<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Don't even think about it
Review: ...There appears to be information scattered about, but finding it is next to impossible. They seem to be very proud of the ability to build formulas anywhere in a window you want, but so what? They barely even tell you how to do that, and very poorly. There are no cogent lessons. You go looking for lessons and all you find is help files on how to use the software that tell you nothing but what great software it is. I thought Encore's "Math Advantage" was [bad], but I can't even think of expletives appropriate to what a waste of money this was. Unbelievable that after so many years of software development companies are still producing useless bits like this.
Rating: 
Summary: Mathematics Deluxe helped my children & me understand math
Review: As a parent of four children in middle & high school, I am always searching for products to enhance my children's education. I came across Mathematics Deluxe at Best Buy. It was the answer to my prayers. Having been a long time since I attended high school, certain math concepts slipped my memory. Mathematics Deluxe helped not only my children, but also myself to brush up on math skills so I could be effective in helping my children with their math homework. I definite buy! I'd give it 10 stars if it were an option.
Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: I bought this software just a week ago. I read the previous reviews expecting a whole lot more. My first thought after installing and running this program is how cheaply put together it was. I re-installed the program believing something went wrong with the installation. After re-installing and a few minutes of dabbling, I knew I made a mistake on this buy. I purchased a less expensive math program (Middle & High Schol Math [Topics]) which blows this one away. Better yet, I purchased the package at half the price of StudyWorks.
Basically, it is just a math book with a few basic AVI (video) files and what I can best describe as a Notepad similar to Windows version of WordPad. It is not very intuitive, and I can't imagine a pre-teen or teen using it regularly. The examples are long and tedious, and feel as though you are reading a novel.
There are many Math software title out which are much better and much less expensive. The raves and awards advertised (and Amazon reviews) mis-led me into believing it was worth the extra money. You get what you pay for most of the time, but not here. Save your $$$
Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: I bought this software just a week ago. I read the previous reviews expecting a whole lot more. My first thought after installing and running this program is how cheaply put together it was. I re-installed the program believing something went wrong with the installation. After re-installing and a few minutes of dabbling, I knew I made a mistake on this buy. I purchased a less expensive math program (Middle & High Schol Math [Topics]) which blows this one away. Better yet, I purchased the package at half the price of StudyWorks.
Basically, it is just a math book with a few basic AVI (video) files and what I can best describe as a Notepad similar to Windows version of WordPad. It is not very intuitive, and I can't imagine a pre-teen or teen using it regularly. The examples are long and tedious, and feel as though you are reading a novel.
There are many Math software title out which are much better and much less expensive. The raves and awards advertised (and Amazon reviews) mis-led me into believing it was worth the extra money. You get what you pay for most of the time, but not here. Save your $$$
Rating: 
Summary: They could have made this program so much better.
Review: I just don't understand why they would make such an excellent program and then not take a few more steps to make it a program people can use. StudyWorks is an excellent program for those who are truly motivated to learn math. It's actually very powerful. But it could benefit greatly from having a guide book.
The box I got my program in only had the CD, no manual what so ever. Then when I got the program installed and I started it up, all I saw was a blank screen with no explanation as to what to do next. It's only because I've used it before that I knew to go to the Resource Center which is under the help menu.
The Resource Center is very good as far as it go. But I for one hate reading a lot of stuff on the computer, so it would be nice if they would give StudyWorks a talking voice. Actually, if they would just print up a manual for it.
Once you figure out how to use this program, you can do a lot with it. You can experiment endlessly with it. But getting to that point, getting to the point where you're spending your time thinking about the math, and not how to use the program, is a challange.
My advice to the SudyWorks people is to print a manual, one on paper, a book, not just the online stuff.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely useless garbage
Review: I'm running under WinMe, and I have this software, tho its called the 2000-2001 version. Unbelieveable numbers of crashes. And the crashes arent just limited to one particular activity. The disk must be in the drive while using this program, yet sometimes when you click on something and the program should access the CD for something, it claims it cant find the thing it needs. SOLUION: open and close CD tray til program finally recognizes CD.
The "avi" files that u should be able to view, will not play properly (tho they arent critical). There's a work-around. Last nite, while using the work-around and viewing the files with the Quicktime viewer, the whole thing froze.
So many things cause this program to crash (usually it doesnt bring the OS down with it) that its been a total waste of money and untold hours of time. Over a period of time, I keep coming back to this stinker, thinking the problems were me. No they werent!
