A Pair of Gaming Apps
You might remember the 24 game as a kid in school! You get a card with 4 numbers and you have to add, subtract, multiply or divide your way to a total of 24. With this app for iPad, iPod, and iPhone, you can have your class play without the use of the cards. The interactive nature of the app will definitely spark new interest in this game, as well as the ability to keep score and track fastest times!
The SimplePhysics app is available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod and is a great tool to have students work with some realistic physics as well as engineering. Students can build simple to complex structures (it advertises tree houses to Ferris wheels) through a blueprint interface then subject them to various tests in a game-like environment. Create structures that will withstand different forces, or simple create intricate designs. An added feature is the challenge mode where students have to create designs like rooftops and bridges to meet certain specifications while also remaining in a set budget for their project.
Tags: apps, arithmetic, critical thinking, education, engineering, games, interactive, logic skills, math, multimedia, physics, science, teacher tools, tech integration, tech skills
If you are in need of some technology and an interactive, customizable component to your math lessons, you might be interested in A+ Click’s Math and Logic Problems.
A+ Click’s problems run the gamut of difficulty and complexity from the 1st to the 12th grades and cover a myriad of other subjects from Arithmetic and Geometry through Everyday Applications, Sports, Logic, and Funny problems.
There are two ways that you could possibly use A+ Click:
- It could be used as a quick gauge of student’s skills as each grade level allows the student to take 20 questions in their “quiz” and then, if they score high enough, they can advance to the next level – almost as though leveling up in their favorite video game. They’ll love seeing how far they can get, and you will like seeing the statistics provided by A+ Click that assess the skill areas they are having difficulty in.
- Alternately, you can pick and choose individual questions from any of the grade levels or subjects on A+ Click. Use these as pre-made warm up activities or exit tickets. Instant feedback is provided and the site lends itself to both projectors & white boards or to your chalkboard.
As with any interactive site, A+ Click Math and Logic Problems relies heavily on browser plug-ins – in this case Adobe Flash. Make sure you test the site on the machine you want to use in school first to check compatibility.
Tags: algebra, arithmetic, critical thinking, games, geometry, interactive, lesson plans, logic skills, math, multimedia, study skills, tech integration
Today I thought I would mix it up a little and bring you another game because I know it’s been a while since I’ve done that. Put out by Siemens, Solid Edge Garage can be used in virtually any class, even though on the surface it lends itself very well to a physics or physical science class. You may want to consider using Solid Edge Garage any time you want to break up your class or have students work on their collaboration skills, reasoning, problem solving, or critical thinking.
The idea behind the game in Solid Edge Garage is that there is a Rube Goldberg machine set up in the garage but it is not working. You need to adjust the various parts of the machine to allow a ball bearing to pass through the machine and release a scooter that is parked in the Solid Edge Garage. There are twelve components of the Solid Edge Garage machine that can be adjusted when a wrench icon is visible, but all twelve do not have to be tweaked to solve the puzzle.
The difficulty in the Solid Edge Garage arises when students need to start to think through and observe the mechanism as they begin to work on solving the puzzle. After each unsuccessful attempt, the machine resets to its default, requiring students to observe and take notes about what did and did not work in each trial run. Planning is essential to success in completing Solid Edge Garage. Also, observation and deductive reasoning as well as critical thinking and logic are all tested in Solid Edge Garage.
There are hints provided along the way to help you solve the puzzle, but they will not provide the answer. I think you might enjoy Solid Edge Garage more for the fun the students will have at being allowed to play a game while at the same time honing critical thinking and logic skills that are oftentimes neglected.
Tags: critical thinking, education, games, general, interactive, Internet, lesson plans, logic skills, science, tech integration, technology, web 2.0
Are you looking for ready-made, interactive lessons for teaching math? Of course, we all love interactive activities so give Interactivate a try.
Interactivate focuses solely on teaching mathematical concepts and drills using interactive games, lessons, and activities. Interactivate is divided into two sections, one for teachers and one for learners. The teacher side of the site contains almost 200 lessons already built that will allow you to use the site and design your own interactive, hands-on activities for the classroom. Interactivate’s discussion boards will help you connect to other math instructors utilizing their tools as well as how the activities align to Common Core and several state standards for mathematics instruction.
The learner side of Interactivate has close to 300 activities that students can browse by name or subjects ranging from basic math through calculus! A built in dictionary allows students to use Interactivate as their own online glossary for math terms and operations as well as links to tutorials explaining several mathematical concepts. Interactivate also has over 100 tools available to use to experiment with different mathematical concepts and operations and to play with number manipulation.
Interactivate can be a wonderful tool to “mix it up” in your lesson plans, either in a one-to-one device setting, in small groups with students or with your class as a whole. Students will love the interaction with the activities on the site, and administrators and teachers will love the level of technology integration available on one site.
Tags: edtech, education, interactive, lesson plans, logic skills, math, teacher tools, tech integration, technology
From WNET comes this great series that helps students understand simple algebra in real world examples through video and challenging projects. Get the Math! currently has six videos and challenges available to students. Each addresses a different concept or formula and feature all-star celebrities explaining how they use the math in their respective fields. Following the video is a step-by-step challenge for students to directly apply what they have just learned.
The videos currently available are:
- Math in Music
- Math in Fashion
- Math in Videogames
- Math in Restaurants
- Math in Basketball
- Math in Special Effects
Tutorials helping explain how to use Get the Math! in your classroom are available as are lesson plans and expansion project ideas. This is a great way to help integrate a little technology into your class, either by watching the videos as a whole then breaking into groups to attempt the challenges or by having students work in small groups on each concept. Try using Get the Math! as a supplement to your lessons, as a starter to a larger Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit, or as an extra-credit assignment. Students could even design their own new challenges to show how they use algebra in their own daily life.
All the videos on Get the Math! are embedded in the browser so make sure you test your browser and machine for compatibility before showing these to your classes.
Tags: critical thinking, interactive, logic skills, math, multimedia, PBL, tech integration, video
Looking for a fun and unique way to have students work on their critical thinking and logic skills, with a little deductive reasoning built in? These two-minute mysteries from Mystery Digest might do the trick.
The stories are designed to be read and solved in less than two minutes, and these short mysteries will test students reading comprehension (or listening, if you read them aloud) and then encourage them to think critically about the facts given to quickly solve the case. None are designed to be tricky, and all the cases can be solved based only on the facts given.
There are several ways you might use these in class. They could be part of a different warm-up exercise to change the routine a little in a math class to test logic. Use them as part of a unit on mystery and detective stories in your reading or English class. They could be templates in a creative writing class on writing short, concise stories packed with information. Just make them a fun group activity, seeing how each student group arrives at their conclusions, and if they are different.
The mysteries are divided into both easy to solve and medium difficulty stories, but they should really only be used in middle school or above (grades 6-12). If your students enjoy these, you might also want to try both the logic puzzles available and the “Case Files of Detective Nose” for some more short cases.
Tags: critical thinking, english, general, logic skills, reading comprehension, warm-ups, writing
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