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Mathigon: engage, play, and explore math

July 11, 2017Kelly Tenkely4 Comments71591 views

Mathigon explore, engage, play with math

What it is: Today I was working on our inquiry block framework for the 2017/2018 school year and, as often happens with inquiry, fell down a wonderful rabbit hole that led me to this site. Mathigon is a fantastic *newish* math site (it’s still being built and added to) that brings textbooks to life. I know you’ve probably seen this claim before, but this is unlike the other online interactive textbooks I’ve seen. It’s more…alive. It’s like a personalized tutor, combined with story, and exploration. Really, textbook is the wrong word, because this is something totally new. A chat bot tutor makes Mathigon like having an additional team of teachers in the room, ready to answer questions and support your learners in real time. Real life application and narrative is part of the Mathigon DNA. This means that beyond learning the “rules” of math, learners are actually invited to engage the concepts, play with them, explore them in context, and find out what other concepts they are linked to. Rather than a linear approach, Mathigon lets students explore math in a more organic way through interest, linked ideas/concepts, and in a ‘down the rabbit hole’ approach. There are very few math sites that I’ve come across that truly support an inquiry approach to learning math, Mathigon is one such site.

How to integrate Mathigon into your classroom: There are several ways to use Mathigon. Students can get a personalized math curriculum that adapts to them and offers recommendations based on what they are interested in and their understanding of different concepts. They can begin from several places: exploring the applications of math in every day life, the link between math and origami, Eureka Magazine (published by Cambridge University), through problems and puzzles, through fractal fiction, or through courses for grades 6-college.

The Treasure Hunt is a complete PDF Kit that can be downloaded and printed out. Split your students into teams and send them on an epic math treasure hunt through your school (available in primary and secondary levels) where each of the clues leads them to another.

Fractal fiction is particularly cool because it lets students explore mathematical concepts through interactive narrative of popular films including Alice in Wonderland, Oceans 11, and Harry Potter (the latter two are coming soon). You really have to go experience these to really understand the brilliance of how Mathigon has combined story with math exploration. From the site: “The key to successful teaching is captivating storytelling – through real life applications, curious examples, historic background, or even fictional characters. These interactive slideshows combine an engaging narrative with beautiful graphics – explaining mathematical ideas in the context of popular stories and movies. They can be watched individually or be presented in classrooms.”

I cannot say enough about how impressed I am with the vastness of what this site brings to the classroom. Even if you don’t have the capacity for each of your students to have an account with Mathigon, the site can be easily adapted for the one computer classroom (as a center activity). Much of the content could also be explored as a whole class with a projector-connected computer.

Tips: I’ve found that really well done content for grades 6-12 (and beyond) in math to be severely lacking. This is a welcome addition to the math teachers tool box of resources!

MobyMax: Tablet + help differentiating instruction

December 8, 2014December 8, 2014Kelly Tenkely11 Comments5742 views

It’s always nice when new toys show up in the mail to review. Especially when they promise to help make your program more tailored to the individual, that I really like!

What it is: MobyMax is more than just a tablet, it is a complete system that helps you identify areas of strength and weakness that your students might have through placement testing, progress monitoring, assessments, and IEP reporting; has practice for kindergarten through eighth grade mathematics, fact fluency, number sense, reading, language, literature skills, informational skills, writing, vocabulary, and state test prep. MobyMax also includes “Power Tools” acting like a clicker, monitoring behavior, messaging, a social wall for students, a parent portal, manipulatives and time reports. Students can earn prizes and badges as they work through MobyMax and can set their own daily goals.

Each student gets their very own learning plan with MobyMax with the adaptive curriculum. Students who are struggling get the extra exposure and help they need, while students who are ready to move on are challenged appropriately.

One of the things that I really appreciate about MobyMax is the mix of direct instruction and the ability for students to discover learning on their own through discovery-based instruction. As a teacher, the continuous progress monitoring makes formative instruction that much easier. Because MobyMax is based on the Common Core, you can analyze data based on standards, student, class, school, or even district.

The MobyMax tablet is $69!! It has a 7” screen and runs on Android 4.2. The battery life is 5 hours and should last most of your school day without a re-charge. Wifi and speakers are built-in and there is headphone input so that your students can use MobyMax Tablet independently without disturbing others.

How to Integrate MobyMax into your classroom: One of my favorite MobyMax features: it reads each question/problem/challenge for students so that your remedial or ESL students have an additional layer of support. Really helpful when you are working to meet the needs of a lot of different students! While MobyMax focuses mostly on the Understand/Knowledge levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, it is a really fantastic (and reasonably priced) way for your students to gain math and reading fluency practice. Each step of the way they are supported and challenged as needed thanks to the adaptive technology built-in!

MobyMax is reasonably priced enough that even if your classroom doesn’t have classroom computers, you could have several Moby Tablets. The MobyMax tablet would be a fantastic center where students can work on building skills independently. While you work one-on-one with students, other students can use MobyMax to keep moving forward with support. With class-sizes as out of control as they are, this is HUGE. The MobyMax tablet runs on Android which means in addition to all of the great MobyMax curriculum, your students also have access to all of the happiness that Android brings. Web browsers for research, additional apps, file saving etc.

In a 1-1 setting, MobyMax would be a great place for your students to interact and build a digital class community (practicing digital citizenship, communication, and building class culture). If you allow your students to take the MobyMax home for additional support/practice, you could forever banish worksheets from your classroom. Really! The feedback you get is fantastic and auto-magically adjusts to meet each individuals needs for practice and support.

