Here is a list of a few internet resource that will probably be helpful for me in my education practice.
This unique math
program has a lot to offer yet it is not at all perfect. The greatest benefit
may be that it redefines the term “worksheet.” For this site, a worksheet is a
working multimedia document that can be manipulated. For example, the worksheet
for sums of angles in a triangle shows a triangle and the measure of each
angle. Also, it adds up the angles to show that they add up to 180
degrees. Once displayed, teachers and
students can use the mouse to change the angles in the triangle however they like
(within the parameters, of course, that it remains a triangle) and can check
that the angles all add up to 180 degrees. This could be very valuable in
solidifying that relationship for students and I could carry it out as a form
of lab, much simpler than the tedious way of using a protractor to measure
angles of a triangle that has been constructed using a compass. Although they
are important skills for students to learn, using mathdisk , in this case, would help teachers concentrate on that
one isolated issue thus making it easier-and faster-to learn.
One of the great
features of this online program is that it uses mathematical notation just like
students would see on the chalkboard or in their textbooks. Further, they can
use that notation in a fairly benign environment and in a sense get the hang of
how that works through simple examples. Not to mention that the students could
create as many examples as they’d like to persuade them to remember.
A large pitfall
appears to be that there are not many worksheets readily available, that is,
already designed by members to the site. This translates into teachers spending
quite a bit of time designing their own worksheets. However, at least the
structure is there already for taking on such a task. Further, once that
community develops more, there will be more worksheets available. Finally, the
program would take a bit of exploration on the teacher’s part and a bit of
training for the students to use.
2
This wonderful
site offers a number of services. Mainly, it seems to provide teachers with a
fairly large online community of colleagues. As such, there are many groups to
belong to depending on the teacher’s focus area. I might be working extra hard
for a time on my classroom management, for example. Well, on edutopia, I could find a group to belong
to and within that group resides plentiful information on classroom management.
Further, many discussions and conversations are posted there. This is good because I could seek help, ask
questions, or even seek clarity if I wish. There are also quite a few more
technically-minded writings as well as reports and the like. The site is
organized fairly efficiently for teachers and allows teachers a good bit of
information absolutely free. But a drawback is that, having so much
information, it can almost seem overwhelming at times. And another drawback,
like so many similar sites, is that you must sign in to use the resources. I
see the number of sites I’m signed up for going up, up, and away. It’s WAY too
much for me to remember all those usernames and passwords. I guess I just have
to find a way to do so like writing them down.
3
Wolfram Alpha at first glance appears to
be definition oriented, higher level search engine. If that definition, you can
seek an even more detailed version. This process will generally be a bit over
students’ heads. However, for teachers this can be an invaluable resource in
making connection and better understanding the topic they may be teaching. In
the example above, the slope of a line as well as that of curves is defined.
Additionally, slope is defined in other cases such as curves with parameters
and as an angle as opposed to the “standard” distance one. Further, like
topics, keywords, and resources (both internet and print) are displayed for
those interested to investigate further.
The site also provides a multitude of tools that educators can use to
illuminate such topics. It could also be a good spot to get started in
researching a particular mathematical topic. In summary, although this site
provides highly detailed information, it will most likely be too much for
students (unless given much support), but it can be especially helpful to
educators.
4
Cool Math is truly a site that makes
math cool! The site opens up a wide array of options from teachers’ lesson
plans to fun math-oriented games. On the teaching side, there are nice little
lessons and units that students can work through to supplement their lessons.
These lessons vary from elementary arithmetic all the way through precalculus.
They are short and sweet, which makes the material much more understandable for
students. But, because of that, it should not take the place of the textbook,
which is crucial for students to learn how to read. Also, each lesson is
presented in an appealing way thus helping to engage the student. Also, the
site provides other great resources to students for other subjects and for such
stuff as math anxiety. The games also give teachers an opportunity to give
students a fun, engaging way to practice the material outside of problem sets,
the textbook, and other pure academic lessons. So, all in all, this site is a
wonderful aid for classroom instruction and learning.
5
Unfortunately, I
could not really use or explore the realworldmath.org
website. On the surface, it appears to be a great website with a couple
dozen different types of math and problems that people face in the real world.
