Math FACTS: Diana Dell, Ed.S . Educational Technology Consultant [email_address] http://sqooltools.com http://sqooltechs.com Vince Szewczyk Educational Technology Consultant [email_address] (Free, Awesome, Cool Tools for Students)‏

No need to take notes! All materials from this presentation can be accessed at: http://sqooltools.com A student-friendly website with links to all math resources: http://gamequarium.org/math.htm

ISTE Teacher Standards addressed: II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. III. TEACHING, LEARNING, AND THE CURRICULUM. Teachers implement curriculum plans, that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning.

Guiding Questions: If we keep in mind that it's the instructional methods rather than the medium that cause learning, how do we determine if an instructional technology resource will make a difference? What types of FREE digital resources are available for teaching math?

Joel Smith and Susan Ambrose of Carnegie Mellon University recommend seven questions to help educators make decisions about how and when to incorporate media into instruction. If you can answer "yes" to one or more of the questions when evaluating a new media, it will more likely make a difference in learning. :

Does the new media address an educational need, problem, or gap ? If you answer NO to this question, there is no need to go further.

Would the application of new media assess students' prior knowledge and either provide the instructor with relevant information about students' knowledge and skill level or provide help to students in acquiring the necessary prerequisite knowledge and skills if their prior knowledge is weak? Place Value Top It

Would the use of new media enhance students' organization of information ? Data Picking

Would the use of new media actively engage students in purposeful practice that promotes deeper learning so that students focus on underlying principles, theories, models, and processes? Sum Sense Division

Would the application of new media provide frequent, timely, and constructive feedback , given that learning requires accurate information on one's misconceptions, misunderstandings, and weaknesses? Mean, Median, and Mode

Would the application of new media help learners develop the proficiency they need to acquire the skills of selective monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting their learning strategies ? Comparing Numbers

Would the use of new media adjust to students' individual differences given that students are increasingly diverse in their educational backgrounds and preferred methods of learning? Crack the Hacker's Safe Color Patterns Who's Missing?

What types of resources are available for math? Mark Schneiderman identified the following digital resource types for teaching mathematics in a presentation to the US Department of Education's National Math Panel: Tutorials Skill-building Practice and Drill Comprehensive Courseware Problem-Solving Test Prep Simulations & Visualization Educational or Serious Games

Tutorials

Skill-building Practice and Drill

Comprehensive Courseware

Problem-Solving

Test Prep

Simulations & Visualization

Educational or Serious Games

Tutorials: Programs are used to introduce math concepts and then to provide practice, assessing learners as they progress. Grids

Skill-Building / Drill & Practice: Unlike tutorials, these programs assume learners have some prior knowledge. The primary focus is on application of new information / practice of new skill. The secondary focus is on acquisition of new information / development of new skill and demonstration of mastery / summative assessment. There are levels of difficulty to meet learner needs, often with hints, explanations, and graphical representations. Programs are often in game format. The Grid Game

Comprehensive Courseware: Programs provide a core curriculum with support for the learning process and might combine tutorials, practice, and assessment. Skill mastery is tracked; a student data management and reporting system is often included to inform instruction. Math-A-Rama Classzone

Problem-Solving: Programs require learners to use specific math skills to solve challenges or puzzles. Focus is on application of new information / practice of new skill and refinement of meta-skills. Problems presented might have one correct answer and/or one solution path or multiple correct answers and paths. Snow People and Sunflowers Rush Hour

Test Prep: These programs assess knowledge, particularly for standardized test preparation. The focus is on application of new information / practice of new skill and demonstration of mastery / summative assessment Test Taking Tips Test Prep on the Net

Simulations & Visualization: Multimedia simulations are often embedded in applications above, and can also be stand-alone. They can be used to help learners visualize and interactively explore concepts, and apply new conceptual knowledge to real-world situations. National Library of Virtual Manipulatives NCTM Visual Fractions

Educational or Serious Games: These applications provide more immediate and ongoing feedback, require more concentrated and lengthy attention, allow repeated practice, motivate increased time on task, and employ a very leveled and contextual approach to building skills and knowledge. Tran Towers Hot Shot Business Powerlines Calculator Chaos

If you think games can't be educational, consider what Henry Jenkins has to say about games: Games lower the threat of failure Games foster a sense of engagement through immersion. Games link learning to goals and roles. Games are multimodal. Games support early steps into a new domain. Jenkins, H. (2005, April). Getting into the game. Educational Leadership, 62 (7), 48-51.

If you think games can't be educational, consider what Henry Jenkins has to say about games:

Games lower the threat of failure

Games foster a sense of engagement through immersion.

Games link learning to goals and roles.

Games are multimodal.

Games support early steps into a new domain.

Jenkins, H. (2005, April). Getting into the game. Educational Leadership, 62 (7), 48-51.

Resources used in preparing this presentation: Dell, .D (2000-2007). Math Games. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from Gamequarium Web site: http://gamequarium.com Jenkins, H. (2005, April). Getting into the game. Educational Leadership, 62 (7), 48-51. Schneiderman, M. (2006, Nov. 6). Software & Information Industry Association: Written testimony of Mark Schneiderman before the U.S. Department of Education’s national math panel. Palo Alto, CA. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www.siia.net/govt/docs/pub/siiatestimonymathpanelfinal2.pdf Smith, J. M., & Ambrose, S. (2004, Jun). The "newest media" and a principled approach for integrating technology into instruction. Syllabus, 17 (11), 22-26.

http://gamequarium.org/math.htm

Feedback: What digital math resources do you need that were not provided in this workshop? Do you have a resource to share? Questions?