Math – Page 20 – iLearn Technology

Exploring the Secret Life of Trees

August 9, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment1890 views

What it is: Exploring the Secret Life of Trees is a neat interactive site for 3rd through 5th grade students designed to help them gain an appreciation of trees, observe trees in every day life, and develop an interest in learning more about trees. Students will learn about the basic parts of a tree and their functions. They will also learn about conservation and renewable and non-renewable sources.

How to integrate Exploring the Secret Life of Trees into the classroom: There are several suggestions for using the Secret Life of Trees site in the classroom. These activities meet objectives in science, math, fine arts, language arts, and social sciences. Use the Secret Life of Trees as an introduction to a larger unit about trees. The site can be used with an interactive whiteboard or projector with the whole class or as a center activity in the classroom.

Tips: If you fill out the Secret Life of Trees request form on the teacher page, they will send you a free Secret Life of Trees poster.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Exploring the Secret Life of Trees in your classroom.

Nota

August 9, 2009Kelly Tenkely2 Comments3183 views

What it is: Nota is an incredible online collaboration tool that allows students and teachers to collaborate almost instantaneously on a shared whiteboard space. Instantly create and share any kind of document, presentations, notebooks, report, artwork, etc.. Nota makes any type of document and media work together seamlessly. The Nota interface is extremelly intuitive, it is quick to learn and use. Materials can be shared and edited simultaneously making it a truly incredible collaborative experience. Materials can be uploaded or added from sites like Flickr, YouTube, Google Maps, Wikipedia, and more. The Nota drawing tools work with any media or document in Nota. Public or private notebooks can be created. Collaborate with one or a hundred people on Nota and create as many pages as you want. Finished work can be stored, printed, or embeded. Best of all Nota is totally free!

How to integrate Nota into the classroom: Nota is the ultimate in online collaboration. It reminds me a little bit of a glog but Nota goes way beyond Glogster in so many ways. Nota can be used to complete group projects between students. The instant collaborative abilities mean that students can see each group members contribution instantaneously. Imagine using Nota to work on difficult math problems, create science diagrams, compare and contrast historical figures, create a character sketch of a character from a classroom novel, etc.. The possibilities are endless for collaborative learning. Work on a common notebook for whole class projects where each student is responsible for a contribution to the Nota. Make interactive whiteboards a truly interactive experience by combining with Nota. Throughout teaching, have students add their new learning to a common Nota notebook. At the end of teaching, use the interactive whiteboard to view the Nota and add any additional information and resources to it. Print out or send the Nota to students as a study guide that they helped create. Nota creates an impressive mashup of media and documents and allows users to collaborate and combine knowledge. When students work together to construct knowledge, they end up with a greater, more complete understanding of material.

Tips: Nota works with any web browser making it ideal for the classroom setting where students may not have the same computing platforms or Internet browsers at home.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Nota in your classroom.

Pictogram Graph

August 9, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment1782 views

What it is: Most elementary math curricula include lessons on graphing with pictograms. This online version of the Pictogram Graph lets teachers and students create and learn about pictogram graphs in an interactive environment. The Pictogram Graph website makes it simple to add titles, descriptions, choose a picture and a color, choose what value each picture is worth, choose the number of rows/columns, and enter a value on the graph.

How to integrate Pictogram Graph into the classroom: This interactive website is a great way to teach graphing with pictures. Use Pictogram Graph with an interactive whiteboard for whole class graphing. This site would also make a great math center in the classroom. Groups of students can visit the center and graph collected values.

Tips: In addition to the Pictogram Graph site, there is a link at the bottom of the page to a farm animal pictogram which changes the look of the webpage. The farm animal pictogram would be ideal for the kindergarten and first grade classrooms.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Pictogram Graph in your classroom.

Tangram House

August 5, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment1785 views

What it is: I love tangram puzzles, so when I found Tangram House I was thrilled. This online version of the Chinese puzzle lets students select a puzzle to complete and work with 7 tans (shapes) to fill the puzzle. The tans can be rotated, flipped, and dragged into place. The puzzles can be completed online or downloaded for free as an offline game.

