4 Tips to Understanding Digits Math Program October 21st, 2017

 
The school year is in full swing and many students are taking math classes that use a computer based math program called Digits. We’ve noticed a lot of confusion about what exactly is Digits, and the pros and cons of the program - So here’s a quick guide to help sort out the information.

What is Digits anyway?

Digits is an online system for Math education for students at the 6-8 grade level.  Students receive their homework almost entirely through the web on their own tablets, which is where they also can access tools like notes and a calculator.
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Why use Digits?

The biggest benefit to a program like Digits is that it keeps students on a pre-determined schedule no matter what school they are in, and prepares them specifically for the common core requirements. This means that, if a student comes in to iLearn Academy who uses Digits in school, the tutor will know exactly what they are doing, what they have done so far in that year, and what they haven’t done yet. Digits provides a huge amount of regularity and consistency to a school curriculum. Also, its online nature means that the curriculum can change if needed without having to re-print expensive textbooks.

What problems can students experience by using Digits?

The down side to using a program like Digits is that it is poor at adapting to students’ individual math needs. A student can guess multiple times on their homework, meaning that they might get credit for a problem that they don’t actually know how to solve. As well, when a quiz or test is coming up, a student might not have the resources they need to prepare themselves, like a group of math problems from a textbook.

What should students do to make sure they’re prepared?

The best thing to do is to find external resources – Like a textbook, or a set of worksheets. For the most part, math is the same regardless of which source it came from. If a student understands a topic well, they should be able to answer questions correctly from any source. At iLearn Academy, we use multiple resources, and make sure that a student can solve any problem within a topic before we move on– Not just one or two problems. Getting homework credit is fine – But a conceptual understanding is much better.

Our goal is to help students succeed in academics now and in the future. We believe students should not rely solely on Digits to build a strong math foundation. It appears many students spend time guessing the right answer instead of learning how to solve math. We feel your student's math skills will significantly improve if math concepts are introduced by a qualified math teacher then reinforced through practice with online programs like Digits  or even by solving problems step-by-step using the good ol' fashioned way--pencil and paper.