Category: Math

ActivInspire

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on ActivInspire20198 views

 

What it is:  ActivInspire is a new software from Promethean that is free!  The free edition is a ‘personal’ license that can be used by anyone.  The ActivInspire software works with ANY interactive whiteboard (SMART, Mimio, Wiimote Whiteboard, eBeam, etc.)  and even for those of you who do not have an interactive whiteboard, use the software with just a computer and projector!  The Promethean Planet website has thousands of lessons and resources that are free to access and can be used with ActivInspire to engage your students.  ActivInspire has two launch options, the first is to launch in Primary function.  In Primary, ActivInspire is very user friendly for primary elementary students.  The second option is to launch in Studio with tools that are perfect for older students.  ActivInspire works on Windows, Mac, and Linux based machines.  Some of the goodies in ActivInspire include interactive protractors, rulers, clocks, grids, and more.  New power tools include intelligent shapes and handwriting recognition.  There are themed templates for fast and easy lesson building.  ActivInspire supports flash files that can be embeded in Flipchart lessons.  ActivInspire can open SMART and PowerPoint files, making it quick and easy to pick up any lesson and improve it.

How to integrate ActivInspire into the classroom:  ActivInspire is software that can keep students engaged in any lesson in your curriculum.  The software is incredibly intuitive and makes it easy to create amazing interactive lessons.  The lessons (flipcharts) can be saved and shared among colleagues.  Begin building a library of interactive lessons for your students.  Be sure to visit Promethean Planet for thousands of ready made (FREE) flipcharts and activities to use with the ActivInspire software.  

 

Tips:  To see the possiblities of the ActivInspire software, take a look at Flipcharts created by the developers of ActivInspire.  Promethean also has a great set of support tutorials that will have you up and running in no time! 

 

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

Number Gym

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Number Gym3920 views

Number Gym is math software that can be purchased for the math classroom.  However, they have a number of free online activities (examples of their software) that are perfect in the math classroom.  I want to review each of these freebie mini-math games:

Exploring Fractions

What it is:   Exploring Fractions is an interactive way for students to learn about fractions.  Students see the fractions represented graphically and numerically.  As students change the numerator and denominator of the fraction, they see the graphic change accordingly.

How to integrate Exploring Fractions into the classroom:  Exploring Fractions is a great interactive site to teach your students about fractions.  This is a wonderful website to use with an interactive whiteboard for whole class fraction instruction.  Invite students up to the whiteboard to take turns adjusting the numerator and denominator of the fractions.  Have students observe the graphic changes taking place and describe the changes as a class.  Exploring Fractions is also very useful as a math center on the classroom computers.  As students are learning about fractions, they can visit the computer as a visual manipulation center.

 

Tips:  All parts of the Exploring Fractions website can be hidden (hide the numerator, denominator, or graphic).  This is a nice feature for having students “fill in” the missing information.

 

Mr G’s Place Value Chart

What it is:   Mr G’s Place Value Chart is a great mini-site to teach students about place values.  The chart has a thousands, hundreds, tenths, and ones column.  Students can drag counters up and down the chart to create numbers.  Every portion of the Place Value Chart can be hidden from view depending on what you are using the chart for.

How to integrate Mr G’s Place Value Chart into the classroom:  The Place Value Chart is an excellent visual manipulative to teach students about place value.  Each time a student moves a counter, the number at the top of the screen adjusts accordingly.  Use the Place Value Chart to teach your whole class with an interactive whiteboard.  Call students one at a time to adjust the number with counters.  Encourage students who are at their seats to observe how the numbers change.  Hide the number at the top and have students move counters and say what the number is aloud as a class.  This is also a great mini-site to set up as a math center in the one or two computer classroom.  As students are working on place value, they can visit the math center for a visual manipulative.  

 

Tips:  Hide the columns that are not being used to teach with so students aren’t confused by all the ‘extras’.  

Bond Builder

What it is:   Bond Builder is a mini-game that gives students a ‘dot spotter’ that looks like a dice, students add the numbers on the dot spotter and drag it to the correct sum on a dial.  They are timed as they drag the dot spotter cards to the correct location.

How to integrate Bond Builder into the classroom:  Bond Builder is a fun basic addition or counting reinforcement game. This game could be played as a center activity in the one or two computer classroom or whole class with an interactive whiteboard.  See who can get the fastest time and practice those addition facts at the same time!  

 

Tips:  There are two levels of dot spotters (really just different sets of dot spotter cards).

 

 

Table Extender

What it is:   Table Extender is a multiplication game that gives students a challenging multiplication problem and asks them to drag the problem on top of the correct answer.  Students are timed as they go through the various challenges.

