Guest gghy Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I just received an advertisement for this online writing program - which will allow you to incorporate writing instruction into your existing curriculum. There are not many reviews on this program. Has anyone used it? It looks like you can use it for up to 3 students and have online access for one year. Writing topics are assigned by the parent - and some artificial intelligence guides your child through the writing process and analyzes the writing. You can check it out at www.vantagelearning.com/home Any comments are welcome. Thank you, Gina (FL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 or at least used to. Maybe you can find some reviews on the Sonlight website? Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 This is very tempting. Like you, I wasn't able to find many reviews at all. I know my dd would love the process of writing on the computer, and we'd probably get a lot more done than if I had to grade each report. Did you see that there is a product overview video? It relates to the school edition, but I'm sure the student page/process is very similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfallon Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 You can find a review from The Oldschoolhouse magazine at http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/2168.php Additionally, Sonlight carried the school-based version of MY Access a few years ago, but it was not a great fit as, at the time, it was never designed for home use. Since then, Vantage developed and released the home Edition which was designed specifically for home use based in large part on the feedback from Sonlight users. For full disclosure, I work for Vantage Learning/MY Access and would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 You can find a review from The Oldschoolhouse magazine at http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/2168.php Additionally, Sonlight carried the school-based version of MY Access a few years ago, but it was not a great fit as, at the time, it was never designed for home use. Since then, Vantage developed and released the home Edition which was designed specifically for home use based in large part on the feedback from Sonlight users. For full disclosure, I work for Vantage Learning/MY Access and would be happy to answer any questions you may have. do you know what the big differences are between the home and school editions? do you get iseek and lexipedia with the home editions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obiandelismom Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Are there any samples or demos available? I'm curious how well the 'artificial intelligence' editor works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfallon Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Both iSEEK and Lexipedia are available as free services online. They can be accessed from the main page of MY Access at http://www.vantagelearning.com/login/mahome.html, or individually at: http://education.iseek.com/iseek/home.page http://www.lexipedia.com/ As for the differences between the School Edition and the Home Edition of MY Access!, they really are pretty different. The Home Edition is much more streamlined and a bit easier for a parent as it takes into account that the parent may not be a "classically trained" teacher. It is much more intuitive and strips out a lot of the reporting and assessment that is really meant for use across schools or an entire district. Additionally, the Home Edition includes coursework and activities that are not found in the school edition making it a more complete learning solution. We are currently creating new demos of the home edition to make available on our website, but they are not yet complete. We do, however, have an older one available online that will give you a basic understanding of how the student is guided through the program. To view the demo, please visit http://www.vantagelearning.com/home/demos and select “View Now”. You will be asked supply your name, email address and state. Once you submit this information, select “View Now” again and you will be taken to the demo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfallon Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Are there any samples or demos available? I'm curious how well the 'artificial intelligence' editor works? You can learn a bit more about Intellimetric, the artificial intelligence engine that runs in MY Access, at http://www.vantagelearning.com/school/products/intellimetric/faq.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamnkats Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Wow! I am really impressed with this program but I also really dislike the whole computer based part of that, even though it would fit our lifestyle very well. I really would miss the whole personal interaction also and wonder about the AI interface. The demo was VERY intriguing, enlightening and impressive. I guess since our kids are all going to be computerheads anyway, my personal problem with the interface shouldn't be such an issue. Very nice and meaty demo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfallon Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I understand your concern with losing personal interaction. I have heard from many parents, however, that their interaction with their children (when it comes to writing) has actually improved. The most common feedback I hear is that discussions about a student's writing becomes a lot less confrontational as the parent is no longer "the bad guy with the red pen" and that focusing on working through a revision plan presented by a third party is more like an editor/writer partnership. Also, we strongly believe that MY Access is NOT meant to replace the teacher, but meant as tool to help with instruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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