The principal of our school is considering purchasing AC for next year. I have reviewed a demo disc. Does anyone out there have some experience with it?
Here is one of my concerns. Since the student has to transfer answers to a scan sheet, this must mean all of the worksheets are multiple choice. Although it says the student first works all of the problems, showing all work, before transferring answers to the scan sheet, I am assuming this could turn into multiple-guess worksheets if the teacher does not routinely look at how answers are arrived at. I noticed on the demo that you do not get a close-up of how a problem might actually be worked out and then transferred to the scan sheet.
I am also wondering about how much administrative overhead there is for the teacher in terms of report printing and report reading. Seems to me a teacher could actually get overloaded with data — in much the same way that the internet can eat up one’s time and produce information overload!
Other than that, I thought it might be useful — except it seems awfully expensive. Even at the $3,300 price there is only one library (one grade) included. I am wondering how much each additional library costs! In the demo, it said a typical classroom would be using 3 libraries — grade level, one grade below, and one grade above. To sell the package with only one library seems to me to be a poor selling practice — because the price quoted does not reflect the investment needed for actual use. And our school is K-8!
I would welcome advice and opinions about this programs, and alternatives to suggest to the principal. This is a small school, and AM would be a huge investment of limited resources.
Mary
Past experience tells me to run for my life from this kind of program. You are absolutely right about it turning into multiple guess. Remember that students will do what you teach them. If you put all the value of the class into filling in dots on scan sheets, they will become experts at dots on scan sheets. Math will go by the boards.
Try to find a copy of the classic article “Benny” about an in-depth interview with a child who was a “success” in a programmed math class and whose education had been absolutely destroyed. I may have a hard copy somewhere in my files (chronological heap style), but it should be on ERIC.