with both the incorrect and correct answer visible (and equation displayed). You can even generate a quiz from just the wrong answers.- Problem Solver for Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division will explain the required steps to solve these types of problems.- Quick reference math tables for Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication.- LanSchool EdApp certified.- Supports VGA/HDMI/AirPlay Output."

This app costs $4.99

Type of Material:

Drill and Practice

Recommended Uses:

Elementary school teachers can incorporate this app into their instruction as a supplemental material or study aid. This app can be used to support many types of math assignments including homework and in-class assignments. It can also be used to teach a variety of math skills including find the Sign, Equality/Inequality, and Match Math (a memory game).

Technical Requirements:

Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app cost $4.99

Identify Major Learning Goals:

More than just standard drills, MathBoard encourages students to actually solve problems, and not just guess at answers. This is done by providing multiple answer styles, as well as a scratchboard area where problems can be worked out by hand. Students can also turn to MathBoard's Problem Solver for further help. This powerful teaching feature walks students through the steps required to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations. Additionally, the included quick reference tables serve as a valuable learning tool.

Target Student Population:

Educators teaching elementary school students

All school aged children

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

A child should have number recognition and be able to use an ipad.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: This app succeeds in scaffolding the learning content so that students master the mathematical functions through example and practice. Learners are given multiple opportunities to practice, and receive feedback in-time and summatively on all work that they complete within the app.
Concerns:: Some of the practice exercises do not seem to be aligned to the overarching learning outcomes for the app. For instance, a matching game that has students turning over flash cards that list addition problems and matching answers creates a challenging cognitive overload situation. Students are distracted by the matching task and that takes focus off of the process of learning addition.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The practice exercises are created with a shallow adoption curve and one that would allow instructors to easily incorporate this app into curriculum as an optional or required assignment. This tool, with its ability to save quiz scores, can also be used to evaluate mastery and make necessary interventions to reinforce concepts.
Concerns:: There is no recommendation as to which order students should progress through the app, making it easy to jump into the assignments without actually completing the learning content first. It’d be nice if you couldn’t start a quiz without either completing a lesson or taking a pre-assessment to prove mastery.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: This app is well-designed and features many opportunities to engage with the content (audio and drawing in addition to simple selections of answers). The app offers iCloud support that will let learners sync their progress across multiple devices. You can add multiple students to a single app to track multiple user progress. Includes the ability to save, review, and share the results for activities and quizzes with others.
Concerns:: There is not always a clear connection between the support functions in the app and how students should use them. For instance, a chalkboard appears over some exercises, but it’s not clear whether it’s required to use it or simply there as a supportive aid.

Other Issues and Comments:

While the MathBoard Addition app is free, those wanting subtraction and fraction problems will need to pay $4.99 for the full version.

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