• Pilot iPad Algebra Textbook Program Boosts Students Math Scores by 20%

    by
    Phillip Swanson
    Published on 2012-01-21 04:09 AM
    11 Comments Comments



    Apple’s digital textbook announcement has barely had time to sink in and publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is already touting the results of a year-long iPad algebra I textbook program.

    The program entitled “HMC Fuse: Algebra I” was conducted at Ameila Earhart Middle School in California’s Riverside Unified School District. HMF is claiming the digital textbook is the first full-curriculum algebra application developed in the world, and it's exclusive to the iPad. Huh, who knew learning could be an iPad exclusive app?

    The results from the pilot program showed that HMC Fuse helped 78 percent of students score “Proficient” or “Advanced” on the spring 2011 California Standards Test. This is nearly 20% higher than the 59% of students who scored in the above categories using only traditional textbooks. These scores are also 10% higher than the first semester the HMC FUSE program was used back during the second trimester of the 2010-2011 school year.

    "By engineering a comprehensive platform that combines the best learning material with technology that embraces students' strengths and addresses their weaknesses, we've gone far beyond the capabilities of an e-book to turn a one-way math lesson into an engaging, interactive, supportive learning experience. With HMH Fuse, teachers can assess student progress in real time and tailor instruction as needed.” — Bethlam Forsa, executive vice president of Global Content and Product Development at HMH.
    Other schools and students can download the “HMH Fuse Shell” application for free from the App Store, but curriculums are available as in-app purchases. It appears Apple’s presence in the classroom is still in its infancy, but if HMH’s pilot program is any indication that infant is going to grow up pretty fast.

    "Students' interaction with the device was more personal. You could tell the students were more engaged. Using the iPad was more normal, more understandable for them." — Earhart Principal Coleman Kells.
    Source: Apple Insider
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Pilot iPad Algebra Test Program Boosts Students Math Scores by 20% started by Phillip Swanson View original post
    1. Categories:
    2. iPad,
    3. iOS,
    4. Apple,
    5. Mac,
    6. iPad
    Comments 11 Comments
    1. *T*'s Avatar
      *T* - 2012-01-21, 04:39 AM
      Get it? Pilot program, at the Amelia Earheart School? Because she was a pilot? Haha lol
    1. DaLsim's Avatar
      DaLsim - 2012-01-21, 04:43 AM
      Great, now i got to get my kids some ipads...
    1. thetoothfairy's Avatar
      thetoothfairy - 2012-01-21, 05:57 AM
      This is great! I think the iPad is the best thing to own!
    1. Heathen711's Avatar
      Heathen711 - 2012-01-21, 08:51 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by DaLsim View Post
      Great, now i got to get my kids some ipads...
      "but don't you want them to have the most efficient way to learn?" "no I struggled and carried 45lbs of books! so they should too!"
    1. Kharmashand's Avatar
      Kharmashand - 2012-01-21, 10:30 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by Heathen711 View Post
      "but don't you want them to have the most efficient way to learn?" "no I struggled and carried 45lbs of books! so they should too!"
      Yes because I'm sure this has nothin to do with "man, on top of bills I have to pay a couple hundred extra dollars for my kids to go to school?"
    1. titoget's Avatar
      titoget - 2012-01-21, 10:32 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by Heathen711 View Post
      "but don't you want them to have the most efficient way to learn?" "no I struggled and carried 45lbs of books! so they should too!"
      Sarcasm doesn't always translate in writing, maybe she/he's actually thinking of getting one.
    1. Jason King's Avatar
      Jason King - 2012-01-21, 03:30 PM
      Other schools and students can download the “HMH Fuse Shell” application for free from the App Store, but curriculums are available as in-app purchases. It appears Apple’s presence in the classroom is still in its infancy, but if HMH’s pilot program is any indication that infant is going to grow up pretty fast.
      Then why does it say, "Your Search Had No Results" when I searched for “HMH Fuse Shell” in the APP store?
    1. GmAz's Avatar
      GmAz - 2012-01-21, 04:18 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by DaLsim View Post
      Great, now i got to get my kids some ipads...
      No, you don't. A pad of paper and a pencil works just fine. The difference is the parents. Parents that buy their kids an iPad don't want to sit down and engage with their kids and assist them in the learning process. They're the same ones that get pissed at the teacher when their kids fail a test because to them, the teacher failed the teaching process even though the rest of the kids in the class passed. Parents that give their kid a pad of paper and a pencil are more likely to sit down and help their kids. Explain things and be part of the learning process. I work at a school, I see it all the time. The iPad is just a new incentive for the kid to actually try because if he/she doesn't then it could mean the iPad gets taken away and they can't play on it when they aren't doing schoolwork on it.
    1. Moreno53's Avatar
      Moreno53 - 2012-01-21, 10:08 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by GmAz View Post
      No, you don't. A pad of paper and a pencil works just fine. The difference is the parents. Parents that buy their kids an iPad don't want to sit down and engage with their kids and assist them in the learning process. They're the same ones that get pissed at the teacher when their kids fail a test because to them, the teacher failed the teaching process even though the rest of the kids in the class passed. Parents that give their kid a pad of paper and a pencil are more likely to sit down and help their kids. Explain things and be part of the learning process. I work at a school, I see it all the time. The iPad is just a new incentive for the kid to actually try because if he/she doesn't then it could mean the iPad gets taken away and they can't play on it when they aren't doing schoolwork on it.
      Wrong on so many accounts...
    1. fusji's Avatar
      fusji - 2012-01-23, 09:12 AM
      I think the iPad is the best thing to own!
    1. quidam_brujah's Avatar
      quidam_brujah - 2012-01-23, 03:05 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by GmAz View Post
      Parents that give their kid a pad of paper and a pencil are more likely to sit down and help their kids. Explain things and be part of the learning process. I work at a school, I see it all the time.
      That's funny. My wife teaches at a charter school on Chicago's west side (read: poor) and her experience is a little different. Turns out indifferent parents are pretty much universal, regardless of financial standing. This is also the third charter school she's at and she's also learned that 'charter schools' aren't the panacea they are made out to be.

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