Tune into Technology: Math!!

I am (late) linking up with iTeach 1:1 for their Tune into Technology link up! We are visiting family in TN for three week so I haven't had as much blogging time as I would like. Last trip before getting back to the grind of school! Each Thursday they are doing a linky party for technology with different themes. This week it's Technology in Math. Other topics will be iPads, websites, and probably my favorite, QR codes!!

For those of you that don't know, while I love technolgoy (and actually started out in college as a Comp. Sci. Engineering major) I actually teach 7th grade mathematics. So combining my two loves, I was totally excited! So here are a few of my favorite things to do with technology when it comes to math! These are all games and websites you can do in class or students can play at home.

Fun-4-The-Brain - Math Facts self timed quizzes

I teach two RTI classes, one every day for 45 minutes and one once a week for 45 minutes. We did not focus on math facts towards the end of the year (I don't know what I was thinking!), but this is something we are starting right off the bat with. I want to build their confidence in math and I feel like finally mastering these basics will help them. I'd like to not just do multiplication/division but also addition and subtraction to help them build the fundamentals. Friday is our testing day in my class that meets everyday, and this is so easy to use! Unfortunately it doesn't work on the iPads.

Manga High - Grades 2 through High School

Our students loved doing games and challenges on this website because they competed with other schools internationally. At one point our school was ranked in the top ten, but since its summer we currently are not ranked. You assign topics that you are working on currently and the students play games and challeges associated with them. A con is that it is a British based program so some of the vocabulary is different. 

Middle Grades "Monkey" App - 6th-8th Math, Science, and Vocabulary

When students are done with an activity, we had them complete default activities that reinforced math skills or were brain teasers. This was a lot of paper and very time consuming so they eventually faded out. When we were working on integers, I found these apps for the kids to play at home, but I eventually let them play in class when done with their classwork. You get some subjects for free but can purchase an additional levels for $.99. Each subject has three levels. You can reset the scores to go to the first level if multiple people play on the same device. You can also send the scores to an email address. We affectionately called them the Monkey App because they have monkeys on the app icon. I keep them on my iPhone and iPad and let the students play with mine if they don't have their own device.

Middle Grades Math 7

What are some of your favorite math based technology that you use?

Melissa

Helping Students Organize and Technology

Technology can be so helpful in the classroom, but sometimes teachers are afraid to use it because it can sometimes take a lot of classroom management! I wanted to show you ways that I have helped my students and my classroom get organized when it comes to using technology. I teach 7th graders so some of these ideas are addressed for middle schoolers, but they can be easily adaptable to other grade levels as well!

Password Keeper

At the beginning of the year, my students create an Edmodo account for my classroom website, Manga High for math review, and we added a few more over the course of the year. After a couple of weeks, I was constantly being asked "what's my password?!" With both of these websites, I can not see the password, but I can reset it. It was so overwhelming and it wasn't benefiting the students. We use an Interactive Notebook (INB) for our classroom notes, so I created a Password Keeper for students to keep in their INB. This cut down the questions to NONE, and if they did ask I would remind them to go look in their INB. It was a lifesaver!I did not implement it in until October, but this year it will go in when we are initially creating them, and we will have a day in the lab where we set up these accounts and familiarize with the websites.

If you don't have a notebook where they could paste this in or you would rather keep them all, you could keep these on a ring, binder, or index card holder and keep them near your classroom computer. Below is the one I use with some of the websites/logins they will use and extra blank spaces for them to be able to add them later.

Password Keeper - TPT

iPad Apps to Download Poster

This was one of my first creations, and I just recently updated it! My students AND parents asked what apps we used or I recommended, so I created this poster to hang in my classroom. It has over 50 icons of recommended apps for teachers and students, and the iPad has 20 places for the apps. I chose the corkboard background so that I could easily use a push pin to attach them to the bulletin board. This would be a great poster to hang in the classroom for Back to School night or an Open House! Here is a picture one of my students took of it in the classroom to post on my Edmodo sight and also one of the actual poster.

iPad Apps to Download

Bring Your Own Device (B.Y.O.D) Poster **FREEBIE**

I love doing app or internet based activities in the classroom! When I can't check out the iPad lab or its just a quick activity, I let the kids bring in their own device. This is extremely helpful when it is an app based activity. Unfortunately, not all apps are available on all of the app markets. I made a poster that hangs in my classroom and I will check off which phones or devices students can bring in, Apple, Android, Blackberry, or Regular Cellphone. This helps answer so many questions!

Bring Your Own Device - TPT

Hope these products help you organize and manage the use of technology in your classroom! What are some things that help you organize and manage technology in your classroom?

Melissa