Bzz - Maybelline

Well I must be off to a good start, I just got an offer for Maybelline SuperStay 24™ 2-Step Lipcolor. I am actually kinda excited. I have been trying to take better care of myself and try new things; I think it will be fun to see what is out there in the makeup world and to see if it will fit into my quick "beauty" routine. As a woman who really doesn't have the first clue about this stuff, it will be interesting to see if this stuff can hold up to its 24 hour claim. AND better yet, if it can survive my 24 hours. If it can do what I do, and be simple enough to actually be used for more than special occasions.......... it may be a keeper!

Bzz - Factor Tree

I have had some unique opportunities lately. One of which was stumbling upon the site BZZagent.com. They give me free trials or samples and then ask me what I think and I have the responsibility to write a review and talking to other people about the opportunities they have given me. I am hoping for bigger and better rewards as I get more experience, but I am appreciative of simple tasks to start with.

My first assignment was to review a program call the the factor tree. The following is what I read before I agreed to try it.

A better way to learn math

Every student learns differently — shouldn’t your child be taught math in the way that works best for them? The team at The Factor Tree think so. Which is why their online supplementary math education platform adapts as your child learns, to ensure your pre-K to 6th-grader is always taught in the way that gets the best results.

What makes the Factor Tree so effective?

• Provides the practice and repetition needed for a child to truly master key math skills
• Use a skill-adaptive progression algorithm to pinpoint each child’s true skill level
• Provides parents with helpful reports, metrics and notifications to track their child’s progress
• Combines a state testing-compliant curriculum, world class educational theories and innovative technology to create a better learning tool

Visit thefactortree.com to learn more about its distinct approach to education and sign up for your free one-month trial.

Sounded like something that was right up my alley as a math teacher and parent!!

I started from my role as a parent. I sat down with my 5 year old and we worked through the first few problems. After counting items on the screen for what felt like an absurd number of questions (really it was probably like 5 questions but the image didn't change and all she had to do was count) she was over the novelty and wanted to move on to other sites. I don't think I will be able to get her to sit still and just do drill type problems. We will try again later this week I am going to try to adjust her level to be higher than Pre-K.

I thought perhaps it would be a great tool to use with my almost 3 year old. I made him a user, and we started counting and pointing. He wants more control over the computer and button pushing but the site requires kids to type the answer in the box. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN without frustration for both mother and son.

Sooooo I decided tonight to put on my teacher hat and see what I thought of the older ages program. Perhaps it would be a good tool for my high school students who need some remediation. If a child is truly struggling with math topics then the problems given here are not going to help them feel better or understand more. The questions I did were fraction addtions and subtractions. The formatting was confusing; I missed several questions because what I thought was a mixed number was actually a large fraction (5 5/100 was 55 over 100 and not 5 and 5 hundredths). The use of parentheses was also confusing. Again, if this is intended for remediation or to help a struggling learner these are just the kinds of mistakes they already make and no help is really offered. I will not being adding this to my list of good places for students to get help.