Blog 3

Hello.  Brandi Lantz here again.  For today’s blog post I am going to talk about how IXL can be used at home and not just at school.  It is a great way to help reinforce what the teachers are teaching the kindergarteners at school.  There are so many options within the IXL program that just about any concept that they are learning in school can be practiced at home.  Many parents struggle with helping to reinforce learning at home. For some, they are too busy to really put in enough time and for others, they may not fully understand the concepts that their students are learning.  IXL is a great tool to have in both of these situations.  It allows the students to continue to practice and work on the concepts they are learning without having to have someone right there doing it with them or fully understanding the concept.  This is not to say that this should replace parents working directly with their children at home but it is an added tool that can help to take some of the pressure off of them.  The following video shows just how easy it is to get this program set up to be used at home.

https://youtu.be/23orfHaaQGc 

I spoke with a woman who works with students with behavior problems through the local Area Education Agency (AEA).  She had raving reviews about the IXL program.  In her experiences, she has found that most students enjoy the program and it gives them a feeling of being in control of what they are learning and doing.  For many of the kids she works with, this can be a great way to engage them and get them to work on their homework without having to twist their arm. 

One problem that may arise is that not all students have internet access at home.  There are places, like libraries and staying after school, that students can go to access the internet outside of school; however, at the kindergarten level, this is asking more of the parents.  Because of this, I believe that home IXL usage should not be required but instead be offered as an extra opportunity for the students.  The internet is becoming increasingly available in a number of places that it is common for most students to have access to it outside the classroom.  IXL gives us a new tool that we can use to help set our students up for success.