Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Why the myBlee Math iOS App is a Perfect Learning Tool for Elementary Students!

First of all I want to say that the myBlee staff have been wonderful to work with. They are open to suggestions and get back with answers to questions in a timely fashion. Beyond the support provided for this app/program, the teaching method of the myBlee Math app is phenomenal! Students absolutely love the interactive and engaging lessons. Learning is individualized! Every student can work at their own pace and monitor their own progress. If a student does not master a skill the first time, they can revisit any lesson to get a better score and earn a better trophy. I have used myBlee with all grade levels from K-5 and I was surprised that even the 5th graders love it.

myBlee is fairly new to the classroom so some things are still a work in progress, like a teacher dashboard. The teacher dashboard will be ready for the next school year and is going to Beta testing in a couple weeks. For districts that use common core standards, there is a pdf that shows which standards match up with which lessons. An updated version is coming out shortly.

The set up for myBlee is well thought out for teaching students math skills. When students go into a grouping of lessons they will start off at a comfort level that will make them feel successful. For example, a third grade student may choose Weighing an Object. Once they go into that lesson card they will start with a quick learning intro. I call them the book lessons because there is a book icon, as seen in the photo to the left. Then the student will practice the newly acquired skill. For every correct answer, the green bar at the top will fill up. If a student does not get the answer correct they will receive a brief lesson to help them answer the following questions correctly. Once the students answer enough questions correctly the students will be taken to a page that will show the awards they earned and their score for that section of the lesson. In Weighing an Object there are three book lessons and six skill practice pages. Every lesson card is different. Also if a student goes back into a lesson that they did not master the first time, the questions will be different. Very cool!

Students earn trophies, badges, and puzzle pieces to keep them motivated to get the correct answers. I love how students may earn a lower level trophy but have the opportunity to revisit skills until they achieve 100%. When students obtain 100% for every lesson within a card they earn a diamond trophy. This ensures that students revisit skills to get a better trophy.

Some students helped me create a video to highlight the features of myBlee...



Some Good Videos to Watch from myBlee Math

For Students...





For Teachers...