My Math Flash Cards App

Name: My Math Flash Cards App

itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-math-flash-cards-app/id412496588?mt=8

Cost: This application was free.

Pros: This app is a fun way for students to practice their simple math calculations. It allows them to flip through addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems of while being timed. The level of difficulty can be set to starter or advanced, so there is room for growth within the app itself. You can also set the problems to drill certain numbers. A definite pro to using this app is that it would reach kinesthetic learners who are so often marginalized in instructional methods. The app is fast-paced and provides corresponding sounds for right and wrong answers. Students at any level will be challenged to beat their own personal best record.

Cons: The app is limited in that you cannot excel past the equations provided by the app. A great improvement would be to allow a teacher to pre-write a different set of flash cards for excelled students. When you type in the wrong answer, it gives you the option to either see the correct answer or skip it altogether. Since those are the questions that students should practice over again, it would be better if the app either repeated the question again later or did not give students the option of not viewing the answer.

Use: This could be an effective addition to having stations around the classroom. One student at a time would be able to choose their own settings and try to answer them as quick as they can. The students would invariably love the app because it resembles recreational video games, and at the same time help them quicken and cement the math in their head. These basic problems are the building blocks for higher math and so it is fundamental that students are able to quickly recall the answers. This game could also be used by showing the app on some sort of projector in front of class. The class could be divided in half, and one person from each team would try to shout or write the answer on the white board before the other. I would type in the answer and check it so that all the students could decide if the chosen student was right and earned a point for the team. This app could even be used as an individual informal assessment because it shows at the bottom of the card how many questions were answered correctly out of the total. It could also be used as an informal group assessment; after teaching multiplication by nines, I could set the problems to x 9 to see how confidently the group can shout out the answer. This would give me a rough idea of which problems the students still need to memorize or if there is a complete lack of understanding altogether.

Overall: I have not used another flash card app, but this one seemed usable and helpful to use in a classroom or individual setting.

Math Baseball

I reviewed the App

Baseball and Math HD- http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-baseball/id310920108?mt=8
(The app is free to download. )

Pros- This app is great for students to practice math skills using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It allows you to be able to choose the league which is the level of difficulty for the students. This allows them to only receive problems that are at their level, but gives them the option to go to the next league to challenge them. It can either be played against the computer or a friend. They get to choose how much time they have to complete the problem. If they set the timer at 10 seconds and answer the question in 3 they will get a home run, if it takes 6 a triple and so on. This is a fun way to play a game and still be practicing math skills.

Cons- After reviewing this app there was not much that I could find as a con. It could get repetitive after awhile of the students using the application. But it offers the choice of practicing the different skills at varying levels.

How I would use it in Education- I would let the students use this application in centers against one another or after the lesson is finished to help them practice their skills. I like that the app can be played either against the computer or even another student so two players can be playing at the same time. It has so many options to the program that the student can continue to go up a league once they have mastered a lower league. I think this application would appeal to students and could help positively reinforce their math abilities.

Math Puppy

The app that I chose to review is called Math Puppy. This is a great app that could be used effectively in an elementary math class. The free version of the app only allows you to work with subtraction problems. You can buy division, multiplication, and addition problems together for 99 cents. The app has two modes. One is a bingo mode where you are given problems to solve and you move on to the next level when you complete a row or column of correct answers. The other mode is a math challenge mode. This mode gives four answers and you have to select the right one for the given question.

Pros- The app would be great for giving students a more interactive and engaging method for learning math problems. The bingo mode turns the task of learning addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication problems into a game that you children would find entertaining. Another pro is that the modes on the app allow you to select the degree of difficulty you would like to use. This makes the app even more attractive since could be used for children working on easier prelims, and those looking for more of a challenge.

Cons- The app itself is a bit repetitive, and after a while children may lose interest in the app. The app isn't designed to help explain to a child how their answer was wrong if they answered incorrectly. Children who may not know could just turn to guessing.

How to use- This app would work well for practicing these problems. After the instruction part of a lesson is completed, students could use this app to practice what they just learned. It would provide them with a much more engaging method of practice than just completing a set of problems out of a book.

Using Your iPad With Blogger

If you are having trouble posting to the blog on your iPad you might try downloading Diigo Browser. It is free and works similarly to Google Chrome. You can also try using the Edit HTML mode once you click New Post. Neither browser works well in the compose mode, but both work with the HTML mode. You do not have to post from your iPad, but I was able to create this post and insert an image using my iPad, Safari, and the HTML mode. If you have other tips, please comment to this post.

ABC Phonics

Cost: Free
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-phonics-animals-writing/id376573687?mt=8

Pros: The free app has 50 different animal words that student's trace. If the animal is Bee, the student can practice writing the word "bee" or can switch to practicing just the letter which will allow them to practice "B and b". Students can also choose between tracing in blue, red, green, or yellow so they are able to use a different color each time so they do not get bored.

Cons: If a student is practicing the word Bee, and switches to letters, they only get to practice the letter "Bb" not the "Ee" as well. There is also no correct way of tracing the letters so if students are drawing and not tracing the words, no one would know.

How to use in Education: This app would be a great one to use for centers. A group of students could be working on the Ipad's tracing words instead of using mini chalkboards or whiteboards. This is also a much more engaging way for students to practice handwriting instead of just old fashioned paper and pencil.

ScreenChomp

ScreenChomp is a free app great for any subject, especially math. It is similar to writing on a white board. There is a red, a black, and a green marker along with an eraser. The great perk to this is that you can record what you write along with your verbal explanation simultaneously. When you are done recording your session, you can save it and share it with friends and the teacher via screenchomp.com or save your own personal notes.
This app could be used when working on math exercises, group work, and lesson explanations. Because you can write, erase, and record your work easily, it's easy to share work done during homework assignments and information with classmates. Having lesson explanations accessible to students 24/7 is helpful for them to review how to do problems. The students could record their math notes as well to refer back to during homework. Group collaborations and other activities are easy to do on this app as well. When the teacher gives a problem, the students could open ScreenChomp, and record how they solve the problem. It shows the teacher how much the student understands.
The ZigZag app is very similar to ScreenChomp. ScreenChomp is more kid friendly. Students starting in the 5th grade could start using ZigZag easily. There are other white board apps that cost money and that have the same uses as these apps. It would be pointless to pay for other apps as ScreenChomp and ZigZag do the same job.

How to Post to the Blog

If you are in Concordia University Wisconsin's elementary methods block, you should have received an invitation to be an author on the blog.  I used your CUW email.  Accept the invitation.  If you are having trouble finding your invitation, check your Junk folder.  If you follow the link in the invitation you should be prompted to sign in using your Google user name and password.  Then once you are signed in you can make your first post from the dashboard.  You will notice icons at the top of the text box to help you add pictures, videos, links, spell check, etc...