The folks at Fun Educational Apps review countless kids apps. They are dedicated to finding the best apps for teaching kids.
At Top Shelf Learning, we are dedicated to creating the best apps to teach kids.
So when the discerning reviewers picked Mathtopia to lead their “Top Five Math Apps for Tweens and Teens“… well, we are truly honored!
Thank you!
Fun Educational Apps calls Fractions+ an oustanding math app. “Kids and adults alike will be addicted to the fast game play as they build their fraction skills.”
In her review, Sarah Emerling, The iLesson Lady, loved the mini-lessons, the gradually increasing difficulty, and the self-checking features. She also liked how the apps shows different representations of fractions: “It represents them pictorially as parts of a whole, as numerals, as decimals, even as inches and centimeters on a ruler. This app really shows students how fractions are found in a number of formats.”
And our favorite part: “Plus, it’s downright addicting. I had to force myself to put the app down to write this review!”
Read more: Fractions+ : An Outstanding Math Apps for Kids and Adults! – Fun Educational Apps for Kids: Reviews, Daily Deals and Giveaways
Thank you over at teachingwithipad.org for your review of Fractions+. Our favorites quotes:
“Who would have thought fractions would be this fun? I played this game for over half an hour on two occasions!”
“While fractions themselves can be a challenge to learn as a young student, this app is guaranteed to make the learning process more fun and a little more interesting.”
“This app is not just for students: It is great for adults to review what they learned in math class those many years ago. Highly recommended for everyone!”
Here is a coach (ahem, math coach) who recommends Mathtopia to her… um… mathletes.
She says:
Trust me when I say it’s wickedly addictive!
Welcome Homeschoolers! Here is what AppsForHomeSchooling.com has to say:
Mathtopia+ is so compelling you might find you and your children sneaking time on the iPad to play this educational game. Combining comprehensive math fact practice … with the addictive game-play of three (or more) jewels in a row matching games, something about this app makes you want to keep going and going!
Our latest app, Fractions+ is available in the iTunes store. Get those pesky third grade (aka everyday) fractions down pat. Sos iPhone says it is fun for kids and adults, even if you detest fractions:
Présenté comme un jeu pour enfant, les niveaux sont rapidement des casses tête d’une difficulté qui donnera du fil à retordre aux adultes.
Si la définition du dictionnaire ne vous inspire pas, c’est une très bonne application pour s’amuser et comprendre les fractions. Nous la recommandons à ceux qui détestent les fractions!
How’s your French?
http://appstore.com/omegalabs
Our newest app, “Roman Numerals” is in the Apple app store. It is our IIIrd app… and a delightful way to learn a skill that has extremely narrow value.
I presume that is some pretty high praise!
Swedish Review of Mathtopia (according to Google translate)
At first glance, one might wonder if it really can be fun to answer a lot of math,… Thanks [to] Mathtopia’s design, the answer is that it can be both fun and addictive. Mathtopia feels more like a game than a färdighetsträningsapp and that is precisely what is so great because it so to speak, get skills in the bargain.
The reviewer mentioned that all the text was in English and still recommends Mathtopia to her fellow compatriots citing ease of use despite the foreign language.
I liked this review so much I’ve decide to add some Svenska (Swedish) translations to some of the screens for our next update!
Tack så mycket, Sweden!
Translating Mathtopia to foreign languages has been fun and interesting.
I’ve learned new words that I will probably never forget. One of my favorites, ironically, is “Anleitung”. Ironic because the word means “instructions” which I notoriously disregard in favor of trying my own thing.
The Germans may laugh at my pronunciation of “Anleitung”, but to me it sounds so sweet as it rolls off the tongue.
On a related note, if I forget a semicolon at the end of a translation, the compiler (Xcode) gives this completely “foreign” error message: “The data couldn’t be read because it has been corrupted.”
A super scary error message the first time you see it, but it “translates to”, “You forgot a semicolon at the end of a line somewhere. Happy hunting.”
Easy retrieval of memorized math facts is a predictor of success in more advanced mathematics. Recognizing the research in this area, the Common Core State Standards explicitly include math fluency as part of the mathematics standard.
Automaticity is the ability to respond to a specific math fact prompt quickly and correctly with minimal effort. When a fact becomes automatic, it can be retrieved from memory without thought.
When a child is stil using strategies, rather than direct retrieval, to recall a fact, the time to answer a specific fact is typically over three seconds. During the phase of practicing toward automaticity, speeds are typically three to four seconds per fact. Automaticity arises when the speed of recall is two or three seconds or less.
Fluency is a measure of automaticity over a class of facts.
In its level selection screen, Mathtopia+ and Mathtopia allow you to see at a glance if a child is using strategies (no or one star), practicing towards fluency (two stars), or fluent at a level (three stars).
Automaticity arises from overlearning, the process of practicing a fact past mastery to solidify its fixed status in memory. The addictive nature of Mathtopia encourages overlearning.
Children begin to develop fluent speed with math facts in second and third grade. By fourth grade, many children exhibit direct retrieval of math facts. However, older children an even adults can improve overall math performance by strengthening areas of weakness in math fact fluency.
Happy math facting!