How to integrate Tangram House into the classroom: The format of this website would be appropriate for an interactive whiteboard activity. Split students into teams that will take turns at the board forming the tangrams. Encourage the students who are not at the board to help out with good directions and clues for the student working on the puzzle. This is a good way for kids to practice giving and receiving quality instructions and descriptions. Tangram House could also be used on classroom computers as a math learning center or individually in a computer lab setting.

Tips: Play online or download for free and play offline.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Tangram House in your classroom.

Ecybermission

August 4, 2009Kelly Tenkely1 Comment1680 views

What it is: Ecybermission is a free, web-based science, math, and technology competition for students in sixth through ninth grade sponsored by the US Army. Students compete in regional and national awards by working to solve problems in their community. The goal of the competition is to help students understand how science, math, and technology work in the world today. Each team needs 3 or 4 student members. The team members must register and join the team by December 18, 2009. Each team also needs 1 adviser this could be a teacher, coach, club leader, etc that is at least 21 years old. There are four mission challenges that a team can choose from: sports and recreation, 2009-2010 scenario challenge, environment, or health and safety. Students will research the problem they are seeking to address, write a hypothesis, and conduct experiments. An online Team-Talk allows students to meet with each other online using discussion forums, chat rooms, and instant messaging. Students can answer questions in an online mission folder that allows them to attach files such as photographs, survey questions, or a website. At the end of the competion the mission folder is submited (before February 26, 2010).

How to integrate Ecybermission into the classroom: Why not make Ecybermission a portion of your schools science fair? Students could gather into teams competing in the competion, solving real-world problems. My guess is that this competition would be a much richer learning experience than the typical volcanoes, and planet mobiles that usually show up to science fairs. As students work to solve a problem, they will build communication, collaboration, innovation, critical thinking and scientific process skills.

Tips: Get your students signed up today, registration is open from now until December 18, 2009. I would think the more time you can provide your students the better! Need an added bonus? Any team that registers with Ecybermission gets Brian Pop for free!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Ecybermission in your classroom.

Virtual Spirograph

June 29, 2009June 30, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment3004 views

What it is: Remember Spirographs? I had a set that could keep me busy for hours. As I was searching back through websites to align with curriculum, I found the virtual Spirograph on Math Playground. Virtual Spirograph lets your students determine colors, pen positions, and the radius of the circles. Students can then draw the Spirograph adding layers. One of the best features of this fun site is the “where’s the math” button that shows a break down of the math involved in the spirograph activity.

How to integrate Virtual Spirograph into the classroom: Virtual Spirograph is a great way to teach practical (and fun) math. Students will learn about epicycloids and what happens when they adjust radius and reflector placements. Virtual Spirograph will help students visualize difficult math concepts and create fun artwork in the process. This is a great site to introduce with an interactive whiteboard or projector. Students can take turns adjusting the pen position and radii. Encourage other students in the class to predict what the epicycloids will look like based on the radii chosen and the pen position. Then click draw and discuss what actually happened. Virtual Spirograph can be set up as a math center for students to visit in the one or two computer classroom. Students can visit the center in small groups and take turns predicting the outcome as a partner adjusts the pen position and radii.

Tips: The Virtual Spirograph relies on a flash player, make sure you have one before using this site with students.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Virtual Spirograph in your classroom.

Arcademic Skill Builders

June 23, 2009Kelly Tenkely2 Comments3344 views

What it is: Arcademic Skill Builders are educational games that help students learn basic academic math and literacy skills. The games are all research-based and standards-aligned. This site blends the fun of arcade games and key educational skills into fun online games that engage, motivate, and teach students. All games are free to play and have the option of multi-player or single player games.

How to integrate Arcademic Skill Builders into the classroom: Arcademic Skill Builders has games that will help students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, ratios, and language arts word skills. These games can be used as a center in the classroom during math or literacy. They can also be used with the whole class in a computer lab setting. I look forward to the addition of the student tracking so that teachers can see trends in student learning and differentiate instruction and practice accordingly. These games will help excite your students about learning while building important basic learning skills.

