Course:EDDL5101/Fall2015/Gordon's Page

I reviewed seven online resources chosen to support learning of grade 9 mathematics, specifically algebra. The following rubric explains how I score each site.

Criteria ↓ Scoring→	A to A+	B	C	D or F
Accuracy & strategy match of presented information	Information correct and accurate; strategies to solve algebra problems match my own strategies	Information correct and accurate; strategies presented have minor differences to mine	Information mostly correct but with a few minor inaccuracies; strategies presented have differences to mine that may confuse some students	Some information is incorrect and/or inaccurate; strategies presented are very different to mine and would confuse most to all students
Quality of communication	Clear, easy-to-understand writing and/or voice; logical and easy to follow instructions; student-accessible language; high quality and fitting graphics that supports the teaching; supports visual, auditory, and possibly kinesthetic learners	Mostly clear writing and/or voice; logical instructions; language that most students can follow; satisfactory quality graphics; graphics reasonably fit learning; some support for different learning styles	Writing and/or voice difficult to understand for some students; language hard for some students to follow; low quality graphics but mostly fitting to the learning; little to support different learning styles	Writing or voice unclear or difficult to understand; language difficult to follow; poor or no graphics to support learning; little or nothing to support varied learning styles
Grade level & learning outcome match	100% match to BC standards in grade 9 mathematics; organized according to the BC curriculum	Meets all BC curriculum standards for grade 9 but organized slightly differently (i.e. organized for a different but similar jurisdiction - e.g. Alberta)	Meets many or most BC curriculum outcomes for grade 9; requires significant teacher support to match to BC’s curriculum	Does not satisfactorily meet many BC learning outcomes; difficult to match to BC standards
Ease of use for students	Navigation immediately easy and intuitive for student use; Website and links load quickly	Navigation can be learned with little effort; website loads reasonably well; most links work	Some learning needed to navigate successfully; some lag and/or unworking elements on the website	Navigation is challenging and/or may require a significant learning curve; Website does not load quickly or consistently; unworking elements
Accessibility to students	Website is free; does not require signing in/password; works perfectly on all platforms and devices; no ads	Website is free; may require students to sign in and set a password; works on most platforms and devices; few ads	Website is free; requires extra effort to register etc; works on limited platforms; includes ads	Users must pay a fee to use this site; Significant portions of the site do not work

Resource	Accuracy	Quality	Grade	Ease	Access	Comments
IXL https://ca.ixl.com/math/grade-9	A	C	A+	B	F	IXL is a tutoring site that, in mathematics, provides questions in every BC learning outcome along with answer-check and clear instructions on how to solve the question. The best part of this site is that it organizes learning outcomes according to the BC curriculum. The lower quality score is due to the site being exclusively text-based. The cost of this site is prohibitive--$13 per student per month.
Interactive Maths http://www.interactive-maths.com/	A	D	C	C	A	This site generates random math questions according to parameters set by the user. It gives immediate feedback if an answer given by the user is correct or not, but it does not explain how to do it correctly. Being Australian based, it’s difficult to match to BC standards. Free access.
APlus Math http://www.aplusmath.com/	A	B	C	B	C	On this site, students can work with virtual flashcards containing algebra questions. Answers are checked as correct or incorrect, and the site provides a step-by-step solution. Most of the site serves younger students; grade 9 math is the highest level. Free access.
Math TV http://www.mathtv.com/	B	B	B	C	B	Math TV provides free access to very short (<1 minute) videos showing how to solve specific problems. The unique part is that there are several videos, each by different instructors, solving each problem. Students can chose the teacher they like best or who provides the strategy they prefer. Because skills are organized by American standards, students may struggle to find the BC-matching skill.
Hegarty Maths http://www.hegartymaths.com/	A	A+	B	C	C	Mr Hegarty provides high quality, visually rich videos that explain both the conceptual as well as the procedural. Videos are 10-20 minutes in length. Because it comes out of Australia, it’s a bit challenging to match videos to BC skills. There’s a bit of a process to register--had to wait several hours to receive a confirmation email. Free access.
Math is Fun http://www.mathsisfun.com/index.htm	A	B	C	A	A	Math is Fun offers written tutorials on algebra concepts and skills. While only in text form, the communication is very easy-to-follow because it uses student-friendly language. Checkable practice exercises are included with each tutorial. Like a few other sites, students may struggle to match content with BC learning outcomes. Free access.
Elementary Algebra videos http://www.oercommons.org/courses/beginning-algebra-videos/view	A	A	B	C	A	This site organizes a large series of short (1-2 minute) videos on algebra. It’s not organized according to the BC curriculum and may prove challenging for students. But it’s set up well enough that finding matching skills is easier than other sites. Videos are highly visual and fairly easy to follow. Free access.