algebra – Page 3 – iLearn Technology

Lucky Star Game Show for SMART boards

October 8, 2010Kelly Tenkely2 Comments3254 views

What it is: Cyberchase is an animated math series on PBS Kids. Now, Cyberchase is making math even more fun with an interactive game show called Lucky Star. The game show is a free download for the SMART Notebook software. Lucky Star was designed for kids in 3rd-5th grade. The game show has kids competing for top scores while building important math skills. Lucky Star has 150 questions that focus on problem solving, algebraic thinking, number and operations, geometry, measurement, and more. The game show includes an on-screen think pad (a drop down area where students can work the problems with the pen. The game show also includes some great virtual manipulatives that students can interact with on the interactive whiteboard. Want more? Create your own questions tailored to your curriculum using the Cyberchase characters and props. You can customize the game for your students needs.

How to integrate Lucky Star into your curriculum: Lucky Star is a fun way for your students to practice math. The ability to create your own questions that are tailored to your math curriculum means that this is game can be used all year. The game show makes for a great math warm up to get those brains thinking math. Use Lucky Star as a fun class competition, split your students into teams for a little friendly math competition. Your students will love the game show feel that Lucky Star has. Any time I play games with my whole class, I really play it up. Act the part of Game Show host and get into the game with your students. Hold weekly competitions or semester long competitions to see who can get the top score. Hold a fun math themed party for all of the “contestants” at the end of the competition. When I taught second grade this meant bringing out all of the kids favorite math games and calling them by their class number all day instead of their names. To mix it up, I might call on student number 10 by saying “I need 5+5 to line up third in line”. It was a fun way to have fun with math and celebrate the hard work of all of my students.

Tips: I couldn’t get the Lucky Star Game Show download to open in ActivInspire (for Promethean) even using the Smart Notebook option. I also couldn’t get the download to open in SMART Notebook’s interactive viewer. If anyone has a trick or luck with either of these let me know and I’ll update the post accordingly!

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Lucky Star in your classroom!

MathMovesU

September 22, 2010Kelly Tenkely6 Comments2569 views

What it is: MathMovesU is an interactive virtual world where middle school students can interact with algebra, geometry, decimals, fractions, and word problems through topics they are passionate about like sports, music, and fashion. As students navigate through MathMovesU they will encounter math problems delivered through games, polls, and fun facts. The site is a great supplement to curriculum and will help students practice and improve their math skills in a fun, engaging manner.

How to integrate MathMovesU into the classroom: MathMovesU is an innovative approach to math practice that shows kids how math is used in real life. As students explore the MathMovesU virtual world they will collect points by discovering math and tracking solutions. This site truly encourages students to discover more, dig deeper and think critically about math. Start your own MathMovesU class competition for the school year where students work to earn the most points. MathMovesU is a great alternative to worksheet practice. It is best to use MathMovesU in a one to one scenario where each student has their own computer to work on. If a one to one experience isn’t possible, use classroom computers as a center. Throughout the year students can rotate through the center to earn points and practice.

Tips: MathMovesU needs a robust network, the site is highly interactive but can crawl if you have a lab full of students accessing it at once.

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

Kids Numbers

October 22, 2009Kelly Tenkely1 Comment1670 views

What it is: Kids Numbers is a website from the Kids Knowit Network (they also have spelling, biology, history, etc. sites). Kids Numbers is a free collection of resources for the math classroom. Math skills include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, telling time, mixed skills, geometry, and Algebra. When you select a skill to focus on, you will get a week by week break down of skills to practice and accompanying online games and activities. There are games to play and mini tutorials to go through that will teach the foundational skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Everything on Kids Numbers is research based and designed by teachers to increase your students math abilities.

How to integrate Kids Numbers into the classroom: I love the way the mini tutorials on Kids Numbers teach students foundational math skills. They are easy to follow along and perfect for your visual learners. Throughout the tutorial students are asked to participate by counting, sorting, etc. There are games aligned to each skill that act as a practice area for the skill. This is a great site to keep on your classroom computers as a math center year-round. Students can use Kids Numbers to learn new skills, review skills that have been taught, or practice skills that they are learning in the math classroom. Kids Numbers could be an excellent homework helper for students who are getting hung up on the basics and need a little extra help.