Not only did they not teach me a thing (I never really got past trying to work thru the tutorials) , I've wasted valuable time that could have been better spent elsewhere. So much frustration. I'd put it to the side for months, then have another go at it. Sometimes persistence is a bad thing.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Needs Improvement
Review: Overall, this software is a good buy. The lessons are clear, concise, give ample examples with explanations, and present themselves in a logical order. Practice exercises are offered in conjunction with each lesson and provide detailed solutions to each problem. Additional online resources are an added bonus, and the visual display of the information in the lessons is satisfactory.The number one area for improvement for this package is the calculator program, which is essential for higher level math. The calculator automatically opens in a separate window, which proved to be an annoyance when switching between the calculator and a problem. Using the calculator provided with this program is so mouse-intensive that entering a basic expression becomes a hassle. Elements that are accessible via the keyboard require memorization of two- to three-key combinations that are not necessarily intuitive. Using the calculator to chart graphs is still rather confusing and cumbersome after weeks of use. If you plan to use this program for higher level math, you should definitely consider having a standard, stand-alone graphing calculator available and ignore the calculator provided with the program completely. A couple other areas that could use improvement are the lack of exams within the software (the user must access the internet for exams--a process that is not entirely user-friendly) and a lack of any sort of progress tracking.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Needs Improvement
Review: Overall, this software is a good buy. The lessons are clear, concise, give ample examples with explanations, and present themselves in a logical order. Practice exercises are offered in conjunction with each lesson and provide detailed solutions to each problem. Additional online resources are an added bonus, and the visual display of the information in the lessons is satisfactory. The number one area for improvement for this package is the calculator program, which is essential for higher level math. The calculator automatically opens in a separate window, which proved to be an annoyance when switching between the calculator and a problem. Using the calculator provided with this program is so mouse-intensive that entering a basic expression becomes a hassle. Elements that are accessible via the keyboard require memorization of two- to three-key combinations that are not necessarily intuitive. Using the calculator to chart graphs is still rather confusing and cumbersome after weeks of use. If you plan to use this program for higher level math, you should definitely consider having a standard, stand-alone graphing calculator available and ignore the calculator provided with the program completely. A couple other areas that could use improvement are the lack of exams within the software (the user must access the internet for exams--a process that is not entirely user-friendly) and a lack of any sort of progress tracking.
Rating: 
Summary: It shows the math and how it is used.
Review: There are many different mathematics software packages available for use, from the high powered symbolic computation packages to basic tutorials. This is a basic tutorial in pre-algebra through calculus II, and there is enough material here to keep a student busy for a long time. There are several hundred lessons covering the standard material in basic math, algebra, precalculus, geometry, business math, statistics, how to write about mathematics, mathematical games and calculus. Each lesson has a link to a set of problems and that problem set a link to the solutions. Several animation files are also available to demonstrate some of the more complex operations that are difficult or impossible to represent using static images. The company web site contains a large number of online tests that can be taken as many times as desired.
There are 21 interviews of people in a wide variety of professions, few of which would leap to mind when you think of using mathematics at your job. Some of the people interviewed are a boat builder, personal trainer, triathlete, triage nurse and furniture restorer. The wide spectrum of applications that they have for mathematics is a powerful argument in favor of how important it is to learn mathematics. Links to the interviews are included in the lessons where appropriate.
In terms of the quality of the lessons, they are very good, but not outstanding. While there will no doubt be times when a student will need the assistance of a human, in general it would be possible for the motivated person to learn using only these lessons. Instructors can easily incorporate the use of this package into their courses as a supplemental learning tool.
The package also contains a textpad that can be used to perform basic computations. Somewhat difficult to learn at first, it was necessary for me to consult the animated tutorials before I was able to use it. Nevertheless, it is straightforward to use and has a look-and-feel that is much like Microsoft Word.
This is a package that covers at least four years of mathematics. It is noted as being the best-selling high school mathematics package in the United States and from what I have seen, there is ample reason to believe it. There is also a good deal of material that college instructors will find of value. Published in Mathematics and Computer Education, reprinted with permission.
Rating:
Summary: Great math learning tool!
Review: We have found the StudyWorks Mathematics Deluxe to be an invaluable resource to help our kids master core math subjects. One of the most useful features is the ability to plug your own numbers into live equations. We also give the program high ratings on its interactivity. StudyWorks is much more interactive than any other software program that we've tried. For the price, this is a terrific piece of software for high school students.
<< 1 >>
|