At Anastasis, we are a 1-1 iPad setting, this works really well for us, but we also have a population where we can request a device in a BYOD situation. Many of you don’t have that luxury, MobyMax would be a fantastic solution in a lot of ways! Not only do your students now have a device, but they also get a robust math and reading fluency platform that enhances learning as aligned to the Common Core Standards. It’s like getting an extra set (or 20) of hands! Students who don’t have great support systems at home, now can continue learning independently. Really happy!

One of our struggling students (happens to be dyslexic) has a broken iPad and used the MobyMax for the last two weeks in his 7th grade year. “I miss my camera, but I really like the way it let’s me practice and read with it so that I don’t miss anything important on my own. They should make apps for the iPad so I can get the best of both worlds. Overall, I think it has saved me the last two weeks!”

The one thing I wished for in the tablet was a camera. At Anastasis, our learning portfolios are digital. We take a lot of pictures of non-digital work for those portfolios! However, at $69 it is hard to find too much fault, camera or no!

Tips: You can WIN a MobyMax Tablet of your very own. Leave a comment below before December 15 about how you would put MobyMax to work in your classroom. On December 15th I’ll put your names in a random draw and one of you will get a happy surprise for your classroom! Make sure to include your correct email address in your comment so that I can be in touch with you!

Happy Monday!

Wonder how we individualize learning every day at Anastasis? Join us for 5-Sigma Edu Con in February!

iKnow Social Learning

December 4, 2008Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment2441 views

What it is: Wow, I just spent two hours playing on and reviewing this site and could have spent the rest of my day here! iKnow Social Learning is a social networking study tool created by Cerego in Japan. The site brings social networking to studying and learning in a really inventive way. Students (or you) sign up and are asked what languages you know, and what languages you want to learn. Then you are led through a short questionnaire about your interests. Study recommendations are made based on the questionnaire. Courses are available to enroll in (all free) to help you study and learn. The courses are created by Cerego and its partners or by other users. After logging in and filling out the introductory information, you are taken to a personal homepage. The homepage shows courses that you are enrolled in, your profile, friends, progress, a message center, and any items created by you. Courses are personalized language learning tools. Courses are geared for learning English and Japanese with more languages coming soon. Current English courses created by Cerego include vocabulary development, and SAT study prep. Courses created by users include everything from introduction to binary to the first presidential debate speech. There are three modes of study options for each course. The iKnow study section says the word aloud, gives the definition, and part of speech (if applicable to the course) and then uses the word in a sentence, and gives students the opportunity to practice spelling the word. After the study session, students are quizzed on the vocabulary. The next study section is called Dictation. In this section a sentence using the vocabulary is said aloud, students type the sentence (using correct spelling) as it is said. This is great for memorization, spelling, and those typing skills. The last study section is called Flash Study and provides students with a beat the clock type game to improve speed and accuracy. The current provided courses are appropriate for intermediate English language learners, and high school and college students. However, iKnow allows for users to create courses (called lists). With the ability to create lists, the iKnow study site could be used as early as second or third grade and up. As a teacher, you can create lists for your students to study based on your curriculum. The lists are very simple to create and you can attach sound, video, and images from Flickr Creative Commons (integrated) or upload your own images. Students have access to all courses they have enrolled in, an online journal, and their study results. Each course shows who created the course or list, the level of study, the number of items to learn in the course, the recommended length of study, and the privacy setting on the course. After a student enrolls in the course, their progress is tracked to provide students with exactly the practice they need. iKnow has the capability of connecting and integrating with other social networking platforms like Twitter, Skype, Delicious and Facebook (and a substantial list of others!) The high school, college, and professional age group will appreciate the integration capabilities. As you can tell by the length of this post, I am extraordinarily impressed with this site and the study options it opens up for students (and teachers!).

How to integrate iKnow Social Learning into the classroom: iKnow Social Learning is the best study tool I have seen in a while! I love the way that it encourages students to study together, challenge each other, and create solid study habits. iKnow Social Learning is an amazing way to learn and taps into multiple learning styles with each study session. Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners will all benefit from this site! Because teachers can create lists (courses) of study, you can create interactive study guides for your students based on your curriculum. The current courses on iKnow Social Learning are too difficult for the elementary and middle school crowd. I created a list of my own for third grade vocabulary, it was simple to put together and students would benefit from the properly leveled guide. Younger students may not use the social aspect of the site as much, but the study options would be perfect for creating and setting up on a classroom computer, as a center or to use with students in a computer lab setting, or even just to suggest for home use. The layout of the study sessions makes it ideal for vocabulary words, math vocabulary (or expanded notation), history facts, spelling practice, learning a foreign language, and science vocabulary. I think that iKnow Social Learning would also be a great place for PLN (professional learning networks) to challenge each other, collaborate, and learn. Personally, I think with this setup I could know Italian by Christmas 🙂 This is a really incredible tool, I can’t say enough about it!

Tips: Right now the language options for iKnow are English and Japanese but Cerego has just opened up development for 188 additional languages, many more language options will be available shortly. Sign up for an account today (you can even sign in with your Google or Yahoo account) to check out my course called 3rd Grade Vocabulary. You can also add me as a friend: ktenkely. My warning to you, this is addictive learning!

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using iKnow Social Learning in your classroom.