Running a Cheeky Check

Taking the photo

1. Open the Scan tab.
2. Tap Take Photo, or Choose from Library for a photo already taken.
3. For work that runs over more than one page, tap Add photo. Up to three photos go into one check.

For a photo Kākā can read:

• Lay the page flat in good light, without a shadow across it.
• Get the whole question in, including the printed question if there is one.
• Hold the phone straight above the page rather than at an angle.

Pencil is fine. Very faint pencil in poor light is the most common reason a photo can’t be read. The app doesn’t check a photo before it is sent, so if Kākā says it couldn’t read one, tap Try Again and take another.

Saying what help is wanted

Under What would you like help with?, choose one:

• Help with homework
• Explain this topic
• Find my mistakes

The Anything else? box is for something Kākā should know, for example “I don’t get step 3”. Then tap Check it.

Waiting for the answer

For a single question, Kākā’s first thoughts appear within a few seconds and the rest follows as it is written. A worksheet takes longer, because every question on it is read and marked.

If a check is still going after about 12 seconds, your child can tap Go Back and carry on with something else. A “Cheeky Check Ready” notification arrives when it is done, for a worksheet as well as a single question, unless Cheeky Check Ready is switched off in their notification settings. Tap it to open the check. If Kākā couldn’t read the photo, the notification says so instead. A check a parent runs for a child notifies the parent’s phone. Every check is also kept under Previous Snaps.

Each account has a daily limit on Kākā’s help, shared with hints and marking answers, that an ordinary day of homework doesn’t reach. If the app says “That’s all the Cheeky Checks for today. Come back tomorrow.”, it resets the next day.

Earlier checks

Past checks are kept under Previous Snaps on the Scan tab, labelled Single or Worksheet. Open one to go through it again.

To remove one, open it and tap the bin at the top, then Delete. You can also press and hold it in the list: on iPhone and iPad, tap Delete in the menu that appears, then Delete again to confirm; on Android, the Delete Snap box opens straight away, so tap Delete. A deleted check can’t be brought back.

Next: Reading what Kākā says back.