Community reviews for Prodigy Math

I think this product could give students good practice on their math skills. I like the option for students to choose their grade level.

Video games combined with math can be a great way to reach different student and meet their needs. I especially like how struggling students enjoy Prodigy, keep the students engaged and wanting to do more math. I can also challenge my students that are above by giving those students above our grade topics. Some students respond better to video games, and those students are what this game is designed for. I use Prodigy as well for non-formative assessments. Prodigy provides a report on how well or not my students did on a particular concept. I am looking forward to using Prodigy’s PARCC test preparation this school year, the test prep is new and I hope the questions are PARCC like.

Overall, I think Prodigy Math is a great teaching tool. It reinforces what is being taught in class and also has questions that will refresh their memory with some basic questions. It does also keep the students involved with an interactive story line. If it were just math question after math question then I think some students would disengage. This actually feels like a video game that they would play at home, but with a bonus of reinforcing what they are learning at school. The only criticism I can give, I have already stated above, about letting them create their whole username so it is easier for them to remember, and for their friends to find them.

How motivated all the students became....not just 1-2 wanted to play this math game, ALL of the class did! If I were going to ask for an improvement...it would be the login names. I asked my students to use their first names so they can find each other more easily when they battle. Since there are random numbers assigned after they logged in, they would be so excited about getting started that they forgot their login names for the next time they wanted to play. Maybe have a way that I can assign their numbers like we do with their passwords?

As someone who grew up in the Pokemon generation, Prodigy has a very similar feel to it, but with the math practice intertwined throughout the adventure. As stated above, I'm using it as a means to have kids either practice the material that's being covered in class, or as a refresher on essential skills that they will need for future units. I've used Khan Academy in the past for the same purpose, but students have a more positive reaction and are more motivated to play Prodigy than they are to watch a Khan Academy video. Most students really engage in the game, creating their character, accumulating different types of monsters and going on quests without the prompting of the teacher. Another great aspect of the game is that it allows students to practice in class or at home, and the games saves that data for you! The dashboard is great, providing essential data on who's practicing, who's completing assignments, and what they're getting correct or incorrect. The data allows you to better differentiate to meet the needs of your students and helps planning for future lessons. The only potential drawback to the game is that there is a "paid subscription" option to the game, meaning that extra features and upgrades become available with payment. Some students started with their own accounts, that had already been in use for a while and some had financial support that others didn't giving them an "advantage" in the game. So far this year, I haven't seen this as an issue, as students are more focused on their individual characters and quests, rather than what others have instead. I also hope that Prodigy continues to increase its question and topic database, so that students are exposed to all different types of questions. Would strongly recommend for all math teachers looking to get their students to practice independently!

I have used this product for the past two years with my seventh graders as a way to motivate interest in Math. I use it as a enrichment tool that allows for extra practice away from paper and pencil and lets the students have fun in a game like setting. I love that the students want to play it at home, away from their usual video games, and they are practicing Math nightly. Yea for us teachers! It helps my teaching by allowing a look at reports on each individual student and his/her strengths and weaknesses. This allows for adaptation for further lessons. The tech support for this product is also very highly recommended. They are helpful, friendly, and immediate in their response to assist in any way. My only drawback is, of course, there is a paid version that offers more "horns and whistles" then the free version. So I have had a few students pay for this while others can not, so the paying customers achieve greater prizes and awards in the game, thus leaving the free version students feeling left out. It could build some jealously or envy at times among the students, but overall I haven't had this drawback become a class problem. This was just an observation I noted by a few over the last two years.

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!

I love Prodigy. My students were excited when we started and ask every day if they can get on when they finish their work. They really like to battle each other on the math skills! I think it is an excellent product that I will use with my future classes as well. It serves my students needs by providing manipulatives, a calculator at times. the application to work out their problems on the screen, and gives students an explanation and another chance when they get a problem wrong. It is a very helpful, interactive, fun tool!

I don't think it is a great tool.

Prodigy is awesome! I like everything about it. My students really enjoys Prodigy; therefore, increasing their enjoyment of math. My students don't want to die so it encourages them to ask for help. It also offers helpful hints for students. Students are able to write directly on the screen (IPad) to solve the math problem. It has an automatic response to their answer, telling them whether or not they are doing it correctly. Therefore, not allowing them to pick up bad habits in solving math equations/problems. However, I don't like multiple choice options....unless they are for shapes. It makes it too easy for my students and then it becomes a guessing game or let's plug in all the answers to see what fits best. However, overall I still love it because my students love math and they love the challenge!