Miss Marple Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Has anyone used these programs or have an opinion about them? I've seen posts on the other boards about the middle school and elementary programs, but I've not seen anything on the high school programs. It looks intriguing and might be a great supplement. http://www.plato.com/Secondary-Solutions/Data-Driven-Personalized-Learning/PLATO-Secondary-Intervention-Library/PLATO-Secondary-Intervention-Library-Science/PLATO-Chemistry-Series.aspx - this is the chemistry, but they also offer biology. Interested in any opinions :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 I couldn't tell from the link exactly, but I am assuming you do hands-on chemistry experiments? Do you need a certified credit or can you do your own thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 I couldn't tell from the link exactly, but I am assuming you do hands-on chemistry experiments? Do you need a certified credit or can you do your own thing? Yes, we are doing our own chemistry program at home with the Conceptual Chemistry text and online support (and labs from various sources). But we aren't finding the Conceptual Chemistry videos very engaging. In fact they are difficult to see because if one maximizes the screen, it becomes pixelated. I like the graphical depictions I see on the preview page for chemistry and think it might be helpful to the boys. We don't need to use any approved programs - I can really just do my own thing. But my thing is chemistry and I really want the boys to love it as much as I do. In fact, ds#3 is already a budding chemist and I want to encourage that with an engaging program. And if it's really good, I would consider the biology course because that's what we'll be doing next year. And while I like the human body aspect of biology, I'm not really that much into the other aspects of biology and will definitely need something to boost the enthusiasm around here :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Cynthia, did you see the thread that Lisabees started? With your educational background, maybe the ideas aren't formal enough, but it sure sounds like fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted September 1, 2010 Author Share Posted September 1, 2010 Yes, that's a great thread. We have used some of the ideas already. Last winter and spring Ds#3 worked through some of the Caveman Chemistry experiments as well as some of the video recommendations. I am looking for something more formal to enhance the textbook. I know it will be repetitive, but I was hoping that having the information presented in another format (text = reading; online =hearing/seeing) might help solidify the concepts. The Conceptual Chemistry clips are not very appealing - maybe they'll get better as we move through the program. The preview of the PLATO science for high school isn't very extensive so I'm a bit in the dark about how it actually works and plays out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 Do you have any idea what the cost of the program is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted September 1, 2010 Author Share Posted September 1, 2010 homeschoolbuyersco-op.org has a special on it right now. I think it's about $50 for limited access (time slots) or $125? for unlimited access (24/7) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 It's $135/yr for unlimited access, or $50/yr for access during a specific 4hr time slot (basically the HSBC buys subscriptions and then combines 3 users per subscription). My DS did all 3 of the middle school sciences, and loved them, so I bought the HS Biology program for this past year. Unfortunately, it was a totally different format from the middle school programs, and I found the interface so clunky and obnoxious that we gave up. It was just a huge waste of money for us. The sample video they show on the HSBC website for the HS programs is actually the middle school physical science program. I guess they add it to the HS programs because some school districts do Physical Science in 9th. The content is actually listed as 6th-8th grade level, and my DS did it in 5th. I think it's a bit misleading to show one of the middle school programs as a sample for the HS programs, because they're not the same format at all. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted September 1, 2010 Author Share Posted September 1, 2010 It's $135/yr for unlimited access, or $50/yr for access during a specific 4hr time slot (basically the HSBC buys subscriptions and then combines 3 users per subscription). My DS did all 3 of the middle school sciences, and loved them, so I bought the HS Biology program for this past year. Unfortunately, it was a totally different format from the middle school programs, and I found the interface so clunky and obnoxious that we gave up. It was just a huge waste of money for us. The sample video they show on the HSBC website for the HS programs is actually the middle school physical science program. I guess they add it to the HS programs because some school districts do Physical Science in 9th. The content is actually listed as 6th-8th grade level, and my DS did it in 5th. I think it's a bit misleading to show one of the middle school programs as a sample for the HS programs, because they're not the same format at all. Jackie Rats! I was hoping that it would work well. I, too, questioned the sample video and worried that it might not be representative of the high school courses. And, I had high hopes for the biology next year :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRILLIUM Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 I agree, my son did all the middle school programs and liked them and absolutely hated the cyber ed high school program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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