Tips: Arcademic Skill Builders has plans to add features that will allow students to save records, teachers to differentiate instruction through the games, and pinpoint students problem areas.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Arcademic Skill Builders in your classroom.

Number Nut

June 19, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment1893 views

What it is: Number Nut is a site all about math. I love their catch phrase: “enough math can make anyone nutty”. This site certainly has enough math for that! Topics on Number Nut include: shapes and colors, numbers and counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, order of operations, dates and times, fractions, decimals, percent values, estimation and rounding, ratios, and money math. There is something for every math class here! Each topic gives an overview of the math concept (kind of like the break down students would find at the beginning of a new math chapter). This is followed by two interactives where students can practice their new found knowledge. Number Nut is standard aligned and has a great math glossary.

How to integrate Number Nut into the classroom: Number Nut is truly like an interactive math textbook, there are multiple pages for each concept and each page is followed by two interactive practice areas. I love this as an alternative to math textbooks because students get immediate feedback as they work. They know whether they have mastered the concept or need to keep working at it. With traditional math textbooks, a student doesn’t know if they understand a concept until they turn in their math worksheet and get it back a few days later full of red marks. Number Nut is good for teaching new math concepts on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Students can read along as you explain and demonstrate new math concepts. Then, students can practice on their own. Ideally, Number Nut would be used in a computer lab setting where every student is using a computer. This would allow students to work at their own pace and on the skills they need the most practice on. Number Nut could also be used as a math center where students take turns visiting and solving problems.

Tips: I learned about Number Nut from a tweet by @kellyhines she is full of great classroom resources and one of my favorite education follows! Number Nut does require flash so make sure that you have the appropriate flash plugins before using this site with your class.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Number Nut in your classroom.

3D Vinci

June 19, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment15882 views

What it is: 3-D Vinci is a math website that has a great free resources page for math teachers. The site has downloadable pdf lesson plans for using Google’s SketchUp to teach math concepts using designs such as tessilations. For students in grades k-12 3D Vinci has puzzles and mosaics that can be printed and solved. 3D Vinci has a YouTube channel where students can watch several ModelMetricks projects.

How to integrate 3D Vinci into the classroom: 3D concepts can be hard to grasp through 2D methods of instruction. Textbooks are especially difficult to learn 3D concepts in because there is no interaction. 3D Vinci is a great website for bringing 3D concepts to life for students. Not only can they print and interact with math in 3D, they can also learn how to create in 3D using Google’s Sketchup. This is a great way to grab students attention and excite them about math. Using Google Sketchup gives students a real-world connection to math concepts that you are teaching in class.

Tips: The site is set to add more resources sometime in June and will be co-managed with one of the leading online communities for math teachers.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using 3D Vinci in your classroom.

The Stock Market Game

June 16, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2116 views

What it is: The Stock Market Game gives students the chance to practice hands on real-world math. Each student gets the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in an on-line portfolio. While playing the game, students learn economic and financial concepts that they will use the rest of their lives. The Stock Market Game is intended for students in 4-12 grades. Teachers can register teams of 3 to 5 students. Teachers can register for a FREE team, teachers who want to test out the game before using with their students can register for a FREE teacher team. The cost for actually participating is $10 per team. When teams register they will receive all game materials, state standards that are reached with the Stock Market Game, The math behind the market (units covering math concepts using the Stock Market Game), standards-based lesson plans using the local newspaper, two newspapers per team (Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday), daily accessiblity and support to the Stock Market Game coordinator and staff, an online learning resource center with teaching activities for various grade levels, and a free teacher team. If you do decide to register students as a team, that $10 stretches far!

How to integrate Stock Market Game into the classroom: Students constantly question how they will use math concepts in real life. The Stock Market Game will give them a window into real-life use of mathematics. Students will also gain valuable life skills that they can use outside of school, I wish that I had learned the basics of the stock market in the safety of the classroom using virtual money instead of actual money my first go round!

Tips: Prizes are awarded for winning teams, be sure to look into this soon if you plan on using in your classroom…there is some pre-preparation required.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using The Stock Market Game in your classroom.