Math Practice Boards
Unexciting but serviceable math app lets kids draw answers
Subjects & Topics
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Math Practice Boards
Pros: Kids can draw answers and use their own colorful doodles to help them think through problems.
Cons: Difficulty within levels varies, and kids don’t get a chance to try again on incorrect answers.
Bottom Line: Not the best math practice app, but it does offer a reasonably interactive way to practice basic math problems.
With Math Practice Boards, kids can solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems via their own doodled visual cues, and they can also write the correct digit before tapping on a multiple-choice answer to complete the math drills. 12 pen colors allow kids to customize their written answers and drawings on the screen, while the formal math problems are presented both vertically and horizontally in random order, and answer options are multiple-choice.
Choose the operations (addition and subtraction and/or multiplication and division), a level (1-10), and a pen color. Problems appear either vertically or horizontally. Kids can doodle visual cues or draw an answer, then they must tap a multiple-choice answer. A green check appears for correct answers. The app provides the correct answers immediately if kids choose a wrong answer.
There's nothing especially notable about Math Practice Boards; it is as advertised -- virtual chalkboards upon which to practice math. However, for a free app, it does have some good qualities. Kids will like the ability to draw directly onto the screen, and choices are always good -- even simple ones like pen color.
It includes 10 levels of math problem sets, although some problems within each set seem to leapfrog over other levels, increasing the challenge at a rapid rate. Also on the downside, if kids answer a problem incorrectly, the app immediately provides the correct answer without giving them time to review their work and try again. Math Practice Boards is not a standout app, but it does provide decent, free math practice drills for kids who may want to draw images to help them count or who learn best from multiple-choice options.
Learning Rating
Works as well as a sheet of paper and pencil
Honestly, I would only use it if I wanted students to practice these skills outside of the classroom, away from tables and supplies. I think that this resource works just as well as a sheet of paper and pencil for practicing math. In fact, a pencil and paper may be better, since you can erase mistakes and try again. I feel like this application can easily be made better, by allowing second chances and having consistent levels of questions. This could be made into an adaptive technology, where questions get tougher for students who continuously getting correct answers.