This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
Student Feedback
I ended up using Smile Zemi with two different elementary students over the last couple of weeks and I wanted to share their feedback.
Mia, a fifth grader, was really excited to sit down and try Smile Zemi because she thought it was "so cool" that the tablet came with a pen. She has used ipads and Chromebooks but has never had a stylus to work with at home or at school. After doing a few rounds of math and ELA practices she concluded: "I'd like to use this at school since it is all learning stuff but would rather use an ipad at home." I think this will be a common thought amongst children who have been exposed to all of the bells and whistles other tablets possess. They like to be able to enter and exit a variety of applications. On the other end of the spectrum I think this is a great thing since Smile Zemi keeps the user focused on the task at hand having zero distractions. Another thing Mia shared that I thought was very interesting was that she felt more inclined to work out the math problems since she had a stylus right there rather than having to switch over to a pencil and piece of paper!
Donovan is a second grader who goes to outside tutoring twice a week. When he sat down to test out Smile Zemi he immediately shared "I would much rather do this than go to tutoring. I like the sounds it makes. I feel like I am doing good!" I have to agree with Donovan. The sounds are unique and motivating! As I observed him going through the word study activities, I noticed he would get some wrong but not opt to click the "Check Answer" button.
Mia, a fifth grader, was really excited to sit down and try Smile Zemi because she thought it was "so cool" that the tablet came with a pen. She has used ipads and Chromebooks but has never had a stylus to work with at home or at school. After doing a few rounds of math and ELA practices she concluded: "I'd like to use this at school since it is all learning stuff but would rather use an ipad at home." I think this will be a common thought amongst children who have been exposed to all of the bells and whistles other tablets possess. They like to be able to enter and exit a variety of applications. On the other end of the spectrum I think this is a great thing since Smile Zemi keeps the user focused on the task at hand having zero distractions. Another thing Mia shared that I thought was very interesting was that she felt more inclined to work out the math problems since she had a stylus right there rather than having to switch over to a pencil and piece of paper!
Donovan is a second grader who goes to outside tutoring twice a week. When he sat down to test out Smile Zemi he immediately shared "I would much rather do this than go to tutoring. I like the sounds it makes. I feel like I am doing good!" I have to agree with Donovan. The sounds are unique and motivating! As I observed him going through the word study activities, I noticed he would get some wrong but not opt to click the "Check Answer" button.
It would be my recommendation for the developers to make this a required step before the user can advance to the next exercise. Something even more helpful would be for the child to get a second attempt before moving on.
What I really like about this adaptive learning platform is how it caters to each child's needs to keep them motivated to continue working. If a problem that was presented seemed too challenging, the program would step down to give the child a chance to regain their confidence so they felt empowered to conquer the next challenge!
Where Can I Get the Smile Zemi?
Smile Zemi is now available for purchase! You can buy directly from the Smile Zemi website.
Get $50 off your Smile Tablet with promo code: MMB0601 (offer expires 6/30/2023)
