Algebra 1 Study and Review
by K12 and Watermelon Express

“Why is it that math is so difficult? I just don’t get it!” Are these things that you are hearing from your ninth or tenth grader? As I travel our local streets and visit various schools, I am in awe of the number of students manipulating some kind of mobile device. But the question now is, are they utilizing it to its fullest potential? A number of developers are working with educators to get standardized material into our technology driven children and students. There are a number of mathematical reference guides currently in your iTunes library, but K12 and Watermelon Express have raised the bar a bit with their latest development. Applicable2U is excited to share with her high school colleagues and professional learning network, Algebra 1: Study and Review app. An app that encourages you from start to finish, educators, tutors, home schoolers and parents will be pleased with the download.

This mathematical application provides a well developed review guide that is broken into several categories and sub-categories. Categories include Fundamentals, Equations and Inequalities, Linear Graphs and Systems, Polynomials, Rationals and Radicals, Quadratics and Functions. Confused yet? Don’t be! Each topic offers a definition, and various types of verbal and graphical examples. In addition, while reviewing material, you also have the option to write notes to yourself. As notes are created, they are easily accessible for future use from the main menu screen. Information is also shared through a reference guide that provides you quick access to formulas, graphs, properties and symbols. There is no longer a need to flip through a 200+ page book in order to get help while completing your homework.

Do you ever wonder how your student(s) or child(ren) study for a test or exam? K12 Algebra 1 Study and Review app can now guide your students as they prepare for benchmark assessments, final exams and even state exams. Through two modes, Practice Questions and Performance Test options, your child can feel more prepared on the day of their exam. Practice questions provides 300+ questions with worked solutions that is divided into Algebraic topics. Upon practicing, users have the option to set the number of questions that they would like to complete from 1-25. As they practice, they are timed, have the ability to write notes and also the implementation of a scratch pad. Learning is truly integrated into the palm of your hands with only the device and nothing else. While performance test includes five different tests with a question bank of 100 questions and immediate feedback. Two additional components that Algebra 1 Study and Review offers that no other mathematical resource has are the progress report generator and an ALG-o-meter. Progress reports are created based on a users overall performance and the initial categories mentioned earlier in our review. At first glance, the incorporation of a progress report generator is a very useful tool, but I do wonder how many students are actually taking advantage of this option. Hopefully many, if not, then I wonder how to access this information directly to parents and/or educators before it’s too late. Results are saved locally to the application and calculations are made within each test to show +/- progress on each return visit. If this application were to become a part of a classroom environment, provide a challenge for those “high flyers” by sharing with them the ALG-o-meter. Here users can see how they are performing compared to other test takers around the world.

Overall Applicable2U thinks there are a number of good components to this educational app. It supports users in meaningful academic areas as it sees fit to them. If the teachers explanation wasn’t clear enough, or the textbook is just overwhelming, and algebra is not your thing. Then there is an app! Extend the review and apply it to a collection of questions already uploaded to your device. Students will begin to take control of their own learning with the use of line plot progress reports. Whether this educational app is incorporated on the go or in school, algebra could be one less academic area that your student(s) or child(ren) have concerns with. To learn more about K12 and Watermelon Express, simply click the developers name and it will link to their website. To begin down a clearer mathematical path, then start downloading K12 Algebra Study and Review from your iTunes library here.