Getting the calculations right

Updated on: Monday, September 26, 2011

Some of us have even stood on our head trying to memorise the dreaded mathematics tables. But better times are here, thanks to an application, developed especially to enable harried parents to help children learn them.

Available for download at the iStore for a dollar (less than Rs.50) is Math Karaoke, which combines numbers and graphics with sing-a-longs to make the subject fun.

Math Karaoke is developed by India-based AntiZ Technologies and published by Rega Interactive. Co-founders S. Srikanth and T. S. Venkatakrishnan were inspired to create Math Tables Karaoke because they understood how scary and boring maths often can be.

“Multiplication is the basic that children must clear before they learn further. We have incorporated traditional songs in the Math Karaoke application to make this learning fun,” explains Mr. Venkatakrishnan.

Users learn through the three modes — ‘Learn, Quiz, and Play (Karaoke).' In the Learn mode, the multiplication tables are displayed in the linear mode with clear recitation of the numbers. Students can recite along. In the Karaoke method, children can play back what they have learnt, and in the Quiz section (which has three levels of difficulty) they test their knowledge and see what the scoreboard says.

“A school in Canada contacted us while we were in the early stages of development,” Mr. Venkatakrishnan says. “They used the app rigorously and gave us feedback, which we incorporated. Research meant speaking to as many schoolteachers and students they could find to survey so that issues in learning were holistically addressed. Two voices, one Indian and the other American, are available.” Customer feedback has so far been positive. One user says the tunes need to be synchronised better. Also, it is a disadvantage that the app uses the earpiece speaker instead of the actual external speaker.

Getting the calculations right

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