Website review by Emily Pohlonski, Common Sense Education | Updated October 2013
DigitWhiz
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DigitWhiz

Practice math at your own pace with adaptive, free games

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Learning rating
Editorial review by Common Sense Education
Community rating
Based on 3 reviews
Privacy rating
Not yet rated Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
3–7 This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
Subjects & Skills
Math, Critical Thinking
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website
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5 images
Digitwhiz is a free elementary and middle school math practice website.
Teachers begin by setting up their class lists.
A placement quiz is given to each kid to determine what they should work on.
Kids can see their individual results.
Games are interactive and provide immediate feedback.

Pros: Kids will love personalizing their avatar and will find themselves feeling confident as they work through games at their own pace.

Cons: Games could be a little more fun; they're often repetitive.

Bottom Line: A fab free way to build foundational math skills by playing adaptive games.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Teachers can use DigitWhiz as practice once kids have been introduced to a topic. It has a well-organized student data tracker on the teacher dashboard; this makes an excellent tool for demonstrating student progress. Teachers can easily set up a class list by uploading a spreadsheet with the headings First, Last, User, and Pass. Make sure the passwords assigned to kids are at least six letters long. One way to launch DigitWhiz is by playing their one-minute introduction video. Teachers may also choose to walk students through the process themselves using a teacher computer and a digital projector. Teachers can also send a note to a kid’s task card by clicking on the envelope on the teacher dashboard. As kids work through the practice games, they are periodically prompted to take a Mastery Test. When they complete certain tasks, they earn stickers and other digital prizes.

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Standards:

DigitWhiz is a free practice tool to build foundational math skills for third grade and up. Kids play games to practice multiplication, division, integer operations, combining like terms, and solving equations. Students begin using the site by taking a five-minute pre-assessment on multiplication. Then they customize their own avatar, named Digi, by adjusting his fur, antennae, hat, shirt, and shoes. Each kid will have a customized task card that shows them what games and skills they should be working on. Teachers, parents, and kids can track progress through time spent on the games and performance on online Mastery Tests.

"PrimeFactorWhiz" – Drag and drop numbers to build a factor tree.

"MultiBounce" - Click on moving balls in a particular multiple order (ex: 2, 4, 6, 8,…).

"EquationsWhiz" – Drag tiles around to solve single- or multi-step equations.

DigitWhiz is one the of many online math practice programs that has popped up lately. It stands out because it's free and high-quality. There's an emphasis on identifying where each student is at and then doling out targeted games at their level. Kids'll play a variety of games to practice multiplication, division, integer operations, combining like terms, and solving equations. They're all a little different, and some are more fun than others; "EquationsWhiz" has you drag tiles around to complete equations, while others require speedy mental math skills. Some games let you choose whether you'd like the theme to be Animals, Sports, or Nature. It's best used for practice once kids have been introduced to a topic, as games move along pretty fast and don't really address the basics. Some of these games are a bit repetitive, but kids get to make a lot of choices, and Digi's sideline support is very encouraging.

Some of the other free math practice sites like Tutpup and XtraMath simply have kids use the computer to enter answers. DigitWhiz has games and incentives that add a little excitement for kids. No, they're not as fun as costlier sites like Reflex; however, the kids are manipulating tiles or numbers in a way that moves beyond simply typing numbers into a computer.

Overall Rating
Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

Kids will have fun personalizing their own alien avatar named Digi. As they play, they can earn stickers and clothing items for Digi, who's pretty cute. Site design is colorful but not overwhelming.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

Games are targeted to each student’s specific needs; as kids play and improve, games adapt and keep challenging. This kind of accuracy helps keeps kids on track and moving forward at their own pace.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

Regular data is available to show how kids are progressing. Within games, tips appear for kids who are struggling.

Common Sense reviewer
Emily Pohlonski Classroom teacher
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Key Standards Supported

Expressions And Equations

  • 6.EE.2

    Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers.

  • 6.EE.3

    Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.

  • 6.EE.4

    Identify when two expressions are equivalent (i.e., when the two expressions name the same number regardless of which value is substituted into them). For example, the expressions y + y + y and 3y are equivalent because they name the same number regardless of which number y stands for.

  • 6.EE.5

    Understand solving an equation or inequality as a process of answering a question: which values from a specified set, if any, make the equation or inequality true? Use substitution to determine whether a given number in a specified set makes an equation or inequality true.

  • 6.EE.6

    Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.

  • 6.EE.7

    Solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations of the form x + p = q and px = q for cases in which p, q and x are all nonnegative rational numbers.

  • 7.EE.3

    Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form (whole numbers, fractions, and decimals), using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies. For example: If a woman making $25 an hour gets a 10% raise, she will make an additional 1/10 of her salary an hour, or $2.50, for a new salary of $27.50. If you want to place a towel bar 9 3/4 inches long in the center of a door that is 27 1/2 inches wide, you will need to place the bar about 9 inches from each edge; this estimate can be used as a check on the exact computation.

  • 7.EE.1

    Apply properties of operations as strategies to add, subtract, factor, and expand linear expressions with rational coefficients.

Number And Operations In Base Ten

  • 3.NBT.2

    Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

  • 3.NBT.3

    Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10–90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations.

Operations And Algebraic Thinking

  • 3.OA.7

    Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.

  • 3.OA.1

    Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7.

  • 3.OA.2

    Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 56 ÷ 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56 objects are partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a number of shares or a number of groups can be expressed as 56 ÷ 8.

  • 3.OA.5

    Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide.2 Examples: If 6 × 4 = 24 is known, then 4 × 6 = 24 is also known. (Commutative property of multiplication.) 3 × 5 × 2 can be found by 3 × 5 = 15, then 15 × 2 = 30, or by 5 × 2 = 10, then 3 × 10 = 30. (Associative property of multiplication.) Knowing that 8 × 5 = 40 and 8 × 2 = 16, one can find 8 × 7 as 8 × (5 + 2) = (8 × 5) + (8 × 2) = 40 + 16 = 56. (Distributive property.)

  • 3.OA.6

    Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. For example, find 32 ÷ 8 by finding the number that makes 32 when multiplied by 8.

  • 4.OA.4

    Find all factor pairs for a whole number in the range 1–100. Recognize that a whole number is a multiple of each of its factors. Determine whether a given whole number in the range 1–100 is a multiple of a given one-digit number. Determine whether a given whole number in the range 1–100 is prime or composite.

The Number System

  • 6.NS.5

    Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.

  • 6.NS.6

    Understand a rational number as a point on the number line. Extend number line diagrams and coordinate axes familiar from previous grades to represent points on the line and in the plane with negative number coordinates.

  • 6.NS.7

    Understand ordering and absolute value of rational numbers.

  • 6.NS.2

    Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.

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Community Rating

(See all 3 reviews) (3 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Kelly A. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Ladue Middle School
St. Louis, United States
Engages but doesn't transform
Overall, there are better adaptive math programs on the market than DigitWhiz. While the game-based program is attractive to students, the games are relatively simple in concept, and students will lose interest quickly. The depth of knowledge addressed in the games is fairly shallow, and there doesn't appear to be any real-world connection made. The curriculum is not very extensive, so learners who are relatively far above or below grade level will be out of luck. Bottom line: have this in your toolkit, ...
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