The website mentions that most of the lessons use primarily technology, which
is great. Yet, at the same time, I definitely would be more reluctant to use
the site because it is strong on technology. Also, it uses a very different
format for downloading (i.e., kmz files). I would definitely have to figure out
ways around those obstacles to make it work. However, I really like their
integrated approach: the math problems are not just math problems but involve
problem solving, reading, writing, politics, etc. Although I need to explore
the site more, it seems to be a winner.
6
66.
wiki.geogebra.org/en
Apparently, this website is a piece
of software. It’s aim is to create dynamic worksheets using computer language
with commands and script. This means that it is quite a bit more complex to use
than any of these other sites listed. Thankfully, the site includes the nuts
and bolts to get started with plentiful tutorials, a complete manual, and a
forum to ask questions and read what others have asked. Presently, this would
be a work in progress for sure as I’d have to somewhat learn how to use the
site somewhat before working with my students on it. Once that point is
reached, however, it could be a rather powerful tool for math, computer
programming, and logic. It also appears that the site is in its infancy in use
as not much has really been said,
asked, or done on the site.
7
The mathis fun.com site focuses primarily on
elementary school math. However, it does touch on secondary math, namely
prealgebra, algebra 1, and data and measure. It provides good, interesting text
for learning skills related to those areas including problems for students to
check their understanding. Although
there are worksheets, none are related to algebra. To me where this site truly
excels, however, is in its puzzles. They are fun, interesting, and downright
hard! They would work well for group projects, extra credit, or for after
quizzes and tests.
8
This is another good site with a
plethora of options and opportunities for educators. The content areas and
grades are fairly well categorized to aid in leading educators to the right
communities. Within the overall community, there is a couple discussion
questions posted every week. These questions seem to be good thought provoking
questions and will be helpful in remaining thoughtful on my teaching practices.
In the specific content areas, there isn’t quite as much going on, but you can
still find a lot of good information and discussions. I could see using this
site for reflection on my teaching practices mainly, following it for perhaps a
couple minutes every other day during the week.
9
The Professor Garfield site has some fun
games for lower level math students. These games would be appropriate for
middle school students or very low performing high school students. They are
kind of fun and help a bit with some basic arithmetic, pre-algebra, and algebra
skills. As such, this could be a great tool for students who are done with
assignments early or even as an incentive to motivate the students to work
extra hard on a particular learning objective.
However, with certain groups of students, the games may seem a bit
childish and hence not cool. Also, the games certainly do not hit upon every
learning objective in a math classroom.
1
Super Teacher Worksheets offers a nice site with a lot of ready made worksheets. The
worksheets are simple and useful and they hit upon a lot of topics up to early
algebra and geometry. They may be especially useful for extra practice in
certain areas and for certain students who may be struggling with certain
topics. The site also provides an answer key, which simplifies the whole
process for the educator. Finally, although there are many free worksheets for
non-members, only members get full access to all the worksheets, which does in
fact cost $20 per year. I think given my use for them, I would choose not to
become a member as the site will be useful to me only on occasion. Those
occasions, however, are vitally important because it’ll be a time I need to
tutor one or a few students while others work on other stuff.
1
111. quizlet.com
Quizlet is an
immensely interesting site. I think that it can be exceptionally valuable as a
vocabulary tool. It offers a number of different ways to practice and develop
vocabulary. Also, the site offers the chance to communicate and even compete
with other classrooms. This would be a great tool for unexpected circumstances
and to quiz on vocabulary since educators can access the scores their students
get. I think it’s great that the students in essence have complete control over
the grades that they get because they can practice as many times as they’d like
or take a quiz as many times as they’d like. As such, it would be a great
supplement to increase vocabulary in the mathematics classroom.
1
Hands on Math is a truly fascinating
blog. There are some very funny, interesting and captivating entries all with
the end of looking at math in a real life context. Word problems are the
traditional “real world” math problems, but these go a step beyond by making
the word problems fun and relevant. And they sometimes provide video and other
media, which can be really helpful to students and teachers these days. Many of
the posts would be great as warm ups for the week or as a problem for Fridays
after a quiz. This is because the posts appear that they could increase (or
better arouse) engagement in math.
1
I really like Math Snacks. They are funny little vignettes which address
mathematics objectives. However, they reach this aim through story. Although
the stories themselves cannot stand alone as teaching materials, I believe that
they can solidify understandings and make a lasting impact on students. They
also offer a great take off point for group or individual work to create
mathematical projects, esp. using technology.
