MayaNumbers

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mayanumbers/id658863945?ls=1&mt=8

This app looks at numbers using the Mayan Number/Symbol system. This app is great for Middle Schoolers! It causes students to break down numbers into smaller parts, using the symbolic system used by the Mayans.

Cost: FREE!

Pros: Price. It includes a great practice tutorial that helps students get the hang of the game before they try it on their own. It is a challenging app that helps students develop speed as well as new number skills.

Cons: The numbers don't go automatically, you have to press GO every time. Also, there is no way to "undo" if you make a mistake without starting the whole problem over. 

I have not seen anything like this app, although I know others exist that also use the Mayan numerical system. 

In the classroom, this would be a great connection between Math and Social Studies. In seeing how other cultures kept records, we can learn a lot about a culture. (For example, the counted in sets of 1, 20, and 400. The twenty probably is because a person has 20 fingers and toes.) It would be fun to look at why they chose the symbols they did as well.