Tips: Kids Numbers does have advertisements on their pages. Help your students identify the advertisements and use this as a learning opportunity about what an ad is and what they are used for. Identify the differences between advertisement links and game and activity links on the site.

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

HippoCampus

October 22, 2009Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment1830 views

What it is: HippoCampus is a website with incredible vision. The goal is to provide high-quality multimedia content on general subjects to high school and college students free of charge. Subjects on HippoCampus include algebra, American government, biology, calculus, environmental science, physics, psychology, religions, statistics, and US history. Each of the subject has a large library of multimedia content from students to learn from. HippoCampus was designed as part of the Open Education Resources, a worldwide effort to make education available equitably to everyone. Each lesson includes multimedia lessons, the text of the lesson, and related resources. I believe the HippoCampus model will be the textbook of the future. Students are able to learn at their own pace, pausing, reviewing, and receiving instruction on demand.

How to integrate Hippo Campus into the classroom: HippoCampus has an incredible library of content for teaching and learning. Use the multimedia lessons in place of traditional textbooks or as a supplement to your current curriculum. Teachers can build their own HippoCampus homepage where students can access specific lessons targeted for them. You can even create custom announcements to be displayed to students. Although HippoCampus was designed with high school and college students in mind, many of the multimedia presentations could be used to teach middle school students as well.

Tips: HippoCampus uses Adobe Flash and QuickTime. Make sure that you have each on your computers before using HippoCampus.

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

iPlay Math Games

September 12, 2009Kelly Tenkely6 Comments3089 views

What it is: iPlay Math Games is an outstanding collection of printable math games for grades k-12. Math games can be searched by grade level or skill. These math games are printable pdf files and can be played with common items (dice, cards, and other manipulatives). iPlay Math Games helps students build math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percents, algebra, long division, measurement, graphing and exponents, problem solving, puzzles and games, geometry, probability, reasoning, logic, numeration, patterns, and counting.

How to integrate iPlay Math Games into the classroom: iPlay Math Games is an excellent collection of printable math games that can be downloaded and printed out for the classroom. Use these games as math center activities, and to reinforce math skills being learned. These games are a great way for students to practice math skills sans worksheet.

Tips: iPlay Math Games has not always been a free resource, take advantage of the new free status!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using iPlay Math Games in your classroom.

Lure of the Labyrinth

February 20, 2009Kelly Tenkely4 Comments2123 views

What it is: Lure of the Labyrinth is a interactive math game created by Fable Vision, MPT, and MIT. In the game underground monsters come to life as students plunge into a shadowy factory on a mission to rescue a missing pet. Students take on a monster persona and disguise themselves as monster insiders to maneuver through math problems. As students work through the game, they will work with proportions, fractions, ratios, variables, equations, numbers, and operations.

How to integrate Lure of the Labyrinth into the classroom: Lure of the Labyrinth can be played individually or in team play. This game is excellent for students who may not otherwise feel successful in math. The game encourages critical thinking and problem solving and is aligned to math standards. This would be a great way for students to work through problems and show what they know.

Tips: Be sure to stop off in the educator section on Lure of the Labyrinth for an explanation of the game, lesson plans, standards, and the math behind each puzzle that needs to be solved. With all of the resources and guidance, this is a fail proof game to introduce in your math class!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Lure of the Labryinth in your classroom.

Mathway: Step-by-Step Math Problem Solver

January 27, 2009Kelly Tenkely3 Comments8498 views

What it is: Mathway is a website that I initially didn’t appreciate. The site is a step-by-step problem solver and my immediate reaction was: so we will be helping students cheat? But, the more I explored the site, the more I saw its value. The beauty of Mathway is that it is not just a site where students enter an equation and get an answer, the site shows the process of getting to that answer. It shows them the step-by-step process of obtaining the correct answer. Mathway has a step-by-step problem solver for basic math, pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus. It also has a graph section and a math glossary.

How to integrate Mathway into the classroom: Mathway could be very valuable to students who have notebooks full of notes but get home to solve the problem and are still stumped. I like that it doesn’t just give students the final answer but leads them to the answer, showing them the process. This would also be very useful in a large class. If students are struggling with a problem, they can visit the math center (a computer with Mathway) instead of wasting time waiting for a teacher explanation.

