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PixLit Review by Stephanie D. Scarborough
Understanding Your WorldSarasota, Florida
941-312-4075
www.pixlit.net
http://www.pixlit.net/ellstudio/news.cfm
This program is designed to meet the needs of many homeschooling families. You only pay for the courses you need and want. PixLit is actively seeking content partners such as educators, educational organizations, and video publishers.
The current class choices are:
- Living in Space - Human Biology
- MathDrill Express - 1,2, or 3 children
- PreAlgebra-Chapter 1 - Whole Numbers
- Student Writing Intensive - Level C
- The Threatened Coral Reefs
- World Geography Crossword Puzzle
- PixLit Plus - 24 hr access to an online teacher
Some of these courses are the entire course such as The Threatened Coral Reefs; however, the PreAlgebra course is just one chapter from Chalk Dust. It is clear what you are getting before you purchase and PixLit affords you the ability to try this math program before you add yet another program to your ever growing shelf.
The PixLit courses make managing student easy without constantly looking over their shoulder. PixLit prepares the report for your class so you can see the end results. If the progress is not satisfactory, you can view the student's work log to see if they watched the entire video and how much time was spent on each activity.
We signed up for the coral reef class since we live in Florida and often find coral on the beach. The teacher on the video is quite engaging. The quizzes are designed to give feedback that, not only corrects, but also gives a memory mnemonic to help the child get it correct in the future.
Another great program available is the Student Writing Intensive with Andrew Pudewa. This is the program designed for the high school aged writer.
Once our account was established it took me a little while to learn how to use the functionality, so when in doubt, read the directions. The PixLit Teacher Reference Guide is actually very helpful when learning to navigate so read the directions first or at least as you go.
The features of the program are vast and will enhance your children's learning experience as well as your teaching experience. There is a PixLit virtual community consisting of other members and teachers. As a teacher, you have the ability to preview, select, assign lessons and homework with due dates or without. There are even occasional prizes: one example was a $100 Barnes & Noble gift certificate each week during the month of August. Every homeschool moms dream comes true: an evening at the bookstore, a cup of coffee, and a gift card to spend!
Lastly, are you wondering about the name PixLit? The program developers, Phil Camillo and Caroline Gallagher, explain this too. "Our name is a hybrid of two words, Pix, short for picture and Lit, short for literacy." The virtual learning program is designed to enhance learning by associating media to the textual information. This blend of technology and knowledge has limitless possibilities.
