McGraw-Hill Free Math Apps.

All of McGraw Hill Everyday Math  $2 Games Apps are available for FREE download but it ends Friday, April 15th!    Download now to get these free.

Addition Top-It

Subtraction Top-It

Name that Number

Beat the Computer Multiplication

Equivalent Fractions

Tric Trac

Monster Squeeze

Baseball Multiplication

Divisibility Dash

GamesLab - Radford University

http://gameslab.radford.edu/iLearn/ -- Discover ways to use iPods in your classroom and see videos on management techniques from PreK through 7th grade.

Math Resources

Looking for interactive Math activities.  Check out this website with a variety of math resources for grades 3-5.  They are also a good resource for 6th grade.  The site also provides a link to K-2 resources.  Math Resources Grades 3-5 

One of my students favorite is Banana Hunt.  We have a competition in class to see who can earn the most bananas in 10 tries.  I have a grand prize at the end of the week for the top winner.  The competition encourages my students while the game teaches them angles.  Playing the game, students learn to represent acute, obtuse, and straight angles. 

Fraction Factory

Fraction Factory

Cost:  Free

Developed by Radford University, Fraction Factory seeks the help of the player to place fractions correctly on a number line.  With only 60 seconds to put as many fractions on the number line, do you have what it takes to be the Chief Executive Officer for the Fraction Factory or are you just an Average Joe with more practice needed?  This game requires students to problem solve quickly while targeting fraction computation. 

The price is right, purchase this app for your students and see how hands on and interactive learning can be.

Student comments included:

B.H. – I like this game because it is sort of a tournament between your friends.  I like the gear idea and how you have to link them up.

C.G. – I liked how it showed you how accurate you are to the actual decimal.  I think it’s challenging because you try to break your last score in less time.  I like how at the end it tells you your percentage and the position you are in the factory.

J.M. – This game has to do with accuracy which I really like.  At first, I got Average Joe, but I kept going at it and now I’m Factory CEO with 24 fractions and 98% accuracy. 

L.H. – I liked this game because of the dragging part and that you could change fractions when they went off the conveyor belt.  In a future update, make harder fractions and more fractions.

C.W. – Fraction Factory challenged me by getting me to find the decimal spot of a fraction on a number line.  I really liked how it also challenged you to have better accuracy than the last time. 

B. B. – This game is addicting because there are ranks and I love playing a game that has ranks.  This is the “funest” game for iPod for math.  You get to see out of all your friends who’s Factory CEO.

K.K. – This was cool because it challenged us to get more accurate and to get exact to see the highest position possible.  With this game it is all fractions and number lines.  It could be a bit better with decimals to fractions but I still like it. 

Motion Math

Motion Math

Cost:  $1.99

Motion Math is a movement-based learning

game that follows a star that has fallen from space.

It must bounce back up to its home in the stars. 

Moving fractions to their correct location on the number line is the only way to return.  Motion Math provides the player the opportunity to understand and estimate fractions, decimals and graphs.

My students were fully engaged in this app.  They were challenged and excited to play.  Their vote:  5 stars for this app. 

P.M. – This was one of the coolest math games ever because of the motion controller. 

G.C. – This game was hard at first but then got easier.  I had to think about the fractions and where they would be on a number line.  What I really liked is that I was learning and having fun at the same time.

M.J – This game was awesome.  It was also challenging.  I am going to download it on my own iPod.  It was awesome because it wasn’t like any math game I’ve ever played.  It was challenging because the time got shorter each time.  Changing to percent, pie graphs, and decimals also challenged me. 

C.H – I really liked this game a lot! It combined math and a fun concentration game together?  It was cool how it changed from just fractions to negative numbers, graphs, and decimals.  The levels got harder as you advanced.  The ball gets faster too.  This game was fun and I look forward to playing it again.

A.H. – I had a fun time playing Motion Math because the more you play the more you understand how fractions, decimals and graphs are related.  The game tested my skills to locate numbers on the number line.

D.M. – I think Motion Math was a good game because it had your brain really thinking about the fraction.  I liked that it would help you out along the way.  One thing that challenged me was that it got faster and faster.  I believe this is a good game because it makes you really think.

C.S. – A cool thing about Motion Math was as you made it to higher levels, the scenery changed as your star moved up.  It was fun because it challenges you to think about where a pie graph would be on a number line and where negative numbers go.  I liked it because it had a variety of different decimals and fractions.