Tips: Let parents know about , you will be saving them from the frustration of having to dig into the recesses of their mind to remember how to do some of this, and saving yourself from re-explaining the correct method after parents have guessed and taught students the wrong way.

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

Math TV

October 7, 2008Kelly Tenkely1 Comment2563 views

What it is: Math TV is a series of video word problems for math. Each math problem comes with a step by step video solution, follow up problems, an online calculator, and sketch pad. Word problems include topics such as fractions, percentages, ratios, probability, geometry, averages, and algebra. I would have been a completely different kind of math student if I had tools like this one in school. I could solve a math problem without any trouble but a word problem was a different story all together. I think for the majority of students, word problems are a source of anxiety and frustration. Math TV is an incredible solution, it is perfect for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. You can’t go wrong!

How to integrate Math TV into the classroom: Math TV is the perfect way to teach your students the method for solving both simple and complex word problems. Use the videos for whole class instruction with a projector (an interactive whiteboard would also be great for the problem solving portion but is not necessary). The videos are also perfect for individual student practice. Set up Math TV on a classroom computer to reinforce the math skills being practiced in class. Each student (or group of students) can take turns at the Math TV center to solve the problem. Come back together as a class after each student has had a chance to solve, and go through the problem together. I love the interactivity of this tool and the ability to reach multiple learning styles which can be difficult in a math class. As an alternative to the traditional math homework, assign a Math TV episode for your students to watch and solve.

Tips: The Math TV videos are a part of a larger math site called Math Playground. Because the site is so comprehensive, I’ll be breaking it down into a few separate posts. Stay tuned for other math videos, math games, word problems, and more!

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

Studio4Learning

September 12, 2008Kelly Tenkely1 Comment9808 views

What it is: Studio4Learning is a great site for students in fifth through twelfth grades. It provides students and teachers with free, high-quality videos that can be watched online. There are ten categories of videos to choose from Math, Sciences, English, Languages, Social Sciences, Business, Arts, Test Prep, Find a Job, and Tutor Corps. Each category is broken down into several sub categories. Videos are engaging and teach key skills and concepts in a fun way. Students can also use the sites search feature to search for a specific topic.

How to integrate Studio4Learning into the classroom: Students can use Studio4Learning as a place to stop for homework help and to learn or review concepts learned in class. Teachers can use Studio4Learning as a center, with a projector, or on individual student computers to illustrate new teaching or as a place where students can review information. Studio4Learning is free to use, if students register (also free) they can bookmark videos. Teachers can upload class topic videos to Studio4Learning, again free. (Are you seeing a theme here? It is all free!) As an added bonus, if you have a class website or blog, you can embed videos directly into your site for students to watch on any subject you are studying in class.

Tips: Browse through a couple of videos on the site, I know you will be hooked!

Leave a comment and share how you are using Studio4Learning in your classroom.

GeoGebra

April 7, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2012 views

What it is: I’m not generally one to get excited about math especially algebra, geometry, and *uggh* calculus. But, I think if I had access to a tool like GeoGebra I might have enjoyed them (or at least understood them) more. GeoGebra is a free dynamic geometry system that lets students complete constructions with points, vectors, segments, lines, conic sections, and functions and change them dynamically afterward. Equations and coordinates can also be entered directly; this means that GeoGebra has the ability to deal with variables for numbers, vectors and points, finds derivatives and integrals of functions and offers commands like Root or Extremum. (If you didn’t catch that you are not a high school math teacher *wink*). If you are a high school or college math teacher or know someone who is…that description just made you feel a little excited. GeoGebra is a free multi-platform download.

How to integrate GeoGebra into your curriculum: Use GeoGebra to help your students understand complicated or abstract math concepts. This software is amazing for your visual learners…again a reason this should have existed when I was in school! Allow your students to explore math concepts with this software and to practice their learning. You can also use GeoGebra to create dynamic math worksheets for your students. Very cool!

Tips: Make sure to check out the examples section for some great GeoGebra uses. You can also attend free online workshops to learn how to use GeoGebra. For some great ideas and further explanation of GeoGebra check them out on Wikipedia.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using GeoGebra in your classroom.