What kind of computer do I need?

Try the demo, if the demo works properly your have the necessary equipment to run the program. DEMO

Computer hardware and software recommended:

Internet Connection: Broadband, 384Kbps or better
Flash Player: Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher
RAM: 128 MB free
Hard Drive: 1200 MB free
Video/Display: 4 MB Video Card, 16-bit color, 1024 x 768 minimum resolution
Audio: DirectSound 8, 16-bit support

If you use a PC, it should have:

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 2000, Me or XP
Web Browser: Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, Netscape 8.1 or higher, Firefox 2.0.0.2 or higher
CPU Minimum: Pentium III, 500 MHz
CPU Recommended: Pentium III or IV, 1GHz

If you use a Mac, it should have:

Processor: PowerPC G3, G4, G5, or Intel core
Memory: 256MB RAM
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.3
Web Browser: Firefox 1.0.3 or better, Safari 2.0.4

***NOTE: Program does not work with MSN or AOL browsers
***NOTE: Follow instructions on question 8 for optimal performance.

Is BigMathTime similiar to SpellingTime?

We piloted BigMathTime.com for over a year and during that study, the focus groups achieved remarkable results.  Employing the same basic concept as SpellingTime.com (practice, repetition, reward) BigMathTime.com however the tolerance for advancing children is much more stringent with BigMathTime. Children advance only when they're ready — after they've successfully completed their lessons demonstrating mastery. Our goal is to have young learners develop a true mastery of fundamental math skills.

How fast of an Internet connection do I need?

BigMathTime.com was designed to be used over a broadband internet connection (DSL, Cable, T1 or faster).

Will the program work on my comuter?

Try the demo before ordering. If the demo works you will be able to run the program.

How is mastery obtained and can I advance my child?

To develop mastery, the program will look for the student to get grades over 95% and within a certain time frame OVER TIME.  Mastery can ONLY be achieved over time.   Anytime you feel your student has mastered a digit you can raise him to the next digit manually.  As soon as you raise your child’s current digit, the program will mark the previous digit as mastered.  The program will set up a review portion of his lesson to digits mastered so he/she will continue to get past digits mastered.  You can manually change your child’s lesson via the “Modify Lesson” button on the main menu (the green book).

If you feel the tolerance level for mastery is too high, you can raise your child’s grade level.  The program will have a higher mastery tolerance for younger users.  By increasing his grade level you will lower his mastery tolerance which will allow users to achieve mastery quicker.  You can raise a user’s grade level via the “membership information” page which can be accessed from the main menu once you sign in. 

What is the recommended sequence of completed lessons and quizzes?  

Our recommendation is for your young learner to complete one lesson per day and one quiz per week, preferably scheduling the quiz for the weekend.   Additionally, when your child does not have access to a computer, print a lesson and administer with pencil and eraser.  Best results are achieved when the student works on a lesson everyday.
Students should be spending about 5-10 minutes per day on BigMathTime.com.  If you find your student is spending too much or too little time with a lesson then increase or decrease the number of problems per lesson.  Such modifications can be implemented via the “Modify Lesson” book on the main menu. 

Can BigMathTime.com run on Windows 98, Opera browser and Flash Player 9 over a DSL?

Yes, however please check first by using the demo and if the demo works on your particular configuration, BigMathTime.com will work.

Note: Test demo before ordering!

What should my broswer's settings be to get the best performance?

Click here and then follow the instructions!

My child already mastered their digits up to "5" should I advance them?

YES! If you are confident your child has mastered their digits 0-5, you should start them with digit "6" and let the program advance the student forward.

You can easily make this change via the "Modify Lesson" button (book) on the main menu. Just select the digit "6" for current digit and click on the "Save Lesson" button. The program will take it from there!

Will the program send me feedback on my child's progress?

Yes. The program will send email when your child achieves mastery or completes a quiz. 
To view your student's daily progress you can view the Progess Reports.

Instructions to access the Progress Reports:

1. Go to home page (http://www.bigmathtime.com/reports.shtml )
2. Click on "Progress Report" button (left of page, under the sign in box)
3. Enter you child's member name and password and click on the "log in" button

Our progress reports provide parents/guardians an opportunity to review completed lessons. The reports can be printed for accurate record keeping.