Show Your Work (in math)

Hello,

I have a laptop classroom, and I am wondering what ideas/advice are out there for this problem:

The math coordinator in my school is extremely helpful (and I definitely need the help because its my first year teaching math!), but she's very reluctant to use technology in math. I would love to at least let kids use our learning portal to take quizzes and use some of the great virtual manipulative there are out there. Her main objections are that she thinks the laptops would take time away from learning and that the kids need to show their work.

What do you say to that?

Thanks in advance.

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Permalink Reply by Aimee on September 22, 2010 at 4:50am

You are on the right track, so don't give up. Using web 2.0 tools is a great way for your student to explore and solidify important math concepts. Tools like Google Docs enable teachers to quickly administer quizzes and analyze assessment data. It will take more time getting kids trained to used the computers, but once they know what to do and you have established clear guidelines, it will run as smoothly as any other math activity. Technology could also help you differentiate your math instruction to meet the needs of your students. Negotiate with your coordinator to TRY something, plan it well and give it enough time to work. Start small and add more as you become more comfortable.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Ruddy on September 22, 2010 at 7:28am

Here are some nice math sites -
http://realworldmath.org/Real_World_Math/RealWorldMath.org.html
This site uses Google Earth to teach area and volume amongst other things

http://arcademicskillbuilders.com
Fun math games where kids solve problems to move their vehicle in a race against other students.

Showing work has been a tough one for us, our Math teachers still use paper. I think as we move in to the touchscreen world this will be more doable.

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Permalink Reply by Rod Gatlin on September 22, 2010 at 8:17am

I will qualify myself by telling you I am not a teacher or in education, but I have worked with a lot of teachers and software publishers over the years. Computers are a great way to keep a student's attention and to learn math. Just take a look at this book by Tammy Worcester. There are tons of ideas here. I also posted a link where you can get a sample chapter of this and other books that have great ideas for teaching with computers. Don't give up. Hope this helps.

http://www.swexpress.com/item/AA047F81E4020ABB852573E5005492AA!opendocument&title=50_Quick_&_Easy_Math_Computer_Activities_for_Kids

http://www.swexpress.com/home.nsf/pages/swe-visions+technology-store