Zeb+Vargas

The purpose of this software is for students to master the elementary math curriculum by mastering arithmetic concepts. There are five content areas which include number sense, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This software is for all ages and skill sets, whether used in a school for remedial classes or for gifted math classes. The ideal grade levels to use this software are k-12. This software program falls into the drill and practice and problem solving categories. The program offers many exercises and examples for drilling and practicing as well as strategies for problem solving as well brain teasers to keep students interested. If I were using this software, I would integrate the use of this software into my curriculum when reviewing basic operations such as adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying. Something like this would be ideal for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes. For other activities, the software could be used as a reward for the students as something new and different for them. The strengths of the program include the 10-15 learning sections with each of the five arithmetic skills. The weakness of the program is that the program is too in depth and teachers cannot use the entire program in their curriculum because of it. The entire five sections can be purchased for $159 and each individual can be purchased for $49. The software is compatible with windows OS and Mac OS. The program can be purchased at [|www.mathmediaonline.com] . The purpose of this software is to help students get ahead or help students prepare for tests such as the ACT or SAT. This software is aimed at both high school grade levels and middle school grade levels for basic algebra, geometry, and calculus skills. This software falls into the drill and practice and problem solving category. There are hundreds of exercises and tests for students to practice with as well critical thinking sections and questions to get students thinking as well. I would use this as a supplemental tool for students looking for help on the ACT or SAT. Students who need extra help preparing for the tests would be able to come to an extra session held by myself after school and go through exercises from the software. For other classroom activities, it wouldn’t hurt using it to reinforce concepts and have students increase their mathematical vocabulary. The strengths of this program lie in the content of the software. The software covers many math topics and many individual concepts thoroughly. One weakness of the software is the complexity of the software as well as the cost. The software is quite extensive and may be hard to follow. The software can be purchased online and then downloaded straight to the computer. The system requirements are windows 2000 or newer and the price is $3,300. This software is aimed at helping students visualize and grasp graphs and graphing concepts. The software is aimed at secondary and post secondary students. This software falls into the simulation and drill and practice category. The students can simulate graphs or tables as well as drill graphing exercises. As a teacher teaching at the secondary level, I would use this software in geometry, stats, and algebra class. Students could create shapes then use the software to see the relationships in transformational geometry, i.e. reflecting and rotating. The strengths of this program are that it is easy to use and follow. The software can also graph in 3-d which may make it easier for kids to pay attention. One weakness of the program is that it cannot be separated into specific subjects for purchase. For a single user, the cost is $165. You can purchase this software online at [] . The only system requirement is that you have a windows OS. This software is for 8th graders or ages 12-14 and is aimed at bettering their algebra skills by teaching core concepts as well as problem solving skills. The software is for pre-algebra or algebra classes. This software falls primarily into the instructional game category and the drill and practice category. Astro Algebra has over 90 missions that cover basic algebra skills with hundreds of math exercises. Teaching 8th graders, I would only use this software as a reward for good work. I wouldn’t want my students taking traditional math teaching for granted. So this software would only be good for special occasions. The strength of this software is that it is a fun way for students to learn, by playing a game. The weakness of this software is that you cannot use it your everyday lesson plans. You would have to use it for special occasions. The software can be purchased online at []  for only $16.37. This software is compatible with Windows OS and Mac OS and only uses 8MB of RAM. This is a math game software for grades 6-9 that cover fundamental concepts in pre-algebra. This program falls into the instructional game category. This is a 3-D game that covers standards-based educational objectives. By completing “missions” students learn fundamental concepts they need to be successful in math. If I were to find some way to incorporate this into my curriculum it would be as a reward as well. Any type of gaming educational software I would only use on occasion to supplement instruction and keep kids interested. I would only use this for 6th or 7th grade classes. Like any gaming software, the strength of this would be that it can easily keep kids engaged. On the other hand, it could be a distraction and kids may overlook the importance of the concepts. This can be purchased online at []  for $16.92. The software is compatible with Windows and Mac OS and only requires 1 GB of RAM space.
 * MathMedia Educational Software Inc. **
 * AMATH systems Inc. **
 * Autograph v.3 **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Astro Algebra **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Math Evolver **