Houghton Mifflin debuts iPad algebra course
Boston Globe
April 14, 2011
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2011/04/houghton_miffli_25.htmlHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, a Boston company known for such educational products as textbooks, said it is launching HMH Fuse: Algebra 1, the first core K-12 education solution developed exclusively for the iPad.
"The portability of a complete Algebra 1 course on an iPad enables students to learn in the classroom, on the bus, or at home � anytime, anywhere," the company said.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which refers to itself as HMH, said its HMH Fuse: Algebra 1 App will be available at the Apple App store for $59.99.
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More details are at
http://hmheducation.com/fuse/algebra1/algebra-1-apps.php . I wonder if 5-10 years from now, reading books and taking courses using tablet computers will be not just a possibility but the norm. I'm in no rush to buy laptops or tablets for my children, since more time would probably be spent on video games than math courses.
Another article about the algebra app is at
http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/01/algebra-meet-the-ipad-a-year-long-study-explores-learning/ . The professor giving lectures on the app is Ed Burger, who is in the Thinkwell algebra videos. The excerpt below indicates that the app is not "adaptive", as EPGY or Aleks are. I would love to have EPGY on a tablet. I think adaptivity is important.
'Q. Is there an adaptive aspect to this app, where students can progress to another level?
Right now, this follows identically to the student textbook. It�s adaptive only inasmuch as when the student takes an �are you ready quiz� before a chapter, students can see for themselves how they did in each of the subsections of the test, as can the teacher. Everything the student does in the device from a quizzing and assessment standpoint flows back to the teacher wirelessly. The app sends the data back to the instructor, what section they did well on, what they didn�t do well on. So a teacher has a lot more real-time data on student instruction. But as far as adaptive, actually changing the instruction, no the app doesn�t do that yet. But certainly the technology is out there. A different conversation happens then in terms of your goals.'
