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Mod math or alternatives?


displace
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Are there alternatives to modmath for dysgraphia? I'm looking for something more user friendly. Is the upgraded modmath easier?

 

DS 8 dislikes it because it's a little confusing, but we only used it a few times. Now we're looking at accommodations for school and I am not sure it can work or not. I was thinking we could just use modmath for a week consistently and that may work because it may be more comfortable to use, or some totally different app he could use at school. Is a week long enough to feel comfortable using it, or should I plan for more time? Thanks for any insight. Sorry I've been absent from the boards recently. Public school is time consuming (so is life)! :). I hope everyone is well.

Edited by displace
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No solutions, just joining you in the search.

 

I don't find modmath user-friendly or intuitive either... I am sure it is to some, but I have been on the lookout for the ideal app for my ten-year-old for two years and can't find anything. I keep thinking we should go back to modmath and just get used to it...

 

Generally I scribe for my son during math, let him do a lot mentally, and limit what he how much to write day-to-day. Our system works in that he has been able to continue to advance at a good pace in our program. However, he is not growing more independent. If anything, as the work gets more complex and likely to require multiple steps, he has become more reliant on my scribing than he was at age 8 because he can't count on his memory to do all the work. (And writing always increases the likelihood of all sorts of errors.

 

If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

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ModMath doesn't seem practical because you cannot input the problem sets from a file.  I was just playing with it today on my new Ipad Pro, and I couldn't type in the problems either.  There were also issues with entering fractions with exponents.

 

Last year, DS was being careless with algebra and chem, so he started typing his math into a word document.  I installed Microsoft's Math Add-on and DS used that.  I like the fact that you could edit the equations within the document.  LaTex seems to be an option for older students.  Son's attention to detail increased so much by typing his math, but he is back to pencil and paper with geometry.  

 

Edit:  The learning curve was steep while DS typed the chem with algebra.  He pushed back the entire time but ultimately got it.  You can save equations, insert them into the document, and then edit them.  This would work for fractions, addition, and subtraction problems.  IDK how long division would work out.

Edited by Heathermomster
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So, basically we've been working on ModMath for just a few days.  I made it fun (joked around with him and using it), and he's already had less resistance to it.  I think just practice with the app will work out, as long as we can tweak it.  I have problems with regrouping to the ones column but we're figuring out a system.  Now, to get the schools to use it... :)

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Here's a link to Microsoft Mathematics, which you can download and use for free. If you have Windows:

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=15702

Thanks! I'll look into that. I was discussing typing math with the counselor and how we needed something separate for math problems. I had to explain how difficult it is to show regrouping and type math problems lined up on a word processor, plus discuss how handwriting all that was difficult, even more difficult than typing. Edited by displace
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I think a lot about how to use the keyboard with DS because of his dysgraphia. Math and dysgraphia are very frustrating. Every time I look for a solution for typing math, the same answer comes back: clickable PDFs.

 

While looking online, it seems many attorneys scan documents and turn them into clickable forms. The question for me is, how to do that and not spend a ton of time and money during the exercise? Son's handwriting with math is manageable. If his handwriting were any worse, I would be tempted to purchase a scanner such as the following: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G3JYVYM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2UIQR8SU0BTJ0&coliid=IGCU7PDI4S7KI&psc=1

 

I would use a math program with a ton of white space such at MUS, remove the bindings, scan pages, and then edit the PDFs so that son could type his math. IDK, maybe math publishers will sell their product in PDF form to parents with a documented SLD. OCR software for phones is improving at a rapid clip, so a scanner might not be necessary. Adobe sells sw at an educator's rate. IDK, I just wish that math publishers would provide this service.

Edited by Heathermomster
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Heather, I'm confused.  Any sensible printer now will have a scanner and be able to scan as a pdf.  Does that one you linked also create OCR?  There are apps that scan to pdf and apps that go pdf to OCR.  Claro is what I'm being told people in schools are using.  I agree the whole how fast can we plow through tons of pages thing is an issue.  

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Heather, I'm confused.  Any sensible printer now will have a scanner and be able to scan as a pdf.  Does that one you linked also create OCR?  There are apps that scan to pdf and apps that go pdf to OCR.  Claro is what I'm being told people in schools are using.  I agree the whole how fast can we plow through tons of pages thing is an issue.  

With that scanner, I was thinking in terms of scanning quickly and in mass, with each page automatically being converted to a searchable PDF.  

 

ETA:  I'm thinking in terms of completing a ton of work.  It's all a pain.

Edited by Heathermomster
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He has access to iPads for typing only. They have refused apps allowed for the 504, citing they are "modifications", which is false but I still don't want to seek an IEP yet.

 

We usually used snap type for worksheets but mod math for more complex math with regrouping.

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Heather, a pdf is not searchable unless it's OCR.  Well I guess check that, but that's what I thought I understood.

The scanner is an OCR scanner.  I didn't answer that question earlier.  

 

My input is all a big what if, BTW.  I really believe that homeschool publishers should be fillng this niche, but maybe the demand isn't high enough.

 

I remember when my sister was in school.  Her teacher used to make all of her school work assignments on 3x5 index cards using a braille typewriter.  The teacher was literally manufacturing and adapting materials on the fly to suit her student. 

Edited by Heathermomster
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  • 5 years later...

Not sure if this is still an issue for those that were discussing. The only alternatives that I have found are Panther Math Paper. It takes less time to get started and seems to have more options. There are more buttons for early math including shapes and money. It also has great functions for regrouping and carrying in multiple digit addition and subtraction problems. It also seems to accommodate more advanced math. The only negatives that I have found is that saving and retrieving documents is difficult to navigate, and you can not import problems from a worksheet. Other than that, we have been really successful using the app. We are very thankful to have stumbled across it!

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