Time4Learning is an educational website offering “Fun Effective Easy-to-use Online Learning”. Using an interactive, multimedia approach, Time4Learning combines technology with learning in a way that is engaging to students. Educational material covers preschool through eighth grade.
Time4Learning subjects include Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. A brief survey before beginning helps parents to place their child at the appropriate grade level for each subject. Levels can be adjusted at any time.
After logging in, a child is taken to their subject screen, where they choose which subject to study. After clicking on a subject, the child is taken to another screen where all the topics available are displayed. Each topic is broken down into smaller bits, so a child can work his way through concepts one step at a time. At the end of a topic, a short quiz is available to measure how much information the child is retaining. Parents can check their child’s progress at any time at the parent log-in.
Curriculum is updated regularly. Material presentation is entertaining, making learning a fun game, instead of a dull chore.
We sampled this program with four children, all preschool and elementary-aged. A nine-year-old gifted learner found plenty to challenge him with this program. He enjoyed moving at his own pace, being in control, and the lesson variety. In his own words, “It was like a whole bunch of sites combined into one site. I could learn a lot of different things all in one place.”
An eight-year-old girl found it a good way to get some school time in following the birth of a baby brother. Since the lessons are more self-directed, she could get on the computer and learn with minimal help from mom.
A seven-year-old student liked how easy it was to navigate the site. The directions were clear and the order easy to see.
The four year old turned five during our four-week review. He enjoyed the site, but needed much more help in understanding what to do. The directions for preschoolers seemed clear, but they may need addition help due to their age.
Also available are supplemental worksheets, scope and sequence, lesson plans, and a fun playground feature. Customer service was always quick to respond and extremely helpful. All four of our testers were disappointed when the four weeks were over.
Time4Learning offers a monthly price per student, with a discount for the second student. We found the price to be a little high if you have several children. However, Time4Learning can be used for a few months at a time during every school year or throughout the whole year. It functions as an entire curriculum or a support or an enrichment.
In short, Time4Learning is a versatile educational website. The quality of materials offered is a fraction of the cost of some other websites (it compares to a on-line gifted educational site I recently saw that charged $4,000 a semester).
Be sure and take a look!