How to integrate Table Extender into the classroom:   Table Extender is a  good way to get students practicing their multiplication.  It makes them think quickly and attempt to beat their own fastest times.  Split students into teams and take turns sending students to the interactive whiteboard to solve the problems.  This mini-game would also make for good practice as a computer center in the classroom.  

 

Tips:  There are three different levels of Table Extender for students to work on.

Getting to Grips with Graphs: Trigonometry

What it is:   Getting to Grips with Graphs: Trigonometry lets students explore the equation y=aSin(bx*+c*) through adjustments to a, b, and c in graphical form.

How to integrate Getting to Grips with Graphs: Trigonometry into the classroom:   This mini-site is a wonderful visual representation of Sin.  Students can adjust a, b, and c and watch the affect of changing numbers on a graph.  Use an interactive whiteboard and call students up to change the values of a, b, and c.  Encourage other students to observe and describe the changes of each value that is adjusted.

 

Tips:  The scale of the graph can be changed to fit your classroom needs.

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

Fliggo

Kelly Tenkely4 Comments on Fliggo2451 views

 

What it is:  Ever wish you could create your own video sharing site?  Fliggo is your answer.  Create a video sharing site in under 5 minutes easily!  Sharing student created videos on YouTube is not always an option in the school system.  YouTube may be blocked, you may have concerns about other video content, or the related videos that are presented to your students may be inappropriate.  Fliggo is the answer.  You can create a video sharing site for your school complete with school logo.  Fliggo gives you control over who can post videos, who can comment, and how videos are approved.  Fliggo is simple enough to use with elementary students!

How to integrate Fliggo into the classroom:  Fliggo is the perfect place to upload student created video.  I have students turn every Keynote presentation into a video so that we can share it online.  Students love sharing their work with the world.  I get emails from parents, grandparents, and other family members about how excited they are to see what their kids are working on in school.  This is an awesome way to showcase student work.  Students can comment on other student work encouraging an authentic classroom community.  Fliggo is easy enough for elementary students to upload their own videos if you choose to allow member uploaded video.  In my classroom, students create commercials on a variety of topics.  I like using commercials because students understand their purpose (to advertise), they are short, and they quickly get the point across.  Students have created commercials in my classroom for a multiude of subjects and topics.  

 

Tips:  I love the idea of creating a school “YouTube” type site, your students and parents will love it too!

 

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

Math Doodles

Kelly Tenkely5 Comments on Math Doodles2660 views

 

What it is:  Math Doodles is a set of math games created by Daren Carstens that help students learn the most important aspect of math…it can be fun!  Daren created Math Doodles as a place where students can “discover the joy, wonder, and fun of mathematics.”  I have to admit that I would not have classified math as a “fun” subject.  However, I think that math can and should be a fun time of exploration and learning for students.  Math Doodles provides this place.  Kids can interact with math by playing games like Connect the Sums, Number Jump, Polyomino Shift, Double Traits, Sums Stacker, Hydro Maze, Time Shuffle, and Angel Fish (coming soon).  These games encourage students to interact with math and learning….and they are a lot of fun too!

How to integrate Math Doodles into the classroom:   Math Doodles is a collection of amazing games for elementary school students.  Students will learn through play (the best way!)  Math Doodles would be an excellent math center in the one or two computer classroom.  Students could play the games in teams or individually.  In the lab setting students could work on skills specific to their individual learning needs in the math classroom.  Math Doodles could also be used with an interactive whiteboard for whole class participation.  Split your class into teams and take turns solving the games.  Math Doodles games would be a fun way to start math class as a pre-thinking activity.  

 

Tips:  Right now Math Doodles games are only available in Demo version (since this version is free to use that suits me well!), but it looks like eventually the full version of each game will be available for purchase. 

 

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

Lure of the Labyrinth

Kelly Tenkely4 Comments on Lure of the Labyrinth2483 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.

Jeopardy Labs

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on Jeopardy Labs4075 views

What it is:  Jeopardy Labs is an awesome website that lets you build a Jeopardy game board without the use of Power Point!  All that you have to do to start is enter a password so that others can’t edit your game.  Then it is as simple as titling it, typing in categories and then entering questions and answers.  This is really SO easy to use!  You can also search through Jeopardy games created by others.  You won’t be able to edit these but you may find a ready made game that fits your needs perfectly.  Jeopardy Labs was created by Matt Johnson, an undergraduate at WSUV.  Impressive!