Free Apps

Searching for free apps, check out these picks that can used in the classroom.

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/63422.aspx?p=2

The Top 10 iPod Touch Apps to Use in Math Class - by Jonathan Wylie

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/62720.aspx

The Best Free Apps for Education: Apple iPod Touch Apps for Language Arts Teachers - by Jonathan Wylie

Bottom of Form

http://www.utechtips.com/2009/11/03/50-educational-apps-for-the-ipod-touch/
  50 Educational Apps for the iPod Touch – U Tech Tips

http://storynory.com/ - Free Audio Stories for Kids – Storynory Ltd.

SOL Review Flashcards

We are beginning to review for our upcoming SOL test.  I have created a series for math vocabulary review cards for my students to practice with as they finish classwork each day. 

I used Keynotes to create the flashcards using two different pages.  An example would be to use the “title-center pages” as your question cards and the “title-top pages” as the answer cards.  You can also use two different color backgrounds.  A blue background can be used for the questions, while a yellow background can be used as the answer cards.  This helps the students keep track on what they are working on. 

Once the presentation is complete, I save it to a folder.  I then export the presentation as images making sure that I save to the same folder.   Each page of the presentation will become a single photo, therefore; if you presentation is forty pages long, you will have forty images. 

To get your images on the iPod, you now need to import the images into iPhoto. Within iPhoto select “File” then “Import to Library” then locate your folder on the computer and select “Import”.    Your photos are now ready to be uploaded to the iPods. 

Plug in your iPod to the computer.  Select the iPod in your iTune account and click on the “Photos” tab.  Put a check in the square beside “Sync Photos from” and choose “iPhoto”.  Now choose “Selected albums, events, and faces, and automatically include “no events”.  This will pop up your current albums and events and enable you to select only the files that you want.  Select “Apply” and then “Sync”.

You are now ready to use your photos as flashcards for your students to review.  Turn you iPod on and select the photo app.  It has a picture of a sunflower.  At the bottom of the screen you can select either “Albums” or “Events” to view your photos. 

I have my students view individually to study and then I pair them up to quiz one another.  

Take 2 – An iPod Challenge

My class recently completed a math activity using the iPod Application, Math Magic 24!  At the end of the activity, I pulled my students together to find out what they liked and disliked about the lesson and asked how to improve it.   It was suggested that I create a game board to help.  Again, students played on the practice mode and used a 1, 2, or 3 minute timer.   We eliminated keeping score and their challenge was to race their opponent to the top of a ladder. 

Students once again worked on problem solving skills, order of operation, and identified addition and multiplication properties.    Students were given dry-erase boards and calculators for practice and reinforcement. 

Integers

I have been working with my students on integers this week.  It is always a difficult concept for many of my sixth graders.  We started using this video and many are now adding and subtracting with ease.  We also made up a song for multiplication and division:
Same signs, pos-i-tive,
diff-erent -- neg-a-tive
Now just multiply or divide
And you'll be just fine.

An iPod Challenge

I created a math activity for my students using the iPods.  In teams, they played the app, "Math Magic 24!" on the practice mode.  They were given a 2 minute timer, game sheet, and 1 iPod to share.  The first opponent was given 2 minutes to solve an expression using the 4 balloons that equaled 24.  They were allowed to reset as needed within the time frame.  If player 1 failed to solve the expression, player 2 was given 1 chance to steal earning 50 of the 100 points is successful.  The players alternated starts for a total of 10 rounds.  My students were excited to play and felt challenged.  I gave them the opportunity to discuss what worked and want we could do to improve the activity.

What worked included
Like the competition
Helped with basic math facts
iPods made it easy and fun
Provided an understand of PEMDAS (order of operation)
It is challenging and provided 3 levels of difficulty
The timer pushed them to work faster on basic facts.

What we can improve on:
It was difficult to remember the expression because the app did not show the final solution when they solved the equation.
It was suggested that I make a board game to use with the "App" so they can see where they are.
They would like the "App" to provide a hint before given them the solution if they are having difficulty

Overall, my students enjoyed the activity.  At the end, one commented that he enjoyed the activity because we did not have to do math today.  Everyone else quickly reminded him that he did in fact do math but it was fun because of how we did it.

My goal is to recreate this activity and take my student's suggestion of using a game board.   With some adjustments and fine tuning this activity will provided my students with an understanding of PEMDAS.