ArmBot
ArmBot can be very useful in a middle school, high school, or even college math classroom. When one uses the tablet, he/she can see that it comes with a wide range of lesson plans already built in from building circles to converting between degrees and radians. However, one can create his/her own lessons or build off of the ones already built in. ArmBot is most often useful when working with the Polar or Cartesian coordinate systems. It is an effective way to help keep the students engaged and help them gain a deeper understanding of the material that is being taught.
For the presentation at the MN Conference for Teachers of Mathematics Conference (MCTM) in 2014, we focused on a lesson that converted from Cartesian to Polar coordinates on the tablet. We decided to take it a step further and work the opposite way by converting from Polar to Cartesian coordinates. We recommended starting with the mat that relates to the coordinate pair that the students are given, and then ask them to convert to the other coordinates. For example, if converting from Cartesian to Polar, start with the Cartesian side up. Once the class is done with the conversion, it can check it's answer using the tablet and ArmBot. This offers the students a source of motivation to do their problems and to do them correctly. After the lesson and introduction of ArmBot is complete, the teacher could assign some problems for the students to work through on their own, and then they could potentially check their answers using ArmBot.
For the presentation at the MN Conference for Teachers of Mathematics Conference (MCTM) in 2014, we focused on a lesson that converted from Cartesian to Polar coordinates on the tablet. We decided to take it a step further and work the opposite way by converting from Polar to Cartesian coordinates. We recommended starting with the mat that relates to the coordinate pair that the students are given, and then ask them to convert to the other coordinates. For example, if converting from Cartesian to Polar, start with the Cartesian side up. Once the class is done with the conversion, it can check it's answer using the tablet and ArmBot. This offers the students a source of motivation to do their problems and to do them correctly. After the lesson and introduction of ArmBot is complete, the teacher could assign some problems for the students to work through on their own, and then they could potentially check their answers using ArmBot.
mctm_handout.docx | |
File Size: | 138 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Below is a video depicting another way ArmBot can be used in a Math Classroom.
GeoGebra
GeoGebra is free and multi-platform dynamic mathematics software for all levels of education that joins geometry, algebra, tables, graphing, statistics and calculus in one easy-to-use package.
Tetrahedron
A tetrahedron is easy to make with these instructions, an envelope, some scissors, and some participation. With a concrete representation students have a reference that enables more to explore characteristics of platonic solids. It is a great way to help them stay engaged, learn something new, and be creative!
Sierpinski Tetrahedron: A Metal Sculpture
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Jeopardy
Jeopardy is a great tool to utilize on review days! The students can be broken up into teams where they compete for the highest score. This will help the students stay involved and review the content before an exam in a fun way.
Tips to creating your own Jeopardy Game:
Tips to creating your own Jeopardy Game:
- If you pick a template online, make sure you test it to make sure it works properly before you add all your information.
- Equation editor in Microsoft Word is useful for copying equations into your game.
- In PowerPoint, if a slide is not performing the correct operation, try editing the hyperlink for that specific slide to correct the mistake.
- Use the Snipping Tool in the Accessory folder of a Windows computer. On a Mac, this can be done by pressing the Command + Shift + 4 keys. Then you can snip what you want, and it will save it as a screen shot.
jeopardygame_2.ppt | |
File Size: | 654 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
A few recommended sites for jeopardy questions are:
- The assessment portion of the content at http://www.ck12.org/teacher/ (Accessed April, 2014)
- Sample NAEP questions for grades 4, 8, 12 with difficulty level selection at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/search.aspx?subject=mathematics (Accessed April, 2014)