How to integrate Jeopardy Labs into the classroom:   Jeopardy Labs is a great way to review and practice class material in a fun, engaging way.  Use Jeopardy Labs to help your kids study for a test, to review a unit, or just as a fun learning activity on a Friday afternoon.  In the computer lab, I have used Jeopardy as a way to teach students how to perform searches.  Students can Google the questions and the first team to find the correct answer wins the points.  

 

Tips:  Before you reinvent the wheel, browse through other Jeopardy games…someone may have already done the work for you!

 

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

World Math Day 2009

Kelly Tenkely4 Comments on World Math Day 20093675 views

What it is:  World Math Day is March 4, 2009!  If you participated in World Math Day last year with the World Math Day website, you know how motivating and fun it was.  If not, this is your year to join in the fun!  Students play against other students in countries around the world in real time mental arithmetic games.  Each game lasts for 60 seconds.  Students can play as many games as they want to.  When you sign up your class, you will choose the level of difficulty based on age and ability.   World Math Day is best for students who are 5 to 18 years old (k-12!).   There are even prizes awarded including student prizes, and school prizes for highest achievers.  Registration for World Math Day is open (and free), your students can start practicing right now!

 

How to integrate World Math Day into the classroom:  World Math Day was one of the highlights of math class last year.  The students who participated had a great time competing against other students from around the world.  I have never seen students so excited to practice math facts and many asked, “can we do this at home too?”  How often do you get students asking for more math practice at home?!  Get your students excited about competing on March 4 and start practicing now.  If you have one or two computers in the classroom you can set up a training center.  Reserve a computer lab during math class to practice as a class.  You can also split your class into teams of 3 to complete the 60 second games using a projector or interactive whiteboard.  You will not believe how motivating this site is for students!

 

Tips:  This is an amazing development, World Math Day 2009 is available on the iPhone and iPod Touch!!!  Woot, woot! Students can join in the fun of the practice period and work on their skills against other students before the big day. 

 

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

Mathway: Step-by-Step Math Problem Solver

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on Mathway: Step-by-Step Math Problem Solver9236 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.

Splat Square

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Splat Square13495 views

What it is:  Splat Square is one of those very simple websites that you will end up using weekly in your math classroom.  Splat Square is a 100 grid that starts out blank.  There are different ‘splat’ colors on the right side of the screen.  Choose a color and then click on the square, ‘splat’, the number is revealed with a splatter of colored paint.  The interactive grid is wonderful for several applications in the math classroom.

 

How to integrate Splat Square into the classroom: Splat Square is perfect for use with an interactive whiteboard.  Teach students to count by 2, 5, 10, etc. by ‘splatting’ those spaces as you count aloud as a class.  Teach students the difference between odd and even numbers by color coding the 100 grid, prime numbers, skip counting, and ordinal counting can also be practiced with Splat Square.  This is a great grid to use with the whole class with the students interacting with the grid on an interactive whiteboard.  It can be used as a interactive math help center or individually in a lab setting.  I like using the grid for whole class math games, I call out what rule I want the teams to follow and they can take turns at the board.  

 

Tips:  Share this one with parents, it can be a big help for your visual learners during math homework. 

 

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

Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes10045 views

What it is:  I ran across this site yesterday as I was searching for a Geometry site for a teacher.  Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes is a great website for students to learn about 3D shapes, surface area and volume, Euler’s theorem, and platonic solids.  Each section gives students an interactive environment where they can manipulate 3D objects as they learn.  In the surface and area section, students can learn how to calculate area of a 3D object and then have an interactive space to practice calculating the area of 3D objects.  At the end of the site there is a place where students can put their knowledge to the test and apply what they have learned.  This is an outstanding alternative to learning from a text book.  The Interactives site gives students what a text book can’t, interaction with 3D shapes and the ability to rotate and manipulate the shapes.  Throughout the site, math words are highlighted in red, students can click on these words and are taken to a glossary that defines the word for them.  

 

How to integrate Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes into the classroom: Use the Interactives Geometry 3D Shape site to introduce 3D shapes, area, Euler’s Theorem, and platonic solids to your students.  This is a great way for your students to learn geometry, especially 3D geometry, in an environment where they can interact with and manipulate 3D shapes.  This site could be used with a projector, interactive whiteboard, as a math center in the one computer classroom, or individually in a lab setting.  Use the interactive portions with an interactive whiteboard to manipulate shapes for students to see as you are teaching new concepts about 3D shapes.  This would be a wonderful site to point your students to for geometry homwork help, students can use it to model and define concepts they may find difficult as they work.  

 

Tips: The Test Your Skills section gives students 15 problems to complete that are accompanied by photos, illustrations, or animations.  I wish my geometry tests looked like this!  I am such a visual person, I think I would have been so much more successful.

 

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