What do you like most?

ds13: It’s fun, not boring, usually funny.

my “extra” student a boy, age 12: math

ds10: doesn’t get boring

dd9: It’s on the computer, it’s easy

dd7: not so hard

What do you like least?

ds13: I don’t hate anything about it.

12yo boy: Peddy Parrot

ds10: When it freezes during a lesson and you have to restart the lesson over.

dd9: some lessons are boring, like science and Social studies

dd7: math

Favorite character:

ds13: Mr. Nesterton

12yob: Jack Riley

ds10: Jack Riley, Vern

dd9: Bongo

dd7: the puppets

Favorite T4L subject: 

ds13: LA

12yob: Science

ds10: LA

dd9: math

dd7: LA

I decided to interview Mr. Tim about his use of a program called Time4Learning, to find out what makes it so special. Tim is a kindergartner in CA, but he uses this program to help him with 1st grade language arts and math, and 2nd grade social studies and science. His little brother uses it, too, but was unavailable for comment. Here’s the interview we conducted on April 15, 2008. Read for yourself, and decide if this program is all it’s cracked up to be!

AL- Mr. Lindsay, what would you say is your favorite thing about this Time4Learning?

MT- I like the funny people and animals on there.

AL- Is there anything that you don’t like about, anything that bothers you?

MT- I don’t like waiting for them to shut up when they tell me how to do something and I already know how to do it. They don’t let me go forward and do it, they just keep talking and talking.

AL- Do you have a favorite funny person or animal on there?

MT- I like that ruler guy, the one on the math.

AL- What is your favorite thing to learn about on T4L?

MT- I like science best, it’s fun!

That concludes this portion of our interview, Mr. Tim had a favorite program to watch and he wasn’t happy about the interruption.

I am here with Cade, a local first grader.  He has agreed to answer a few questions about Time4Learning.

Lisa:  Hi, Cade.  Did you have a happy birthday yesterday?

Cade:  Of course!

L: Great! I have some questions to ask you about T4L.  First question…. What do you like most about T4L?

C: That writing corner thing.  You know, where you put the stickers in the story and where you get to write you own stories in the different rooms?  I like making my own stories.

L:  Yes, that’s a great feature.  It actually gives you one more chance to see pieces of the lesson and recreate a story on your own.  Very nice….  Question #2….  What do you like the least on T4L?

C: I don’t like it when I click and click on something again and again and it doesn’t work.  That makes me mad!

L: Yes, that is frustrating.  We’ve had problems with the story-links and all of the extra links in the Science lessons.  Maybe we can get that fixed.  Okay, Question #3…. Who is your favorite character and why?

C:  My favorite character was the cook guy.  I liked it when he made all the food.  I love that guy!!!

L:  Yes, I remember him.  He was in the Kindergarten math section.  Okay, and the last question…. What is your favorite subject on T4L?

C:  SCIENCE!!!  This is awesome!!  I like everything I learned about in Science.  It’s very fun.

L:  Thank you very much for telling me about your T4L experience, Cade.

C:  You’re welcome.

Do your kids have problems with repetition? Tim cannot stand to repeat a lesson, or even an idea. We studied about seasons at the beginning of the month. This last quarter I’m reviewing everything he learned through the year, and this week for science it’s seasons. I had him watch a video on seasons, and the first thing out of his mouth was, ‘why do we have to do this, we already learned about it’. UGH! Even after several months he remembered going over it, and he was grumpy through the whole thing. He doesn’t understand why he has to practice adding and subtracting every day, or why he has to write/read every day. To him, he knows it, so let’s move on!

We’re having to revise our schedule once again. I normally have him start school whenever we get up and really moving, which is around 10am, then we go for a walk outside before the schooled kids get off the bus. But lately, he’s been starting later and taking longer, so he’s having to miss out on the walks, which he really loves. So, we’re now going to try doing chores first, then the walk, and then start school. It really depends on if he fights me to do school after he’s had fun, whether or not this is how we’ll keep it.

I’m a little late with the topic.  Sorry guys.  This one should be fun.  I’m curious to see your responses.

Please play journalist and interview one of you children who uses T4L and ask them the following questions:

-  What do you like most?

-  What do you like least?

-  Do you have a favorite character?  If so, who is it?

- What’s your favorite T4L subject?