Kinetic Books Alg 1 questions....

[Beth in SW WA]

Is anyone using this with Mac OSX 10.8? Any flash issues?

 

We are finishing up our free trial month. Dd15 is using the last chapter on the quadratic formula to prep/review for alg 2 next month at school. Dd9 is working through chapter 4 on graphing and sections on quadratics towards the end. They both love it. They both prefer it to TT since KB does not have audio besides the lecture videos and explanations.

 

Has anyone had issues with NOT having a solutions guide or TM?

 

I am about to purchase KB Alg 1 for the school year. The activities are clever but not silly. It is simple and to the point. Not too wordy. Ds would have enjoyed this back in the day.:)

 

Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!

 

:bigear:

[AngieW in Texas]

My 16yo loved Kinetic Books. She was very disappointed to have to switch to another program after finishing Algebra II. She is using Thinkwell for Calculus now and while it's going okay, she really would prefer to use Kinetic Books. They just haven't come out with new levels fast enough for her.

 

We didn't have any issues with the lack of solution manual or TM. My 16yo was a beta tester for the Algebra I program. My 19yo was a beta tester for the Algebra II program. They both thought KB was the best math program they had ever used.

[Beth in SW WA]

My 16yo loved Kinetic Books. She was very disappointed to have to switch to another program after finishing Algebra II. She is using Thinkwell for Calculus now and while it's going okay, she really would prefer to use Kinetic Books. They just haven't come out with new levels fast enough for her.

 

We didn't have any issues with the lack of solution manual or TM. My 16yo was a beta tester for the Algebra I program. My 19yo was a beta tester for the Algebra II program. They both thought KB was the best math program they had ever used.

 

Thanks, Angie. It really is a fantastic program. It was your enthusiasm for it and Maria Miller's endorsement that made me give it a second look.

[dereksurfs]

It looks like they are developing Geometry also. I would hope over time they continue to develop new courses including Pre-Calculus and Calculus.

 

We also have the concern about not having a solutions guide for the tests. Although I did well in math while in school, it is not my wife's strong area. She would need to walk through questions missed during the day when not explained. Of course I could help after work. But still I'm not sure how well that would work for us. I don't know why they don't offer a solutions manual for Homeschool families.

 

We're also considering TabletClass and Derek Owens for these reasons. While no program is perfect KineticBooks does seem to offer a lot.

Edited August 15, 2012 by dereksurfs

[Beth in SW WA]

I don't know why they don't offer a solutions manual for Homeschool families.

 

While no program is perfect KineticBooks does seem to offer a lot. [/color]

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

Did you do the free trial?

[dereksurfs]

Did you do the free trial?

 

Hi Beth, no I haven't tried it yet. However your experience is encouraging. It sounds like both of your kids really like it. :001_smile: Have you found not having a solutions manual to be a problem for you so far?

 

I plan to do several free trails soon (TabletClass, KineticBooks & Derek Owens) and see how my son likes them. He has a little more to finish with MUS first. KineticBooks sounds intriguing though my wife is concerned with the lack of a solutions manual. The free trial will definately help in a making a decision. The other thing I like about Derek Owens and TabletClass is the direct customer support you get from the developer of the curriculum. KB is more widely used and there are a number of designers and developers of the program. I've found their support somewhat different after contacting all three. You definately get a more personalized response from the other two when asking questions about their programs. That was just my observation.

Edited August 16, 2012 by dereksurfs

[dereksurfs]

Beth,

 

I put in a help ticket to KineticBooks regarding obtaining a solutions guide. Here was their response which I just received:

 

"The homeschool products include answers to all the end of unit problems but not the solutions. If a student needs help understanding a problem, they are referred to the portion of the text where they first learned the concept. I will pass on your request for solution guides for homeschoolers. We have had several requests for these and I can definitely see the value."

 

I am not quite sure what she meant by including 'all the answers' to the end of the unit problems. Maybe that does not include the more cumulative tests. Either way I think the more homeschoolers that ask for this the greater the chances are of seeing something like it in the future. :D

Edited August 17, 2012 by dereksurfs

[Beth in SW WA]

Either way I think the more homeschoolers that ask for this the greater the chances are of seeing something like it in the future. :D

 

:iagree:

Thanks! We'll have to wait and see.

 

I think we'll be ok without complete solutions for now. :001_smile:

[Beth in SW WA]

I have a bit more info this morning since I purchased the 1-year subscription last night. Both dds were disappointed when the free trial ran out yesterday. I guess that's a good sign.

 

Only odd answers are included in the end-of-unit problems (on the school version).

 

The 'progress' tab will be handy. It follows progress, attempts, retries, scores, etc.

 

We will only do the application word problems in the first few chapters and jump right into ch. 4 on Graphing. This program is quite comprehensive.

 

Tech support fixed any glitches with Apple's new update (mountain lion) so we're golden.

 

ETA: I'm a bit confused. I seem to have the homeschool version on my Macbook and the school version on my iMac. They are set up differently. Still working on this...

Edited August 18, 2012 by Beth in SW WA

[AngieW in Texas]

I only assigned the odd problems from the end-of-unit sections. There were still plenty of problems to do.

