How I Use It
I used this as a supplemental tool in my classroom to give students practice with math at their level. At first, I used it as one of the choices students could use in addition to other math products available in the classroom, but as it became sometimes the ONLY thing, it became more of a reward or a go to after they completed the requirements of other math activities.
My Take
While I had some students choose not to use Prodigy when given the chance, I had most students turn this into their "go to" activity when they had the chance! I even had a group of students form a "Prodigy Club," working together to advance each other and get special items. I only used the free version, but have informed students that if their parents were agreeable, there was a paid version they could get for their own use (and have that access at school). The problem with this was that some students felt this was unfair as they couldn't access the same uses, but I explained that that was a choice made by the other students and their parents.
An amazing teaching opportunity came about as I was having some issues with the "Prodigy Club" created by the students which lead to some disagreements. Knowing I had created my own personal account (free, of course), I informed the students that I wanted to know how to use the game. I have never had so many students surrounding me, wanting to share what they knew as they became the "teachers"!! It was amazing! It also gave me a chance to talk about digital citizenship as I found some students who seemed to enjoy escaping another player on the platform who seemed interesting in playing, so we discussed the importance of how we treat others, whether online or offline, while I could also model that experience.
Definitely a program I will continue to use in my classroom!