 

All of my experience with Kinetic Books is from before the hs versions were available.

 

My youngest won't touch a math program that is video-based or computer-based and my middle is beyond the level Kinetic Books goes to, so I won't be using it again.

Edited August 18, 2012 by AngieW in Texas

[dereksurfs]

I have a bit more info this morning since I purchased the 1-year subscription last night. Both dds were disappointed when the free trial ran out yesterday. I guess that's a good sign.

 

Only odd answers are included in the end-of-unit problems (on the school version).

 

The 'progress' tab will be handy. It follows progress, attempts, retries, scores, etc.

 

We will only do the application word problems in the first few chapters and jump right into ch. 4 on Graphing. This program is quite comprehensive.

 

Tech support fixed any glitches with Apple's new update (mountain lion) so we're golden.

 

ETA: I'm a bit confused. I seem to have the homeschool version on my Macbook and the school version on my iMac. They are set up differently. Still working on this...

 

Beth, congrats on taking the plunge! I think the most important part is that your kids are really enjoying it which means they will be more engaged with their math. ;)

 

I'm also a bit confused. Did you order the homeschool or standard edition? Based on my discussion with tech support they said the homeschool edition comes with 'all' the answers to the end of unit exercises. Do you find this to be the case? Thanks for the additional info.

Edited August 18, 2012 by dereksurfs

[dereksurfs]

I only assigned the odd problems from the end-of-unit sections. There were still plenty of problems to do.

Angie, it sounds like KB really was a hit with your family. How did you handle the lack of a solutions manual? Did you figure out the answers that your kiddos got wrong and walk them through step by step? Or was having the odd answers enough for them to pretty much figure things out on their own?

[AngieW in Texas]

Math is my thing, so not having a solution manual wasn't a problem. We found a few errors in the Algebra I and the Algebra II programs, but my middle dd was a beta tester for Algebra I and my oldest was a beta tester for Algebra II, so we expected there to be some issues. Even so, there weren't many errors. I think we found a total of 6-8 in each of the programs and that's including issues with wording rather than actual glaring errors. We sent an email immediately whenever we noticed an issue and usually got response back the same day.

 

When my middle dd did Algebra II, we only found 2 problems. All of the issues we found should be fixed by now.

 

I regularly find errors in math and science textbook answer keys and solution manuals, so 2 errors in the program after it had just been out for 2 years was really good.

[Beth in SW WA]

Beth, congrats on taking the plunge! I think the most important part is that your kids are really enjoying it which means they will be more engaged with their math. ;)

 

I'm also a bit confused. Did you order the homeschool or standard edition? Based on my discussion with tech support they said the homeschool edition comes with 'all' the answers to the end of unit exercises. Do you find this to be the case? Thanks for the additional info.

 

I bought the homeschool edition and it looks slightly different from the school version. Nothing drastic. User-friendly. Nice features. Well worth $80.

 

Dd15 is doing the last chapter as review before starting alg 2 at school next month. Not sure if I can delete her scores for younger dd to that chapter next spring/summer.

[dereksurfs]

I bought the homeschool edition and it looks slightly different from the school version. Nothing drastic. User-friendly. Nice features. Well worth $80.

 

Dd15 is doing the last chapter as review before starting alg 2 at school next month. Not sure if I can delete her scores for younger dd to that chapter next spring/summer.

 

Hm, can you retake the tests? If so you could possibly re-answer all the Qs with [A] for example.

[Beth in SW WA]

Just a quick update...

 

I received a refund from the lovely folks at KB since I need a program with a complete solutions guide and/or answer key. I love KB Alg 1 -- and so does dd9 -- but I need more hand-holding. Parents who don't need solutions/answers will do fine with it.

 

Back to TT Alg 2 to finish algebra 1... :)

[dereksurfs]

Just a quick update...

 

I received a refund from the lovely folks at KB since I need a program with a complete solutions guide and/or answer key. I love KB Alg 1 -- and so does dd9 -- but I need more hand-holding. Parents who don't need solutions/answers will do fine with it.

 

Back to TT Alg 2 to finish algebra 1... :)

 

Yeah, we came to basically the same conclusion. We liked the program to a point. But it still seems lacking somewhat for HS families. I spoke with customer service and they mentioned quite a few other families have requested a solutions guide as well. But they don't offer one nor do they seem to have plans for releasing it to HS families. While I think they do offer for PS teachers.

 

At the same time we demo'd TabletClass which was recommended on here and liked it more. The support from the Mr. Zimmerman, the author, along with complete solutions to all the problems is great. He actually walks the students through every problem step by step. Plus the lessons themselves are very well put together and easy to follow.

Edited September 28, 2012 by dereksurfs

[Beth in SW WA]

 

At the same time we demo'd TabletClass which was recommended on here and liked it more. The support from the Mr. Zimmerman, the author, along with complete solutions to all the problems is great. He actually walks the students through every problem step by step. Plus the lessons themselves are very well put together and easy to follow.

 

Great news! Let us know how it goes!!